If you’re struggling to play against Darius, here are some of the best counters to beat him and get the upper hand during the game.
Image via Riot Games
5 Best Darius Counters
Darius is one of the most annoying champions to play against in the top lane. He can either be completely broken or bad to play, depending on the matchup. His simple kit is perfect for people looking to learn the game but it also packs a punch against most melee tanks thanks to its bleeding passive. If you have played against him, you probably know the frustration of dying due to its Hemorrhage effect.
That said, there are some champions that Darius struggles against, making them perfect to neutralize and prevent him from snowballing out of control. These are the five best counters for Darius you should play this season.
Dr. Mundo – Out sustain and tankier
Even though we mentioned Darius wins against most tanks, Dr. Mundo is one of the few exceptions. This is because Dr. Mundo can always heal up most of the damage the enemy deals and beat him early on with short trades.
Thanks to the harass damage from Q, Dr. Mundo can poke and farm minions safely, and even if Darius tries to go after him, he won’t give enough damage to finish him off. This gets even worse as the game goes on since Dr. Mundo will heal up more than the damage Darius deals. Below are some tips on what you should be doing against him:
Poke him with Q and E whenever Darius tries to farm the minions to build a health advantage
You can walk up when you have the passive ready: Darius only has one crowd control.
Make sure to ult before Darius gets five stacks or he might be able to kill you before you start healing up
Rush armor early and pay attention to whether he builds anti heal. If he does the latter, play with more respect.
Read more: Best Champions to carry early game in League
Jayce – A counter to beat him in lane
If you don’t like Dr. Mundo and his passive playstyle, then probably Jayce is the right champion for you. This top lane champion can take advantage of its ranged form during the early game and scales a lot better than Darius later. Additionally, Jayce can use his E in hammer form to knock Darius back, in case the latter tries to chase after him.
Image Credits | Riot Games
That said, Jayce is tough to master and the matchup is highly dependent on the Jayce player. Darius can potentially win if the Jayce player makes a misstep so there isn’t much space for error. It’s one of the best counters for Darius but also one of the least forgiving ones:
Darius has kill threat whenever he has Ghost (and Flash) ready. Make sure to track his Summoners’ Spells.
Make sure to run Phase Rush on Jayce in this matchup so you can get away from Darius’ slow and grab.
Try to use the ranged advantage to stack waves and prevent him from chasing after you.
Buy early boots so you have more movement speed to run away.
Once you get three items, you can start winning in the 1v1 if you land your abilities and poke accordingly.
Jax – One of the most annoying counters for Darius
Ever since they reworked his kit, Jax has been terrorizing as a strong carry pick up in the top lane. Now that his kit is even stronger, he can beat Darius during the laning phase if played correctly.
The best thing about Jax against Darius is his ability to negate the auto attacks with his E, Counter-Strike. Furthermore, Jax has much stronger short trades with his empowered W.
Image Credits | Riot Games
Even though Jax has an advantage, it depends on how the two players use their abilities and how they play with the minion waves during the laning phase. At level six both champions have lethal on the opponent, so it’s extremely important to see who can kill the other faster. On paper, short trades are to Jax’s advantage while Darius gets stronger the longer the skirmish. When playing Jax, consider these tips:
Don’t use your E early or Darius can stack the passive when fighting you.
Walk up whenever Darius farms for a fast AA-W combo. If he fights you back, use Q or E to negate his counter-trade.
Don’t force the kill at level six, especially if he’s healthy. Darius deals true damage with the ultimate so Jax’s additional resistances from the ultimate are not useful.
Always pay attention to which summoners he has and when he used them.
Read also: Best Clash Team Comps
Yorick – Winning the splitpush game
Even though he might not be a popular champion to play, Yorick is technically one of the best Darius counters in LoL. It’s definitely not a one-sided matchup but it’s definitely in Yorick’s favor. Given that Darius has no way to get out of the Yorick’s wall, the latter can easily harass Darius with his Ghouls, and then look for a kill when he’s low. Moreover, Darius cannot match Yorick’s split push potential on the side lane, so things will get tougher as the game drags longer:
Always make sure to stack some ghouls and use them to damage Darius. Given that they take reduced damage from AoE abilities, Darius can’t kill them with his Q.
Pay attention to who gets level three first, Darius can get good health trades from that point onwards.
Minion waves are your biggest helpers early on: if the enemy is looking to fight you, make sure to have a well-stacked wave.
Don’t fight him if he gets level six before you. That’s when Darius can threaten to kill you with the Noxian Guillotine (ultimate).
Unless you’re heavily dropping behind in farm, you can always play the scaling game and don’t engage with the enemy. As long as Darius doesn’t snowball, Yorick will outscale him anyway.
Sett – Not afraid of your damage
If you enjoy having a big fistfight when facing Darius, then Sett is probably the right champion for you. Both of them like to go for extended fights and trades, and then use their abilities to finish off the enemies. But when the two clash, it becomes a real battle on who can play their cards better than the opponent.
Image Credits | Riot Games
Even though it’s not always in Sett’s favor, the top lane champion has enough tools to neutralize Darius and beat him up: Sett can tank most of the damage and then release it with his W, getting a big shield and dealing AoE damage. How you use the W, however, is decisive of the entire matchup. The ideal thing would be to use the shield to tank Darius’ ultimate, but as long as you can throw a full-grit W, you should get the upper hand:
Avoid trading early on until you have unlocked all your 3 abilities.
Always use the E between Darius and the minions so you can briefly stun him, and follow up with Q-empowered auto attacks.
You can also use the E to dodge his Q if necessary.
Hold your W if possible until it’s well-stacked and easy to hit.
From level six onwards, hold the W for his ultimate. If you have good reflexes, you should be able to tank it with the shield.
If he’s pushing towards you, you can try to go for an E-flash-R combo to “inSec” him into the turret. It’s a risky but rewarding play.
Read more: Best Bot Lane Duos in LoL
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