How to Counter Scaling Champions in League Of Legends

Have you ever been in a game where you are winning the game and out of nowhere a level 16 Kassadin or Kayle comes in and deletes your HP bar in a second? Well if yes, then don’t be sad about it as scaling champs like Kayle are meant to do that. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t counter these scaling champions.

Countering scaling champions requires players to end the game before the enemy champ hits their power spike. To achieve this your team needs to make sure that they are aggressive towards these champs early on as almost all the scaling champs have weak early games.

However, that is easier said than done as the enemy laner will try to play for the late game. Moreover, once the enemy champion hits level 6 killing them becomes exponentially harder. But don’t be disheartened as there are ways to counter these scaling champs.

We know how hard it can be to play against champs like Nasus and Kayle. These champions act as ticking bombs and with every second passing by that bomb is a step closer to soloing your entire team. Therefore, we have written this guide today to help you counter scaling champions.

Also check out: Stacking champs in LoL

Counter Picking the Enemy Champion

One of the easiest ways to make sure that the enemy laner doesn’t get enough time to hit their power spike is to counter-pick them. However, we know that the league is a game with a vast roster to choose from so it isn’t feasible to remember all the counters.

You can solve this little problem by getting the help of third-party softwares like Porofessor. These softwares help you counter-pick the enemy laner by providing you with all the relevant data you need. Apart from that, the app also guides you down a certain build path which helps utilize your runes and items to their fullest.

Also check: How to Counter Invading Junglers In League of Legends?

Learning About the Champion Scaling

Whether it be Nasus, Kayle, Veigar, or any other scaling champ, there is always a catch. All of these champs have to meet certain conditions to scale up. However, if you are able to exploit these conditions you can easily counter these champs.

For example, if a champion like Nasus whose entire scaling revolves around his Q stacks is stopped from farming, you can effectively make him useless. Therefore, to counter him you will simply need to freeze the wave and make sure that the enemy laner is unable to farm.

The same goes for Veigar and Kayle if these champs are unable to stay in lane and farm minions, they will effectively hinder their teams. So, if you are planning to counter these champs start learning about their kits and exploit their weak early game.

Denying CS by Freezing Lane

For any scaling champ getting CS is a must if they want to scale. However, to balance things out for these champs, Riot has made their early game weak. You can exploit this weak early game by Freezing the lane and denying them with XP, Gold, and passive stacks.

To freeze the lane you need to make sure that you bring the minion wave around your turret. However, the minion wave should not be taking the aggro from the turret. Once the minion wave is at the spot, you need to leave the wave in such a fashion that 4 caster minions are always in excess from the enemy’s side.

Now just kill the minions that are in excess and leave 4 caster minions to freeze the wave. By performing a lane freeze, you will make the enemy laner impatient. This impatience can lead to the enemy laner making mistakes and can end up dying due to wrong positioning.

Camping the Enemy Laner

The best way to ruin an enemy laners game is by constantly ganking them. This tactic doesn’t only affect them in-game, but it also allows you to break their mental. With that said, ganking the enemy laner constantly can be a double-edged sword as if not performed right it can end up costing you the game.

To have a successful gank there are two things you need to keep in mind. Firstly, the enemy laner needs to be out of position for them to get positioned. Secondly, you need to have a sweeper on you to make sure that the enemy doesn’t have vision over you.

Once you know you have both these requirements met, you will easily be able to get a successful gank. Lastly, if you are planning for your jungler to come in for a gank, you can simply go for a lane freeze which will result in an over-extended enemy laner.

Playing For Objectives

Whether it be a dragon or a Herald, champions like Nasus and Kassadin are at a disadvantage due to their weak early game. This weakness can be exploited by your team to get a head start by getting their hands on objectives like Rift Heralds and Dragons.

An early Herald can provide your team with a substantial gold and turret lead early on. Moreover, it also becomes easier for your team to contest for early Drake’s as it is effectively a 4v5 and the enemy team will always be in a losing position. Lastly, if you are able to get the first turret with the help of the Herald, you can roam around the map to have a bigger impact on the game.

Looking For Skirmishes Early On

Having Early Skirmishes is also another way for your team to extend their lead. Due to the 4v5 situation that the enemy team is in, the early skirmishes tend to favor your team. The best way you can start this is by invading the enemy Jungler. If performed right your jungle will be able to have an early lead which he can use to provide your team with Ganks and support.

Moreover, these skirmishes can help you get kills early on as well. You can use these kills to dominate your lane. By dominating your lane you will make the enemy team roam towards you. Hence, this further causes them to lose their minion and control over the map.

Counter Building

Champions like Kassadin And Veigar whose R are basically a Game-Over button. These champions can get really annoying later in the game. However, you can deal with their R by simply building a Stopwatch. Just like that, you can use in-game items to counter your enemies.

Even champions like Cho’gath and Sion who seem to have infinite HP scaling can be dealt with by using items that provide percentage health damage. Therefore, if you are playing against such scaling champs your build plays a key role in countering them.

Also check out: Can Nasus Q crit?

Prioritizing the Right Target

Lastly, in the event that the enemy champion is able to hit their power spike, you need to prioritize them. There is still hope for you to take the enemy Nexus but it will require a little more team effort. You will need to prioritize the enemy champion and try to lock it in a chain CC.

Once you are able to execute the priority target, you will need to end the game before the enemy laner respawns. However, do not try to solo a scaling champ once they have hit their power spike as it can end up losing you the game.

Also check: How to Carry a Losing Team as a Support?

Conclusion

There are a lot of different practices you can follow to counter a scaling champion I. league of legends. Today in this guide, we have mentioned everything you need to know regarding how to counter one.

Moreover, this guide does not only help you counter scaling champions but it also helps you be a better league player. We hope by following this guide you will be able to perform better against such enemy laners.

Have a look at our tips on how to get dragons in LoL.