We've all seen champs like Teemo and we are well aware that there are some super annoying champions to lane against in League, but what are the most annoying of them? For that matter what can we do against them so they're less annoying?
10. Sion Counter Tips
Ever since his rework Sion has seemed a little more prevalent top lane, and what makes it worse is how he can control it. The damage he can produce while building straight tank puts him on the list for champions to watch out for in general. And, what's more, even if you kill him he comes back to life - flailing his massive arms around and dealing insane amounts of damage to anyone close enough.
Overall, Sion is an annoying champion to lane against, and more than just annoying if you're learning a new champion. There are ways to counter Sion however, and one of my favorites is Garen. The easiest way to bully Sion top lane is by denying him farm (this can be accomplished by continually poking him, then backing off) and if you build HP he won't be dealing over half your health in damage anymore. One thing you need to remember is Sion has a lot of health regen, so Ignite needs to become your new best friend - and against Sion, build a Quicksilver Sash or a Banshees Veil, these will take his slow off of you so you can get back to it without dying!
His early game is a monstrosity, and your best bet is to play passive for a while. That means just being patient and last hitting the minions, if he wants to push you should let him. That will make ganking for your jungler very easy, and an easy kill for you!
TL;DR on How to Beat Sion
- Ignite
- Quicksilver Sash/Banshees Veil
- Poke
- Deny Farm
- Play Passive Early Game
9. Nasus Counter Tips
What can you do against this monster one on one in late game besides die? Every player knows a good Nasus can almost guarantee a win - and for good reason. With a Q that continually stacks until the damage is too ridiculous for any squishy champion to handle for longer than a single hit, he's a force not to be taken lightly. But as far as annoying, could his slow last any longer than forever? The debilitating nature makes it so much worse, as if you have a chance of escaping before it feels like you're not moving at all. A moment of hope, destroyed in an instant.
Top lane Nasus is a champion you do not want to take lightly, and if you play too passively this champion can carry their losing team to victory in a heartbeat. One of the best things you can do when laning against this beast is to deny him farm as best you can by poking at range and kiting. Don't let Nasus free farm. If he manages to get up on you there's a good chance you may die, so build health and armor! His damage will be considerably reduced (even if you do stand in his armor reducing circle) and you'll have the health to withstand it.
One of the biggest things to know about playing against a Nasus: build Tenacity to cut a good chunk of time off of his slow, so put that somewhere on your to-buy list!
TL;DR on How to Beat Nasus
- Deny Farm
- Ignite
- Build Armor
- Build Health
- Get Tenacity
8. Vi Counter Tips
May Riot have mercy on your soul if a Vi has her sights set on you as her next victim. Not only will you not get away if you flash, her ult will travel with you! She's not afraid to dive that deep either, she's built full tank but very easily has taken over half of your health. Do you flash away and make your feeble attempt at escape; or do you try to fight her with your last breath? Well it may not matter, thanks to punching you in the face she has a shield, so your death may be in vain if your team isn't paying attention.
A Vi Ultimate is one of those abilities that goes too hard to ignore, and Vi is also a champion you do not want to get into an extended fight with while alone. Her Denting Blows will increase her attack speed all the while shredding what armor you did have built up. Your best bet is to never fight her alone unless you're ahead enough to do so, as she can't target two champions at once you stand the best chance of surviving this way.
She takes a bit of concentration if you're looking to win against her. Dodge Vi's abilities, your life could very well depend on it. Her charge deals more damage than you might think, and it always leads to more pain! If you dodge it she'll have no way to combo you - so pay attention when she starts charging! Overall, if you keep a calm disposition and focus on kiting rather than brawling, you'll do fine. When playing against lane Vi, build health and armor to survive.
TL;DR on How to Beat Vi
- Deny Farm
- Build Health/Armor
- Dodge Abilities
- Kite
7. Yasuo Counter Tips
Yasuo is like a little gnat that continually munches on your skin, over and over it dives in for the attack and just as quickly escapes your grasp. If you do manage to get him low and throw your final ability at him, there's likely a wall of wind waiting to catch it instead. He's not a terribly difficult champion to lane against, but he is very annoying.
First thing is first, how do you deal with a constant shield? A simple basic attack or light poke will do. Get it activated and out in the open before you try to do anything else or it'll soak up more damage than you think it can! Because the poke is based off of Yasuo's critical hits, health won't do too much for you - but you can build armor. Not just any armor either: against Yasuo, build a Frozen Heart. This not only gives you mana and 100 armor, it will also slow down his attack speed by 15%, When you notice he's got three stacks of his Q up (and you will, it looks and sounds as if there's a little windstorm surrounding him), be ready to dodge! If that hits you there's a high probability you're about to die, a full Yasuo combo is deadly - and wouldn't you rather go after him when he's at his weakest?
The next thing you need to keep in mind is that he does have Windwall. That means if you have some ability he is looking to block, bait it out! If you can make him waste this, you stand a much better chance at killing him.
TL;DR on How to Beat Yasuo
- Constantly Poke
- Frozen Heart
- Engage after Whirlwind
- Be Ready for Windwall
6. Malzahar Counter Tips
This lane bully from hell comes in at number six for our most annoying champions to lane against for good reason: his 'E' is too scary. Bouncing from minion to minion but sometimes to you instead like a virus, if Malzahar's ability does hit you.. be prepared to lose a good chunk of health. But if that doesn't kill you maybe his silence will, that takes the form of a black and purple wall of death castable from too far away. Finally, the infamous Malzahar Ult: if this hits you - either have a buddy around, or just be prepared to wait for the death timer again.
The best way to avoid dying against Malzahar: build yourself a Quicksilver Sash or Banshees Veil. Unless you team has a lot of hard CC, you're going to get caught in his ultimate and die a preventable death. Another good idea is to be wary of where his Malefic Visions is and how far away it is from you, it might not look like it, but one hit from that has the ability to take your health down quick - dodge these!
You want to out lane Malzahar mid, and that might be hard to do against a champ that constantly has his mana being restored, poke him down gradually. Malz is squishy and any damage helps. Don't try to waste a big combo on him at the cost of your own health, you may need that later! Finally, pay attention to his voidling pet. They each last for 21 seconds unless killed prior to, and they have damage to them. While you're trying to trade, keep a mind on his pets!
TL;DR on How to Beat Malzahar
- Quicksilver Sash/Banshees Veil
- Deny Farm
- Poke
- Dodge Abilities
- Avoid His Voidlings
5. Morgana Counter Tips
It's not enough that her snare lasts until our extinction, she's also got a spell shield she can self-cast or give to other champions that make your feeble attempts at crowd control pointless. Then she has her dark pool of acidic hatred that does a considerable amount of damage, and finally the oh-so-fun Morgana ultimate that can catch all five enemy champions, slow them, and eventually root them. All the while dealing damage that ranges beyond what your health pool can take. She is one of the few AP champions that still make people sigh a little when they see her on the enemy team.
Just like with Malzahar, when playing against Morgana: buy a Banshees Veil or Quicksilver Sash out of necessity. Another good item to build would be Zhonya's Hourglass, not only will it make you un-targetable, it'll buy you some time to decide your next course of action (possibly saving your life). As soon as the Morgana Q lands from far away or her ultimate hits you, burn it and run away - there's a combo designated to kill you in the works. If you can help it though your best bet is to dodge her Q and simply kite her. While she's chasing you down deal some damage, but be careful of her shield! You want to bait this out by acting like you're going in for the kill, and backing off after she uses the cooldown.
TL;DR on How to Beat Morgana
- Quicksilver Sash/Banshees Veil
- Zhonya's Hourglass
- Kite and Poke
- Dodge Abilities
- Bait Out Her Spell Shield
4. Hecarim Counter Tips
Alright this one is a little off-grid since you can't necessarily lane against Hecarim, but he's going to be in your lane enough anyways so you may as well be. This is the inescapable horse-man, and an absolute abomination when it comes to jungle speed clears. Not only does he have a speed boost comparable only to the Rammus roll, he's got a large scale AOE fear that can and will turn a teamfight in his favor. But you can't stop there, he'll end up running to your top lane from your bottom lane quicker than you could imagine possible, and get the easy gank on your top laner. This beast is just too annoying not to include.
Remember: Hecarim's W heals him, so the first thing you want to do is apply some type of heal reduction - I suggest Ignite. The next thing you want to do to counter Hecarim: build armor and health. He doesn't do massive amounts of damage so these stats will keep you alive. His run can be almost impossible to dodge if you don't know how - run in and out of bushes! Not only will he not be able to charge you while he can't see you, you'll waste the timer on the ability as well! If you have a champion that can apply a slow, now is the time to do it. You want to kite him and keep him at a safe distance, not fight head on! The last best thing to do when facing Hecarim is to spread out. His ultimate will AOE fear your whole team if you're not careful, so make him have no choice on who to use it on by having your tank go out ahead!
TL;DR on How to Beat Hecarim
- Ignite
- Armor and Health
- Kite
- CC
- Dodge Abilities
- Don't Clump Up
3. Blitzcrank Counter Tips
This support champion is all about landing the perfect grab - and when he does you're left like a lamb to the slaughter. With a speed boost, a knock-up, a pull, and a very deadly silence; no summoner enjoys laning against a support Blitzcrank. What makes it so much worse is when he's got his Boots of Mobility and can quite easily chase you down regardless of how safe you were being. Blitzcrank is one of the most notorious champion in the League, just not the most annoying to lane against if you know what you're doing.
How do you beat the mile long arm that always carries you to your doom? Stand behind minions! If you last hit every minion of every wave it's almost guaranteed your opponent will push the lane, giving you ample opportunities to hide behind the little sacrifices... I mean guys. When he misses his hook, don't just breath a sigh of relief - fight back, NOW! While he's waiting on his 10+ second grab cooldown you have the upper hand, so make use of it! If you're just no good at dodging or they are a highly skilled Blitzcrank: build Banshees Veil. The best way to counter Blitzcrank is to not let him land that Q! Finally, remember to kite him. He still has a close range knockup that can ruin your day if he lands it!
TL;DR on How to Beat Blitzcrank (aka Dodge Blitz Pulls)
- Dodge Abilities
- Quicksilver Sash
- Fight Back AFTER he Misses a Q
- Kite
2. Teemo Counter Tips
This little bundle of evil has seen the light and the darkness in the hearts of summoners around the world. Mainly because he's a psychopathic yordle looking at League domination. If this champion needs any explanation as to why he's annoying to lane against, you've not laned against a good Teemo. Not to mention the army of mushrooms just waiting to take half your health at the first wrong step, better hope you don't step on two!
If you're an auto attack champion and you're against a Teemo, don't fight him alone. You will stand no chance early game as his blind will completely negate whatever damage you were planning to do. The best thing you could ever do against Teemo is to buy Pink Wards and the red trinket - these not only make his shrooms simple to deal with, they also negate his invisibility. After that, he's a simple champion to deal with after a bit of health and magic resist! Like many other champions on this list: build Quicksilver Sash or build Banshees Veil vs Teemo to block or negate his blind (or a shroom you managed to find).
TL;DR on How to Beat Teemo
- Don't Fight Him With an Auto Attack Champion Alone
- Buy Pink Wards
- Health and Magic Resist
- Quicksilver Sash/Banshees Veil
1. Irelia Counter Tips
"Sweet I've managed to poke the enemy Irelia down to about half her health, I should go in for the kill!" You think to yourself as she stuns you for days, ending your happy thought in exchange for the sadness brought about at your death. How did it even happen? You were at full health and then you just... weren't. Irelia top ignores things like, "your health" because it's an arbitrary point: it's not your health; it's just health she just hasn't stolen yet.
With abilities designed to take your health for her entertainment along with an entirely too damaging arsenal, this is the most annoying champions to lane against.
What do you do in response to her? She keeps healing right? The first thing you want to do when you fight Irelia is to Ignite her. This reduces the amount of healing she receives from her Hitten Style immensely - as well as her ult. The next best thing against Irelia is building health and armor - but not just any armor: Build Frozen Heart. A big portion of why she's able to win so many early trades is because of her attack speed, slow Irelia down! If you don't want to fight her at all, steer clear of low health minions. She will use these to come close to you (she could also use them to heal during your fight)!
TL;DR on How to Beat Irelia
- Ignite
- Health and Armor
- Frozen Heart
- Avoid Minions
Published: Mar 9, 2015 01:50 am