League of Legends: How To Counter Reworked Skarner in Season 14

Season 14 brings a significant rework to Skarner, making his debut in Patch 14.7. He stands out as the season's first champion to undergo such an extensive makeover. While Skarner may appear familiar at first glance, his kit has undergone a complete overhaul, necessitating a fresh approach to counterplay.

Key updates to his abilities, especially his Ultimate and E, now allow him to traverse terrain to assist in ganks. This introduces new dynamics to playing against Skarner that players need to master.

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Incorporate Armor and Magic Penetration into Your Build

To effectively counter Skarner's tendency to stack defensive items, it's crucial for players to include penetration items in their builds. This ensures you're able to pierce through Skarner's robust defenses and inflict significant damage.

For champions that rely on attack damage (AD), incorporating armor penetration items is key. Options like Lord Dominik’s Regards or Mortal Reminder are essential for cutting through Skarner's armor. Without these items, taking Skarner down becomes a much tougher challenge.

Mages, on the other hand, should look towards magic penetration items to maintain their threat level against Skarner. Essentials such as Sorcerer’s Shoes offer an easy boost in penetration, while Stormsurge, a standout item from Season 14, and Shadowflame, which also grants additional penetration, are excellent choices for amplifying your magic damage.

For carry champions, selecting a penetration item is not just beneficial—it's necessary to ensure you can effectively contribute to taking Skarner down. Tailoring your itemization to include these key pieces will significantly improve your chances against a tanky Skarner.

Select Champions with Strong Disengage Abilities

Choosing champions equipped with disengage capabilities or crowd control (CC) significantly hampers Skarner's ability to engage and secure eliminations. Champions that possess abilities allowing them to create distance or disrupt Skarner's advances are particularly effective against him. Opt for characters that naturally include these disengage mechanisms within their abilities to enhance your team's resilience against Skarner's onslaught.

Later in this guide, we'll delve into specific champions that serve as strong counters to Skarner, offering you strategic choices to thwart his advances effectively.

Save Your Mobility Skills

When Skarner initiates a gank or if you notice him making a beeline towards you, it's crucial to think carefully before using any mobility skills or dashes. Although your instinct might be to use these abilities to evade his initial crowd control, it's essential to remain vigilant of his Ultimate's threat.

It's advisable to attempt evading Skarner's initial E with strategic positioning, saving your dash or mobility skill to escape his Ultimate. Key to evading Skarner effectively is unpredictability in your movements.

Instead of dashing directly back towards your turret in a predictable manner, consider dashing sideways or at an angle. This approach not only creates distance but also improves your odds of dodging Skarner's Ultimate, making your escape more effective.

Prioritize Strategic Vision

When facing a champion capable of unconventional ganking paths, such as the newly reworked Skarner, prioritizing strategic warding becomes essential. Previously, champions like Shaco, Fiddlesticks, and Kayn were notorious for their unique approaches to ganks, and now Skarner joins this list with his rework enhancing his mobility.

Skarner's updated E ability allows him to cover significant ground swiftly. To counter this, it's vital to place your wards in more advanced positions than usual, enabling earlier detection of his movements. This is in line with the earlier advice on conserving your mobility abilities. Spotting Skarner sooner gives you more time to react and maintain distance, reducing the need for immediate use of your dash or escape tools.

Consider these warding strategies as a foundation for your defensive efforts:

• Extend your ward coverage to catch Skarner's approach paths sooner.
• Utilize Scryer's Bloom for real-time tracking of his location.
• Capture Scuttle Crabs for broader vision coverage.
• Ensure early vision around Dragon, Rift Herald, and Void Grubs.
• Deploy Control Wards in his jungle to monitor his camp clearances.

These strategies, though foundational, are pivotal in enhancing your team's awareness of Skarner's presence and planning counter-moves effectively.

Don’t Fight in the Jungle

Understanding Skarner's updated Ultimate is crucial for strategic positioning. His reworked ability now allows him to target and suppress up to three enemies, drawing them towards his allies. This change transforms his Ultimate into a potentially game-changing skill shot, emphasizing the need for careful positioning.
To minimize Skarner's impact with his Ultimate, it's wise to avoid tight spaces and narrow jungle paths where your team might cluster together. These areas make it easier for Skarner to capitalize on his reworked Ultimate, catching multiple team members in a single move.

Opt for more open battlefields:

• Engage in wider areas such as lanes or the river, where your team can maintain some distance between each other.
• Avoid fighting near key objectives like Dragon or Baron pits, or within the jungle, where pathways are narrow and escaping Skarner's Ultimate becomes more challenging.
• Spread out during team fights to complicate Skarner's attempts at multi-target suppression.

Staying spread out not only reduces the likelihood of Skarner landing a multi-target Ultimate but also gives your team tactical advantages in maneuverability and engagement options.

Champion Counter Picks

Next, let's explore five champions well-suited to face Skarner, focusing on characters that possess natural countermeasures or abilities that can negate his strengths. While these champions might not top the statistical charts as his counters, their kits offer specific advantages against Skarner.

Janna

Our top pick against Skarner is Janna, thanks to her vast array of defensive utilities. Her abilities include a Q that can disrupt Skarner's advance, a W to reduce his movement speed, a protective shield for her allies, and an ultimate ability that can be a game-changer. Exercise caution with her ultimate, though, as it could inadvertently assist Skarner by moving your allies closer to danger if not timed correctly.

Alistar

Alistar stands as a formidable shield against Skarner, equipped with abilities that safeguard his team from being overrun. With his innate capability to disrupt Skarner’s aggressive maneuvers and neutralize his ganks, Alistar can significantly limit Skarner’s impact on the game. His ultimate enhances his resilience in team fights, allowing him to serve as a steadfast guardian for his carries, ensuring their safety and continuity in battle.

Fiora

Fiora emerges as a potent adversary to Skarner, particularly when she gains an early advantage in the top lane. With her agile moveset, she possesses the ability to evade Skarner's ganks with finesse. As the game progresses, Fiora's threat only escalates, enabling her to effortlessly demolish towers and disperse the opposing team. This strategic division allows her allies to seize control, securing pivotal fights or objectives such as Baron, and leveraging these advantages for victory.

Kayn

Kayn stands out as a formidable counter to Skarner, thanks to his versatile build options that allow him to adapt his strategy as needed. Currently a dominant force in the meta, Kayn naturally outmatches Skarner, boasting superior objective control and excelling in both initiating ganks and countering Skarner's attempts. This enables Kayn to stifle Skarner's early game momentum, keeping him from gaining the upper hand.

Vayne

Vayne earns her spot as the ultimate tank buster, making her an excellent choice against Skarner. Her Silver Bolts (W) allow her to pierce through even the toughest defenses, while her inherent mobility and Condemn (E) provide essential space and safety, effectively countering Skarner's aggressive engages.

Conclusion

Navigating the challenges posed by the reworked Skarner in Season 14 requires a blend of strategic item choices, champion selection, and in-game tactics. By understanding his capabilities and employing the counter strategies outlined in this guide, you can diminish his impact on the game. Whether it's through selecting champions with disengage abilities, optimizing your item build for penetration, or positioning wisely to evade his ultimate, the key to overcoming Skarner lies in adaptability and teamwork. Remember, staying informed about his rework and adjusting your gameplay accordingly will not only enhance your resilience against Skarner but also refine your overall League of Legends strategy. Embrace these tips, and you'll be well on your way to maintaining your edge on the Rift against the Crystal Vanguard.