Varus vs Illaoi Counter Pick

Illaoi looks for a brawl in a cramped spot next to terrain nobody can cross, where Prophet of an Elder God keeps summoning Tentacles. Varus avoids that brawl by staying 575 units away from her 125, and he takes 57.6% of 212 games on patch 16.13.1.

• Movement: Illaoi’s base speed is 350 to Varus’s 330, so Varus has to keep her at range with Hail of Arrows instead of relying on footwork alone.
• Frames: at level 1 she has 656 health and 35 Armor, rising to 2,611 and 120. Varus starts at 600 and 24, climbing to 2,385 and 92.
• Damage: both champions deal physical damage, so armor is the shared defensive buy, and neither side is penalized for its magic resistance choices.

The ability to watch closely is Test of Spirit. It pulls the spirit out of its target, and part of the damage the spirit absorbs is sent back to the original victim. Standing beside an allied minion wave while it’s active is what turns a favorable matchup into a losing one. Harsh Lesson is her leap onto a target, pulling nearby Tentacles into the same swing, while Leap of Faith summons one more Tentacle for each champion it strikes, so the threat grows with the number of bodies around her. Building up Piercing Arrow for its extra reach before she gets close is the core of the plan. Kit: Illaoi.