How to beat Olaf

Common role: Top / Jungle

The best counter to Olaf in Top is Naafiri: 63.2% win rate over 45 ranked games on patch 26.17.

A relentless juggernaut who becomes immune to CC and chases you to death.

What makes Olaf dangerous

Olaf throws an axe (Q) that slows hard and, if he picks it up, refunds its cooldown for endless slows. He gains lifesteal and attack speed (W), deals bonus true damage (E), and his ultimate makes him immune to all crowd control while chasing. If he sticks to you, you cannot CC your way out.

How to play against Olaf

• 1Dodge his axe (Q) — if he misses and can't pick it up, he loses his slow and chase.
• 2Don't rely on CC during his ult; it makes him immune, so kite with terrain and range.
• 3Poke him from range; he has no gap-closer besides walking to his axe.
• 4Bring Frozen Heart/armor and disengage — his E is true damage, so raw HP helps most.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓No mobility or dash — pure ranged kiting beats him.
• ✓If he misses or loses his axe, he can't stick to you.
• ✓His ult grants no defensive stats — burn him down while immune.
• ✓Weak to disengage and terrain that breaks his chase.

Abilities & how to counter them

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

• P
  Berserker Rage

  Olaf gains Attack Speed and Life Steal based on his missing Health.

  Strong: gains attack speed as his health drops, hitting hardest when low. Weak: he's still low health — burst him before he turns the fight.

• Q
  Undertow

  Olaf throws an axe into the ground at a target location, dealing damage to enemies it passes through and reducing their Armor and Move Speed. If Olaf picks up the axe, the ability's cooldown is reset.

  Strong: a hard-slowing axe that refunds its cooldown when he picks it up. Weak: dodge it — if he can't retrieve the axe he loses his slow and chase.

• W
  Tough It Out

  Olaf's Attack Speed is increased and he gains a Shield.

  Strong: lifesteal and attack speed sustain him through trades. Weak: Grievous Wounds cuts the healing hard.

• E
  Reckless Swing

  Olaf attacks with such force that it deals true damage to his target and himself, refunding the Health cost if he destroys the target.

  Strong: deals true damage that ignores all your armor. Weak: it costs him health to cast — race him down when he's low.

• R
  Ragnarok

  Olaf passively gains increased armor and magic resist. He can activate this ability to become immune to disables for as long as he keeps attacking.

  Strong: makes him immune to all crowd control while chasing. Weak: it grants no defensive stats — burn him down and kite with terrain instead of CC.

Itemization

Kiting and disengage beat him; hard CC is useless during his R. Armor and health (his E is true damage) plus range and terrain win the matchup.

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