Vex vs Azir Counter Pick

Azir sits at a difficulty rating of 9, and how this matchup plays out depends largely on whether that complexity pays off. Vex wins 58.1% of 167 games on patch 16.13.1. That is a modest sample for a mid-lane result, so it works better as a direction than as a fixed verdict.

The real pressure lands on the Emperor of the Sands. Arise! swaps his basic attack for Sand Soldiers, and Shifting Sands sends him dashing to one of them for a shield and damage. That runs straight into Vex‘s passive, Doom ‘n Gloom, which fears an enemy with her next basic ability and cuts off dashes. It also recharges faster whenever a nearby enemy dashes. Azir’s whole kit revolves around the very move that powers her passive.

Base stats are close enough that early durability hardly separates them: 550 range against 525, 590 health against 575, and 335 movement speed against 330. Azir gets ahead on scaling armor, 110 at level 18 against 98.7. Vex’s listed damage profile is uneven, though, and Looming Darkness lays Gloom down through a slowing zone that punishes the tight spacing his soldiers require. Emperor’s Divide is what evens things out: a line of soldiers that knocks her back cancels the Shadow Surge recast and turns her kill attempt into a retreat. Both champions rely on mana, and base attack damage of 56 against 54 keeps early auto-attack trades roughly even.