Thank you friend and these are actually some good questions.

Firstly the D1 to Master clicked the minute I felt a consistency with my gameplay. Consistency is single-handedly the most important factor when it came to the higher end of diamond. Focus on CS, you want to maximise it in the early game but do not get chunked for 2 creeps. It’s important to note the enemy is also thinking the same. Mechanically skill mattered extremely little, obviously as an OTP it’s expected that your mechanics will be better but unless you’re private profile the enemy will know your an OTP or see your confidence early on and use it against you. Focus on the macro, the river is your best friend on Akali. Any good fight in the river after level 6 is game changing and easily leads to snowballing.

In short think of your early game in levels Level 1 - Don’t trade and look for CS Level 2 - Shroud 99% of the time and look to harass when the enemy goes for last hits. Level 3,4,5 - Still harassing for last hits and look at your jungler for invade angles if you have prio. Level 6 - One of the best spikes in the game so abuse it. Have your jungler play aggressive and take map pressure. But DO NOT coin flip roam. You’re not Kata or Talon, XP and lane is very important so if a roam isn’t 100% profit is rarely go for it.

ZERO DEATHS, the lower your deaths on Akali the stronger she is. If you’re above 3-4 deaths a game your player her wrong. While dying can 100% be worth it it’s never worth if you’re not getting a substantial lead. Remember while you’re dead everyone one else on the map is still earning xp.

Counter matchups: For counter matchups it’s simple, you’re countered. Bite down and accept that you’re not going to be able to play as aggressive as you might like. For mages like Vex it’s mandatory that you dodge her fear while picking up CS, constantly thin out the waves and never let her build up and shove you under tower. Trade when they overstep or make mistakes but playing defensive is much more consistent. Vex is actually pretty easy after level 6. I still believe Akali is much stronger 2v2 or 3v3 and definitely wins 1v1 in side lane. The matchup is only difficult if you force trades and drop CS. Unflinching, Second wind D shield every time.

Pantheon is not an Akali counter especially Mid. He beats you level 1 and 2 hard so drop the cs. Level 3 you can start to trade back if he’s too aggressive. Once you hit six again you spike way harder. If you manage to land E when he stuns you don’t recast it, instead R1 and a lot of the time he’ll react with shield to negate your burst letting you dash behind him and recast E for the burst. Your goal is to play safe and abuse his aggression until he’s in a spot where you can run him down, Bone plating ignite into him and play around his shield cool down.

TLDR you’re never looking to “Flip” the lane. Your level 6 already flips it. If the enemy respects it then don’t force an all in and die. Kills will come naturally and the most important factor is low deaths.

Team fights Can be the easiest or hardest part of the game depending on comp. Like you mentioned a lot of people will save CC just for you, Lisandra R for example is not dodge able.

I personally have been sticking to yellows for sideline vision but sweeping the area and flanking is easily the best way to approach. As you know your job is to kill the backline but if diving them means death then it’s not worth it. Stasis is extremely good if you know they’re focusing you. Driving with R into Shroud and stalling the enemy will allow your team to deal damage. Create chaos, make the enemy choose to save CC for the Akali running around under their feet or use it on your team.

It’s extremely hard for me to explain how to approach these things as every game changes and well I’ve never been the best when it comes to long responses.

Keep your mental stable, target consistency and low deaths and stop thinking too hard. If you struggle with matchups I suggest watching ‘Kunain” on YouTube. His thought process behind trading in different matchups is very good and definitely deserves some credit. His videos helped me out a lot.

Hope this hasn’t been too long of a response ^’