Tristana vs Kai'Sa ADC Matchup

Tristana ADC wins 50.2% of 15,705 Low Elo games against Kai'Sa ADC, -0.3 points vs expected, 2-patch window 26.19-26.20.

Researched on LoL patch 26.20. Tips are written to hold at any rank; stats come from Low Elo ranked games up to patch 26.20.

How to play as Tristana

If Kai'Sa lands close with Killer Instinct(R), use Buster Shot(R) to create space before she can continue the trade. (Unverified: no source confirms this note.)

Rocket Jump(W) resets its cooldown upon achieving a champion takedown or upon fully detonating a 4-stack Explosive Charge(E) on an enemy champion.

Buster Shot(R) knocks Kai'Sa away if it hits after she completes Killer Instinct(R); it does not cancel the dash mid-flight or remove her Plasma marks.

How to play as Kai'Sa

If you take Exhaust, use it after Tristana lands with Rocket Jump(W) to reduce her damage and slow her while you reposition or fight back. (Unverified: no source confirms this note.)

After Tristana uses Explosive Charge(E) to clear the wave, take a short trade and back off before she can finish a low-health champion and reset Rocket Jump(W). (Unverified: no source confirms this note.)

Wait for Tristana to use Buster Shot(R), or have an ally lock her down, before diving with Killer Instinct(R). (Unverified: no source confirms this note.)

Explosive Charge(E) has a 16-second cooldown at rank 1, so when Tristana uses it to clear the wave the charge is unavailable for the next trade; a takedown can still reset Rocket Jump(W).

Sources

These notes come from LoL Wiki, checked against the champions' abilities.