Outside of champion abilities in League of Legends, items allow players to further disrupt their opponents and take control of games. Though most items passively grant players stats, some can be activated to provide additional effects for a short duration.
These active effects often have long cooldowns akin to those of ultimate abilities, meaning it can take upwards of three to five minutes before they can be used again. Stopwatch is the exception to this rule, as it can only be used once before being upgraded into Zhonya’s Hourglass.
Quicksilver Sash is one of the many items in League that can be activated, and has been referred to as one of the most powerful items in the game for many years. While it does supply players with a decent amount of magic resist, it’s the active effect that makes it a pivotal item for many champions, regardless of if they need the increased stats or not.
What is Quicksilver Sash in League and how does it work?
For 1,300 gold, players can purchase a Quicksilver Sash from the shop upon returning to their base. This item grants an additional 30 magic resist and possesses an active effect that, when used, cleanses the player from all crowd control except for being knocked airborne. After use, it goes on a 90-second base cooldown before being able to be used again.
While Quicksilver Sash’s active is very similar to the summoner spell Cleanse, it allows players to escape a few more situations. For example, only with Quicksilver Sash can players escape Mordekaiser’s Realm of Death, though it is unable to cleanse summoner spells like Ignite and Exhaust—though Cleanse can.
Quicksilver Sash can be upgraded into two different Legendary items, Silvermere Dawn and Mercurial Scimitar, both of which grant additional effects upon activating them. However, due to the bonuses to attack damage that they provide, many players opt to not fully complete the item due to their champion of choice. Being able to cleanse crowd control is a powerful effect, regardless of whether the champion builds AD or AP, so only building up to Quicksilver Sash is effective most of the time.
These upgraded items are also often outclassed by other Legendary-tier items that synergize better with the kits of many champions. AD-focused champions often do not add Silvermere Dawn or Mercurial Scimitar to their arsenals to prioritize items that cost around the same amount, such as Lord Dominik’s Regards or Black Cleaver.
This cleansing effect can also be applied via the item Mikael’s Blessing, often built by support players, though has to be directly activated on an ally of choice. Therefore, should players want to escape crowd control efficiently, purchasing a Quicksilver Sash can catch unsuspecting enemies off-guard.
