How to beat Galio

Common role: Mid / Support

An anti-mage tank who eats magic damage and knocks up your whole team globally.

What makes Galio dangerous

Galio pokes with a tornado (Q), gains a huge magic shield and taunts nearby enemies (W), dashes in for an AoE knock-up (E), and his ultimate flies across the map to land on an ally, knocking up and shielding everyone around them. He shuts down AP comps and roams globally to swing fights.

How to play against Galio

• 1Deal physical damage into him — his kit is built to eat magic.
• 2Don't waste abilities into his raised W shield; wait for it to drop.
• 3Ping his global ultimate — spread so his landing hits fewer allies.
• 4His E has a delayed knock-up; sidestep the second part.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Weak against physical damage — his defences are magic-oriented.
• ✓Clunky, telegraphed engage (E has a delay).
• ✓Mana-hungry early when poking with Q.
• ✓His threat drops if you spread against his ult and W.

Abilities & how to counter them

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

• P
  Colossal Smash

  Every few seconds, Galio's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage in an area.

  Strong: his empowered auto hits an area for bonus magic damage. Weak: melee range — poke him before he can proc it.

• Q
  Winds of War

  Galio fires two windblasts that converge into a large tornado that deals damage over time.

  Strong: a tornado that pokes and slows at long range. Weak: a slow, avoidable AoE — sidestep it, and it's mana-hungry.

• W
  Shield of Durand

  Galio charges a defensive stance, moving slowly. Upon releasing the charge, Galio will taunt and damage nearby enemies.

  Strong: a huge magic shield and a taunt that anchors your team. Weak: don't throw abilities into the raised shield — wait for it to drop, and bring physical damage.

• E
  Justice Punch

  Galio will briefly step back and charge, knocking up the first enemy champion he encounters.

  Strong: a dash with a delayed AoE knock-up to start fights. Weak: the knock-up is telegraphed — sidestep the second part.

• R
  Hero's Entrance

  Galio designates an ally's position as his landing spot, granting all allies in the area a magic shield. After a delay Galio smashes down location, knocking up nearby enemies.

  Strong: flies across the map to knock up and shield everyone around an ally. Weak: it has a long channel — ping it and spread so the landing hits fewer.

Itemization

Physical-damage champs and comps ignore his magic defences. Spread for his global ult; don't feed his W shield — wait it out.

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