Rakan counters (Support)

Common role: Support

The best counter to Rakan in Support is Poppy: 55.8% win rate over 640 ranked games on patch 26.21.

A hyper-mobile enchanter who dashes in to knock up and charms a grouped team.

What makes Rakan dangerous

Rakan dashes to an ally or in a line (W is a knock-up engage), shields allies, and his ultimate charms enemies he dashes through — a huge AoE engage. His mobility lets him flash in, lock down a team and dash back out to peel his carry. He's all about his charm engage and slippery repositioning.

How to counter Rakan

• 1Dodge his W (a leap knock-up) — it's his main engage. Sidestep the telegraphed dash and his lockdown fails.
• 2Respect his ult charm — it hits everyone he dashes through. Don't group tightly when he can flash-ult into your team.
• 3He's slippery but squishy — if you catch him without his dashes up, hard CC and burst delete him.
• 4Bait his engage/mobility, then commit — after he uses W and R he has limited follow-up.

What are Rakan's weaknesses?

• ✓W engage is a dodgeable leap.
• ✓Squishy — punish him when his dashes are down.
• ✓Charm ult needs grouped enemies — spread out.
• ✓Low damage on his own; he's an enabler.

Abilities & how to counter them

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

• P
  Fey Feathers

  Rakan periodically gains a shield.

• Q
  Gleaming Quill

  Flings a magical feather that deals magic damage. Striking a champion or epic monster enables Rakan to heal his allies.

• W
  Grand Entrance

  Dashes to a location, knocking up nearby enemies on arrival.

  Strong: a leap knock-up — his main engage. Weak: dodge the telegraphed dash and his lockdown fails.

• E
  Battle Dance

  Flies to an allied champion granting them a shield. Can be re-cast for free for a short duration.

• R
  The Quickness

  Gains Move Speed, charming and dealing magic damage to enemies touched.

  Strong: charms everyone he dashes through — a huge AoE engage. Weak: spread out so it can't catch your team, and tenacity shortens it.

Itemization

Rakan is a mobile engage enchanter. Dodge his W, spread for his charm ult, and hard CC/burst him when his dashes are down. Tenacity shortens his charm chain.

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