Varus
Computed from 135,981 ranked Solo/Duo games collected through the Riot API · patch 26.21.
| Role | Win Rate | Pick Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Top | 45.9% | 1.0% |
| Mid | 46.3% | 0.4% |
| ADC | 49.3% | 3.9% |
Varus is banned in about 1.2% of games at this tier, one figure for the whole champion since bans happen before roles are picked. What ban rate measures.
Varus's ADC win rate is 0.7 percentage points below an even 50% — Should I Dodge's win-probability model varies by about 4.8 percentage points of standard deviation from lobby to lobby across all ranks, purely from which champions get drawn, so this gap is smaller than that noise, not solid evidence the champion is unusually strong or weak right now.
Varus is tracked in 3 roles at this tier scope; the per-tier, threat, and counters reporting below all use its highest-pick-rate role, ADC — its numbers in Top (1.0% pick rate) and Mid (0.4% pick rate) stay visible in the table above but aren't carried into the rest of this page.
Varus's ADC Build
In Emerald+ games on patch 26.21, Varus's most common ADC setup runs Cleanse and Flash with Lethal Tempo, maxes Q first, and builds Youmuu's Ghostblade, Edge of Night, and Manamune — 49.4% win rate over 37,373 games.
- Summoner spells
Cleanse + Flash
50.5%2,804 games - Runes
Lethal Tempo + Inspiration
53.8%3,072 games - Skill priority Q > E > W 50.5%7,001 games
- Starter
Doran's Helm + Health Potion
49.9%3,654 games - Boots
Gluttonous Greaves
53.4%11,658 games - First three items
Youmuu's Ghostblade → Edge of Night → Manamune
55.0%953 games
Varus's ADC Win Rate By Tier
| Tier | Win Rate | Pick Rate | Games | Edge (noise-widths) | Clears 0.5σ? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | 48.8% | 4.6% | 10,497 | 0.16σ | No |
| Bronze | 49.8% | 4.2% | 11,964 | 0.03σ | No |
| Silver | 49.0% | 3.8% | 13,743 | 0.17σ | No |
| Gold | 49.2% | 3.8% | 15,642 | 0.15σ | No |
| Platinum | 49.2% | 3.8% | 16,610 | 0.17σ | No |
| Emerald | 49.3% | 4.0% | 14,098 | 0.16σ | No |
| Diamond | 49.8% | 4.3% | 14,024 | 0.04σ | No |
| Master | 48.8% | 5.2% | 8,388 | 0.25σ | No |
| Grandmaster | 47.6% | 6.6% | 617 | 0.31σ | No |
Varus's ADC win rate ranges from 47.6% at Grandmaster to 49.8% at Bronze across the 9 of 10 ranked tiers with at least 200 games in this role — a 2.2-point spread. Measured against each tier's own noise floor, that's 0.03σ at Bronze and 0.31σ at Grandmaster, with neither clearing the 0.5σ bar Should I Dodge itself requires before calling a reading anything but Neutral. 1 tier under 200 games not shown.
- Power curve
- No strong lean
- Threats
- Hard crowd control and poke
Curated reads, not measured: how we judge these
Who Counters Varus in ADC?
Champions That Counter Varus
| Champion | Win Rate vs Varus | Edge (noise-widths) |
|---|---|---|
Lux |
56.3% | 1.32σ |
Brand |
55.9% | 1.24σ |
Yasuo |
55.8% | 1.21σ |
Aurelion Sol |
55.7% | 1.19σ |
Xerath |
55.5% | 1.16σ |
Champions Varus Counters
| Champion | Win Rate vs Varus | Edge (noise-widths) |
|---|---|---|
Ahri |
43.6% | 1.33σ |
Quinn |
45.1% | 1.02σ |
Aurora |
45.8% | 0.88σ |
Corki |
46.2% | 0.80σ |
Akshan |
46.3% | 0.76σ |
At most five champions are listed in each direction for Varus: the 5 that counter it here lean poke-heavy, with a tight, 1-point spread — none of them stand out much from the others among them, while 5 favourable matchups round out the picture — most matchups you could actually face simply aren't covered.
Our Read on Varus
Reading the Numbers
Top lane and bot lane both see Varus played, since his poke damage and teamfight-ending root chain translate reasonably well regardless of which role sends him there. He's a marksman built around sustained ranged pressure rather than an all-in duelist, and his modest pick and ban rates suggest he's neither a default first-rotation pick nor a feared ban -- more a specialist tool teams reach for when they specifically want that poke-and-root profile rather than a generically strong laner.
When a Teammate Locks Varus
Lean on chip damage first with a Varus teammate, and treat his ultimate as the finisher, not the opener -- his poke wears an enemy down over a long lane phase, and his chain root can lock down an entire grouped enemy team once it connects. Give him space to charge his shots rather than forcing him into short trades, and hold engages until his ultimate is ready if the enemy team is likely to group.
When the Enemy Has Varus
Don't settle into a long, static lane against Varus -- standing still in his poke range for too long is what he punishes most, so trade in short bursts instead of extended exchanges he can chip away at safely. His root chain is the real late-game threat: it spreads to nearby enemies, so grouping tightly right as he has his ultimate up is asking to be locked down as a team. Spread out in fights against him and the chain loses most of its bite.
Last reviewed 13 October 2026