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One of the most overlooked skills in League of Legends is drafting. Many new players focus on mechanics and item builds but ignore the importance of champion select. In this guide, LoL Drafting for Beginners: Counter Picks Explained, we’ll break down what counter picks are, how they work, and why mastering them can significantly improve your ranked climb.

Drafting is about strategy before the game even begins. Picking the right champion can turn a difficult matchup into a favorable one, or give your team a crucial advantage in fights. Understanding counter picks is your first step toward drafting like a pro.

What Are Counter Picks in LoL?

A counter pick is when you select a champion that directly performs well against your opponent’s pick. This usually happens in later phases of champion select, once enemy champions are revealed.

Examples:

• Malzahar vs Yasuo: Malzahar’s suppression ult negates Yasuo’s mobility and aggression.
• Janna vs Leona: Janna’s disengage tools cancel Leona’s heavy engage potential.
• Vayne vs Tanks: Her Silver Bolts shred through tanky opponents.

Counter picking doesn’t guarantee victory, but it tilts the odds in your favor.

Why Counter Picks Matter

1. Lane Advantage: Makes farming and trading easier.
2. Team Composition Strength: Counters prevent enemies from executing their strategy.
3. Psychological Impact: Opponents often tilt when faced with hard counters.
4. Win Condition Setup: The right pick can unlock your team’s best chance at winning.

Phases of Drafting in LoL

1. Ban Phase – Eliminate problematic champions or known counters.
2. First Picks – High-priority or meta champions are chosen.
3. Counter Pick Rounds – Later picks allow you to directly answer enemy choices.
4. Final Lock-ins – Last slots can be flexible or team-composition oriented.

Beginner-Friendly Counter Picks by Role

Top Lane

• Darius vs tanks (Sion, Ornn): Strong lane bully.
• Teemo vs melee bruisers: Ranged poke dominates.
• Malphite vs AD heavy top laners (Camille, Fiora): Armor stacking neutralizes them.

Mid Lane

• Annie vs assassins: Point-and-click stun punishes squishy divers.
• Malzahar vs Yasuo/Zed: Suppression and waveclear control assassins.
• Lissandra vs immobile mages (Veigar, Syndra): Engage + CC.

ADC

• Vayne vs tanks: True damage ensures scaling advantage.
• Caitlyn vs short-range ADCs (Lucian, Sivir): Range control wins lane.
• Draven vs scaling carries (Jinx, Kog’Maw): Aggressive laning punishes greed.

Support

• Janna vs Leona/Nautilus: Disengage cancels engages.
• Morgana vs CC supports: Black Shield denies crowd control.
• Blitzcrank vs enchanters (Soraka, Yuumi): Hook punishes squishy supports.

Jungle

• Trundle vs tank junglers (Sejuani, Rammus): Steals stats, duels well.
• Evelynn vs squishies: Exploits poor vision and no resistances.
• Nunu vs scaling junglers: Early objective control punishes farming junglers.

Drafting Mistakes Beginners Make

1. Ignoring Team Comp: Counter picks don’t matter if your team has no synergy.
2. Forcing Comfort Picks Always: Playing your best champion is good, but sometimes flexibility is needed.
3. Counter Picking Blindly: Not all matchups are pure counters—skill and jungle pressure matter.
4. Ignoring Bans: Forgetting to ban out key threats can ruin your draft.

Balancing Comfort Picks and Counters

The best strategy is often a balance:

• Main Champions: Stick to a pool of 3–5 champions per role.
• Situational Counters: Learn at least one counter pick for each popular meta champion.
• Team Playstyle: Pick champions that fit your team’s engage, poke, or scaling strategy.

Tools to Help You Draft Better

• U.GG Draft Tool – Suggests counters and synergies.
• Mobalytics Draft Assistant – Shows matchup difficulty and team comp balance.
• OP.GG Champion Stats – Provides win rate insights per matchup.

These tools can guide your decisions until you gain enough experience to rely on instinct.

Advanced Counter Pick Strategies

1. Flex Picks: Champions like Sett, Gragas, or Lissandra can be picked early and flexed into different roles to hide draft intentions.
2. Target Bans: If you know your opponent favors a champion, banning it removes comfort.
3. Soft Counters: Not all counters hard-dominate. Some simply neutralize an enemy’s strength.
4. Late Game Scaling Counters: Sometimes you don’t counter lane—you draft to win at 30+ minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Should I always counter pick?
Not always. If you’re bad at the counter champion, it’s better to stick to your comfort pick.

Q2: What if my role is picked early?
Play safe, scale, and rely on team comps. Early picks can’t always be countered effectively.

Q3: Do pro players always counter pick?
Pro play is more about team comps than lane matchups, but counters are still important.

Q4: How do I practice counter picks?
Try them in normals or ARAM before bringing them into ranked games.

Conclusion: Draft Smarter, Win More

In this guide, LoL Drafting for Beginners: Counter Picks Explained, we covered how counter picks work, the best beginner-friendly options, and how to balance them with comfort picks.

Remember: drafting isn’t about picking the flashiest champion—it’s about making smart choices that give your team the best chance to win. Learn your counters, study your matchups, and soon you’ll climb faster than ever before.