How to beat Diana

Common role: Jungle / Mid

The best counter to Diana in Mid is Nasus: 59.1% win rate over 487 ranked games on patch 26.17.

An AP diver who leaps in, pulls the team together and bursts it down.

What makes Diana dangerous

Diana throws a Q crescent, shields herself (E in newer patches pulls), and her ultimate pulls all nearby enemies to her for a huge AoE reset. Against a grouped team she can flash-R and delete multiple squishies. Her shield lets her survive the dive.

How to play against Diana

• 1Never clump low: her ult only reaches enemies near her, so spread out.
• 2Poke her before level 6 and before she gets her shield up — she is melee.
• 3She is very mana-hungry early; bait her Q and W and punish the empty mana bar.
• 4Hard CC her the instant she dashes in — interrupted, her whole combo falls apart.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Mana-starved in the early game.
• ✓Relies on her ult to engage; without it she is easily kited.
• ✓Squishy once her shield pops — burst her down.
• ✓Predictable engage range — dodge the initial Q.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Diana's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Moonsilver Blade

  Every third strike cleaves nearby enemies for an additional magic damage. After casting a spell, Diana gains Attack Speed for 5 seconds.

  Strong: every third hit deals bonus AoE magic damage. Weak: needs three autos — she is melee, so deny her the stacks.

• Q
  Crescent Strike

  Unleashes a bolt of lunar energy in an arc dealing magic damage.Afflicts enemies struck with Moonlight, revealing them if they are not stealthed for 3 seconds.

  Strong: a crescent that marks you for her dash and deals AoE. Weak: slow-travelling and easy to sidestep — dodge it and she can't gap-close.

• W
  Pale Cascade

  Diana creates three orbiting spheres that detonate on contact with enemies to deal damage in an area. She also gains a temporary shield that absorbs damage. If her third sphere detonates, the shield gains additional strength.

  Strong: an orbiting shield that blocks poke and refreshes on hits. Weak: once popped she is squishy — burst her while it's down.

• E
  Lunar Rush

  Becomes the living embodiment of the vengeful moon, dashing to an enemy and dealing magic damage.Lunar Rush has no cooldown when used to dash to an enemy afflicted with Moonlight. All other enemies will have the Moonlight debuff removed regardless of whether they were the target of Lunar Rush.

  Strong: a dash that only reaches a Q-marked target, enabling her all-in. Weak: no mark, no dash — dodge her Q and she can't engage.

• R
  Moonfall

  Diana reveals and draws in all nearby enemies and slows them.If Diana pulls in one or more enemy champions, the moonlight crashes down onto her after a short delay, dealing magic damage in an area around her, increased for each target beyond the first pulled.

  Strong: pulls all nearby enemies to her for a huge AoE reset. Weak: short range and only hits those clustered near her — spread out.

Itemization

Magic resist and health blunt her burst: Mercury's Treads, Hexdrinker/Maw, Kaenic Rookern. A Zhonya's hard-counters her all-in.

This guide covers Diana's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.