When meta shifts can occur with a single patch, it can begin to feel like you’re playing at the mercy of the meta. What if we told you that you could start countering the meta? In today’s article, we’ve put together a few examples of some match-ups you can use to start doing just that.

Top Lane

Singed vs. Jax

Jax, the Grandmaster of Arms, is a champion that can easily take over games. However, Singed’s kit is designed to counter Jax. Singed’s poison does a lot of damage over time, often underestimated by opponents. The strategy is to bait Jax into trading at level 1, chip away at his HP while clearing the wave, and aim to have him at around two-thirds or half HP before the next wave arrives. Singed can match Jax in the side lane all game long, and if Jax turns to team fighting, Singed can shut him down there as well.

Quinn vs. Darius

Darius is a popular but highly disliked top laner. His passive gives a ridiculous amount of trading power, often getting first blood early in the game. However, Quinn can easily counter Darius by staying out of his trading range and kiting him. Quinn’s movement from proccing her passive makes it very easy to kite Darius, and with Ignite, she can kill him before he can get much off on her.

Jungle

Ivern vs. Kindred

Ivern is a great counter to Kindred. While Kindred is a scaling pick, Ivern scales even better. He may not be able to dish out as much damage, but he makes up for it with his vast amounts of utility. He also has more influence early in the game because of his passive, making it hard for Kindred to get anything done.

Fiddlesticks vs. Kha’Zix

Fiddlesticks is a great counter to Kha’Zix. If Kha’Zix ever tries to invade, Fiddlesticks can easily fight him on a camp. In fights, Fiddlesticks can render Kha’Zix’s ultimate entirely useless. Kha’Zix needs that stealth to navigate fights, but as long as he is tethered with Fiddlesticks’ drain, he’ll constantly be revealed.

Mid Lane

Xerath vs. Ahri

Xerath is a great counter to Ahri. Ahri’s strength comes from her well-rounded kit, making it hard to counter her unless you’re an artillery mage that can constantly push her in. Xerath can poke her from afar, so by the time fights start happening, she’s already half HP and going in is too risky for her.

Malphite vs. Zed

Malphite is a reliable counter to Zed. As Malphite, you can completely turn the tables on Zed. All you have to do is spam Qs, and you win trades. Tank Malphite shuts down Zed even more reliably since even if you play fights as horribly as you possibly can, you’ll still pretty much win with auto-attacks alone.

Bot Lane

Kai’Sa vs. Ezreal

Kai’Sa is a good pick into Ezreal. Ezreal is a common pick, but many players fail to utilize his full potential. With Kai’Sa, you know that you’ll be your own late-game insurance. With a good support matchup, you can definitely be aggressive in lane, with your ultimate allowing you to follow up his E if you have kill potential later on.

Nilah vs. Ashe

Nilah is a good counter to Ashe. Nilah’s Q gives you great wave clear, and since Nilah has some built-in sustain, you’ll be able to avoid getting poked down too low. Once it’s time to go all-in, being able to dash twice means that you can easily close the gap and lay in the damage.

Support

Rell vs. Thresh

Rell is a better pick against Thresh because she has more fighting power and can body block to prevent Thresh’s CC. Rell’s mass amount of CC allows her to compete with Thresh in terms of utility. She can also close the gap with her E, giving her more mobility and options.

Taric vs. Nautilus

Taric is an underrated champion with a high win rate. He is best at dealing with other melee supports and can mitigate upfront damage with his armor and shielding. Taric shines in extended fights. His passive auto attacks reset his cooldowns and provide extra healing and damage.

We hope these examples give you some new ideas on how you can begin countering the meta without having to wait for a new patch to nerf a champion or a build that has been giving you trouble. Be sure to let us know if you come across any similar options for the meta!