Alistar Counters: Who Beats Alistar

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Alistar counters are supports who block or cleanse his combo, out-range him, or disengage after he commits. He’s a 125-range tank support with a knock-up, a headbutt knockback, a stomping stun that builds over time, and an ultimate that wipes crowd control off himself and cuts the damage he takes.

The five picks were made by reading his patch 26.21 kit next to theirs. Win rates played no part.

Why is Alistar hard to counter?

• Triumphant Roar (passive): charges when he stuns or displaces enemy champions or when nearby enemies die; fully charged, it heals him and nearby allied champions.
• Pulverize (Q): he smashes the ground, damaging nearby enemies and tossing them into the air. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Headbutt (W): he rams a target, dealing damage and knocking it back. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Trample (E): he tramples nearby enemies while ignoring unit collision, gaining stacks on champion hits; at full stacks his next attack on a champion deals extra magic damage and stuns. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
• Unbreakable Will (R): removes all crowd control on him and reduces incoming physical and magic damage for its duration. Cooldown 120/100/80.

Alistar’s engage is a combo, and a famous one. Headbutt into Pulverize knocks you back and then up, Trample’s stun follows, and every displacement charges Triumphant Roar for a team heal. Then Unbreakable Will removes any crowd control you throw back at him while he soaks damage. What’s left to work with? He’s melee, at 125 range, so ranged supports can poke him before he engages. His crowd control can be blocked or cleansed by the right ally. And once both Headbutt and Pulverize are spent, he has no way to start another fight for a while.

Which champions are the best Alistar counters?

Morgana

Every piece of Alistar’s engage is a disabling effect: the knockback, the knock-up, the Trample stun. Black Shield (E), Morgana’s barrier on an ally, absorbs magic damage and disabling effects until it breaks, so a shielded carry stays put through the whole combo. Dark Binding (Q) roots Alistar when he walks in, and Soul Shackles (R) tethers nearby champions and stuns those who don’t break free. The catch is Unbreakable Will, which clears crowd control from Alistar himself, so Morgana’s own root works best before he ults. Tormented Shadow (W) adds damage over time, and Soul Siphon (passive) heals her off her damage.

Milio

Breath of Life (R) sends out a wave that heals allies in range and removes crowd control effects from them. After Alistar lands Headbutt, Pulverize and the Trample stun, Milio clears whatever’s still holding his team. Warm Hugs (E) shields an ally and speeds them up, with 2 charges, which helps the carry walk away. Ultra Mega Fire Kick (Q) knocks back an enemy, a small peel tool on its own, and Cozy Campfire (W) heals allies inside it and extends their attack range. Fired Up! (passive) adds bonus damage and a burn to allies his abilities touch. Honestly, Milio turns Alistar’s best play into a short delay.

Janna

Alistar dives; Janna sends divers away. Howling Gale (Q) charges up and knocks away every enemy in its path, Monsoon (R) throws enemies back from her and then heals her allies, and Eye of the Storm (E) shields a teammate while adding Attack Damage. Zephyr (W) rounds it out (a slow, plus walking through units). Thing is, Alistar’s ultimate removes crowd control from himself, so the order matters: let him spend Unbreakable Will, then knock him off your carry with the gale or the Monsoon.

Zyra

Zyra’s 575 range is the longest on this list, and Garden of Thorns (passive) spawns seeds she can turn into plants. Deadly Spines (Q) grows Thorn Spitters that shoot from afar, Grasping Roots (E) roots and grows Vine Lashers that slow, and Rampant Growth (W) plants extra seeds. Alistar has to walk through her garden to start anything. Stranglethorns (R) damages enemies inside a thicket and knocks them into the air as it contracts, a strong reply when he dives with his team. To be fair, Trample ignores unit collision, so plants won’t physically block him.

Lulu

Lulu’s W, Whimsy, shrinks an enemy into a harmless little animal for a moment, no attacks and no spells allowed. A polymorphed Alistar can’t Headbutt or Pulverize, though Unbreakable Will removes crowd control from him if he’s quick, so the timing game is everything. Wild Growth (R) enlarges an ally, giving a big chunk of bonus Health and knocking nearby enemies into the air, which saves a carry caught in the combo. Help, Pix! (E) shields an ally, Glitterlance (Q) heavily slows, and Pix (passive) adds homing bolts to the attacks of whoever he follows. Put simply, Lulu either stops the engage or saves the target.

How do you play the lane against Alistar?

• Stay out of melee range when Headbutt and Pulverize are up. Both are 14 second cooldowns at rank 1, and his engage needs both.
• Don’t stand against your own wall. Headbutt knocks the target back, which pins them closer to Alistar’s allies.
• Watch his Trample stacks. At full stacks, his next attack on a champion stuns.
• Kill him slowly, not fast. Unbreakable Will reduces the damage he takes, so burst during his ultimate is wasted.
• Avoid feeding Triumphant Roar. Every stun or displacement on a champion charges a heal for his whole team.

Which items counter Alistar?

Crowd control answers and anti-healing. Start with boots: 30% Tenacity from Mercury’s Treads trims the Trample stun (and every other stun in the game). Mikael’s Blessing has Purify, which removes crowd control from an ally champion, though it excludes Airborne, so it won’t undo Pulverize’s knock-up. Quicksilver Sash has the same Airborne exception. Triumphant Roar heals his team, and Oblivion Orb or Executioner’s Calling apply 40% Wounds to cut it. Carries can use Armor and Magic Penetration items to get through Unbreakable Will’s damage reduction. Every one of these is listed in our items database.

When is Alistar at his weakest?

After Headbutt and Pulverize are both on cooldown. That’s his whole engage, 14 seconds each at rank 1, and without them he’s a 125-range tank with a slow-building stun. That’s the trading window. In practice, a lane that baits out the combo and punishes him for it usually wins.

He’s also weak once Unbreakable Will has been used. It’s a 120 second cooldown at rank 1, and until it returns, crowd control on him sticks. Can you lock him down then? Easily, and that’s when Morgana’s root and Lulu’s polymorph do the most work.

New to support? The guide to LoL roles explains why engage tanks like Alistar ended up in the support role. Browse other champions through the guides homepage. Every outfit the Minotaur owns is on the Alistar skins page. Random one-lane games? Read the Alistar ARAM guide (his job changes a bit there). Long story short, Alistar counters block the combo or wait out his ultimate.

FAQ

Who counters Alistar the most?

Supports who block, cleanse or disengage his combo: Morgana, Milio, Janna, Zyra and Lulu.

Does Unbreakable Will remove crowd control?

Yes. Unbreakable Will removes all crowd control effects on Alistar and reduces the physical and magic damage he takes for its duration.

Can Mikael’s Blessing cleanse Pulverize?

No. Mikael’s Purify removes crowd control except Airborne and Suppression, and Pulverize tosses enemies into the air. It does remove the Trample stun.

How does Alistar’s stun work?

Trample gains stacks when it damages enemy champions. At full stacks, Alistar’s next basic attack on a champion deals extra magic damage and stuns them.

How were these counters chosen?

A pick had to beat the Headbutt-Pulverize combo or play around Unbreakable Will, judged from the patch 26.21 ability text. No match statistics were used.