Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- +Exceptional burst damage with Dimension Slash (R) that provides invulnerability during execution and sustain via lifesteal
- +Thorn of Time (Q) offers mobility and escape with 3-stack reset mechanic, enabling hit-and-run harassment
- +Time Surge (W) armor shred and 90% slow combo enables team fights and locks down high-priority targets
Weaknesses
- −High cooldown dependency and skill timing requirements make him vulnerable to early ganks without stacked Rift passive
- −Reliant on Rift stacking for damage amplification; falls off if unable to maintain consistent auto-attack harassment
- −Vulnerable to crowd control chains before R activation; no defensive utility makes positioning critical
Abilities
PRift
Murad's auto attacks grant him 1 Energy point (does not apply to structures). Energy points decay after 3 seconds. After accumulating 4 Energy points, he gains 5% increased attack damage and unlocks Dimension Slash for 5 seconds.
1Thorn of Time
Murad dashes in a designated direction, dealing physical damage and stunning enemies. This skill can be recast within 5 seconds. On the 3rd cast, he blinks back to his starting position.
2Time Surge
Murad unleashes temporal power, dealing physical damage to enemies and extra physical damage to those in his path. Enemies hit are slowed by 90% for 2 seconds and have their armor reduced by 100 for 3 seconds. Murad cannot be targeted while this skill is active.
RDimension Slash
Murad performs 5 consecutive dashes in a designated area, dealing physical damage with each strike and leeching from enemies in the area. Murad cannot be targeted during this skill. Dimension Slash can only be used when unlocked by Rift and is locked again after use.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Thorn of Time | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
2Time Surge | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | · | · |
RDimension Slash | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Awake
Spirit
Essense Reaver
Dragon's ClawStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Hit-and-Run Poke
111Use auto-attacks between Q casts to stack Rift passive. Third Q returns you to safety. Repeat to bully lane opponents without committing.
Full Burst Combo
21RInitiate with W to shred armor and slow. Stack Rift with autos and Q, then unleash R for invulnerable multi-hit damage and lifesteal. Use against isolated targets.
Team Fight Engagement
2RFlicker into enemy backline, W to disable frontline threat while you R onto priority target. Invulnerability during R prevents trades.
Gameplan
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Focus on stacking Rift passive via auto-attacks while safely harassing with Q; use third Q reset to disengage
- →Avoid all-ins before level 4 when R is unavailable; farm efficiently and poke enemies to establish lane control
- →Watch minimap for enemy jungler; position near lane exit to Q-reset away from ganks
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Roam with jungler once R is online; Dimension Slash provides team fight presence and guaranteed damage on grouped enemies
- →Use W-R combo to isolate and delete squishy targets in side lane skirmishes; the armor shred amplifies your burst
- →Maintain Rift stacking between engagements; drop back to farm if stacks expire to restack before next fight
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →Position as secondary initiator; let tank engage first, then flicker-W-R onto carry or backline mage
- →Use R invulnerability window to bait enemy cooldowns; the lifesteal sustain from R lets you extend fights if fed
- →Respect cooldown timers; without R, you lack escape and are vulnerable to focused fire
Matchups
Murad gets countered by
ArumHis CC immunity and sustained tankiness make him unkillable for Murad; Dimension Slash won't burst him and he can lock you down before R activation
GrakkHook disable catches Murad mid-Q or mid-R, removing the escape/invulnerability advantage; high tankiness negates burst
YenaHer crowd control and defensive mechanics shut down Murad's combos; she can chase through Q resets and lock him with proper timing
Murad synergizes with
- EngrossEngross's tank initiation with crowd control grouping allows Murad to flicker-R onto grouped enemies for guaranteed multi-hit damage and lifesteal value
RouieHis early game support and CC lockdown help Murad secure picks in lane; Murad's armor shred amplifies Rouie's follow-up damage
Pro Tips
- →Rift passive stacks reset after 3 seconds without auto-attacks; spam Q on minions if passive stacks are about to expire before team fights to maximize damage bonus
- →Save third Q for escape unless certain of kill; Dimension Slash invulnerability doesn't trigger if you're CC'd before activation
- →Time Surge slow duration (2s) is shorter than cooldown; use it to set up picks on isolated targets rotating through jungle, not as general utility
Murad is a high-skill, high-reward assassin-warrior best picked into squishy team compositions where you can reliably isolate targets. His 36.5% ban rate reflects his oppressive burst potential and invulnerability mechanics, but 46.3% win rate suggests proper skill-expression is needed to exploit his kit in Diamond+ play. Avoid blind-picking into heavy CC or tanky compositions.