Are you tired of losing to scaling champions in your games? Don’t worry, countering them is possible! Scaling champions like Kayle and Kassadin excel in the late game, but there are strategies you can use to shut them down early on.
Counter Picking the Enemy Champion
One effective way to counter scaling champions is by choosing a champion that can directly counter them. However, with the huge number of champions in League of Legends, it can be difficult to remember all the counters. Thankfully, there are third-party softwares like Porofessor that can help you with counter-picks. These tools provide relevant data and suggest optimal build paths for countering specific champions.
Learning About the Champion Scaling
Understanding how scaling champions work is crucial to countering them. Champions like Nasus, Kayle, and Veigar have specific conditions they need to meet in order to scale. For example, Nasus relies on farming and stacking his Q ability to scale. By denying him farm and freezing the wave near your turret, you can neutralize his scaling potential. The same goes for champions like Veigar and Kayle. Exploit their weak early game to keep them from farming and scaling up.
Denying CS by Freezing Lane
Scaling champions heavily rely on getting CS to scale. By freezing the lane near your turret, you can deny them CS, experience, and passive stacks. To freeze the lane, bring the minion wave close to your turret without letting it take turret aggro. Leave four caster minions alive to maintain the freeze. This will make the enemy laner impatient and prone to making mistakes.
Camping the Enemy Laner
Camping the enemy laner can tilt them and disrupt their scaling process. However, careful execution is crucial to avoid backfiring. Look for opportunities where the enemy laner is out of position and make sure you have sweeper to clear vision. Freezing the lane can also set up a successful gank from your jungle, as it forces the enemy laner to overextend.
Playing For Objectives
Scaling champions have weak early games, which can be exploited by prioritizing objectives like Rift Herald and Dragons. An early Herald can give your team a gold and turret advantage, while early Drake fights become 4v5 situations in your favor. Getting the first turret with a Herald can also allow you to roam and have a bigger impact on the map.
Looking For Skirmishes Early On
Early skirmishes favor your team due to the disadvantage scaling champions have in the early game. Invading the enemy jungle is a great way to start these skirmishes and give your jungler an early advantage. Successful kills in these skirmishes can lead to dominating your lane and gaining control of the map.
Counter Building
You can counter scaling champions by building items that directly counter their strengths. For example, champions like Kassadin and Veigar rely heavily on their ultimate abilities. Building a Stopwatch can help you survive against their burst damage. Percentage health damage items can also be effective against champions like Cho’gath and Sion with high health scaling.
Prioritizing the Right Target
If the enemy champion reaches their power spike despite your efforts, it’s important to prioritize them in fights. Locking them down with crowd control and focusing them first can give your team an advantage. But remember, trying to solo a scaling champion after their power spike can be risky and can potentially lose you the game.
By following these strategies, you can effectively counter scaling champions in League of Legends. Remember, practice and adaptation are key to success. Good luck and have fun on the Rift!