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Ashe Counters: Who Beats Ashe

Updated for patch 26.20. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Ashe counters are champions who gap-close on her, eat her projectiles, or just out-range her in lane. Ashe is a marksman with no dash: she slows with every attack, scouts with her hawk and starts fights with a long-range stun arrow, so you either jump on her or block what she throws.

These picks are editorial (based on how each kit interacts with Ashe’s abilities). No win-rate data here (only ability interactions).

Ashe counters: Ashe, the Frost Archer, splash art

Why is Ashe hard to counter?

  • Frost Shot (passive): her attacks slow, and she deals extra damage to slowed targets. Her critical strikes apply a stronger slow instead of bonus damage.
  • Ranger’s Focus (Q): builds from attacks, then raises her Attack Speed for a short burst.
  • Volley (W): arrows in a cone that also apply Frost Shot.
  • Hawkshot (E): sends her Hawk Spirit to scout anywhere on the map.
  • Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R): a global missile that stuns the first champion hit, longer the farther it travels.

Put simply, Ashe kites from range and has nothing to get out with once you are on her, which is why every pick below either closes that gap or takes away the arrows she hides behind. Hard engage and projectile blocks: that is the whole playbook.

Which champions are the best Ashe counters?

Braum

Unbreakable (E) raises his shield in one direction, intercepting all projectiles and negating the first attack completely. That catches her arrows, her Volley and even Enchanted Crystal Arrow aimed at his team, which turns her best engage tool into a wasted cooldown and gives Braum’s carry a free window to trade back while Ashe waits for the arrow to come back up.

Yasuo

Wind Wall (W) blocks all enemy projectiles for 4 seconds. Nearly everything she does (autos, Volley, ult) is a projectile, so one wall and she is standing there doing nothing.

Leona

Zenith Blade (E) briefly immobilizes the last enemy champion struck and dashes Leona to them. Ashe has no dash to answer that engage.

Nautilus

Dredge Line (Q) pulls Nautilus and the enemy together. A landed hook brings Ashe into melee range, where her slow alone can’t keep him off.

Caitlyn

Caitlyn attacks from 650 range against Ashe’s 600. Yordle Snap Trap (W) immobilizes for 1.5 seconds and gives her an empowered Headshot, which punishes Ashe for standing still to attack.

How do you counter Ashe in lane?

  • Engage when she has no escape tools up. Ashe has Flash and her slow, that is it. Once she burns Flash, go in.
  • Dodge the arrow. Enchanted Crystal Arrow travels in a straight line and stuns longer from far away. Side-step it instead of running straight back.
  • Clear the hawk. Hawkshot reveals areas of the map, so expect her to see your jungler coming.
  • Use minions. Her arrow stops at the first champion it hits, and Volley spreads in a cone, so standing behind minions reduces what reaches you.

Which items counter Ashe?

She is pure auto-attack damage, so armor shuts her down. Plated Steelcaps cut incoming damage from attacks by 10%. Randuin’s Omen is the big buy: it reduces damage from critical strikes by 30%, and its active slows nearby enemies by 70% for 2 seconds. Frozen Heart drops the Attack Speed of nearby champions by 20%. Quicksilver Sash or Mercurial Scimitar can remove the stun from her arrow. Compare them in our LoL items database, which also shows what she builds, like Infinity Edge.

When is Ashe at her weakest?

When should you engage on her? When her Flash is down. Ashe has no dash in her kit, so her summoner spell is her only escape, and without it she is dead to any real engage.

For what it’s worth, she is also weak up close. Frost Shot slows everyone she hits and Volley slows a whole cone, but none of that stops an enemy who is already next to her (hooks and dashes ignore slows on the way in).

Is her ultimate always a threat? Mostly from far away. Enchanted Crystal Arrow stuns longer the farther it travels, so up close it is a short stun, not a long one.

Is Ashe hard to play against for newer players?

No.

Not really. The catch is the slow: it makes chasing her feel impossible. Stop chasing. Catch her with engage instead, or wait for her Flash. Our guide to LoL roles covers bot lane, her skins are on the Ashe skins page, and ARAM players can see our Ashe ARAM guide.

Whatever you play, good Ashe counters catch her once or block her arrows, and she has nothing left after that.

FAQ

Who counters Ashe the most?

Braum and Yasuo because they delete her projectiles, and hard-engage supports like Leona and Nautilus because she has no dash.

Can Yasuo’s Wind Wall block Ashe’s ultimate?

Wind Wall blocks all enemy projectiles for 4 seconds, and Enchanted Crystal Arrow is a projectile.

Does Caitlyn out-range Ashe?

Yes. Caitlyn attacks from 650 range and Ashe from 600 in patch 26.20.

How does Ashe’s slow work?

Every attack slows the target, and she deals extra damage to slowed enemies. Her critical strikes slow harder instead of dealing bonus damage.

Is this list based on win rates?

No. It is an editorial list based on ability interactions in patch 26.20. We don’t use win-rate data.