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Blitzcrank Counters: Who Beats Blitzcrank

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

Blitzcrank counters are supports who block, absorb or punish Rocket Grab, the hook his whole lane revolves around. He’s a 125-range tank whose job is to pull one enemy into his team; take away a clean grab and he’s a slow golem with a short-range knock-up.

We chose the five below by comparing their patch 26.21 kits with his. Win rates weren’t part of the method.

Blitzcrank counters: Blitzcrank, the Great Steam Golem, splash art

What makes Blitzcrank so scary in lane?

  • Mana Barrier (passive): a shield based on his Mana when he drops to low Health.
  • Rocket Grab (Q): he fires his hand to grab an opponent in its path, damaging and dragging them back. Cooldown 20/19/18/17/16.
  • Overdrive (W): a big boost to Move Speed and Attack Speed, followed by a short slow on himself. Cooldown 15.
  • Power Fist (E): his next attack deals double damage and pops the target into the air. Cooldown 7/6.5/6/5.5/5.
  • Static Field (R): his attacks mark enemies for lightning damage after 1 second; the active strips nearby shields, damages and briefly silences. Cooldown 60/40/20.

One button decides the lane. A landed Rocket Grab drags your ADC under Blitzcrank, Power Fist pops them up, and the enemy carry gets a free kill before anyone can react. A missed one leaves him on a 20 second cooldown at rank 1 with nothing much to do. Is it really that binary? Pretty much, and that’s why his counters focus on the hook: some block it with their body, some make the pulled ally immune to it, and some simply punish him hard during those 20 seconds. Static Field’s silence and shield strip add a second layer (it cancels a lot of support shields in one cast), so counters that rely only on shields need care.

Who are the best Blitzcrank counters in bot lane?

Braum

Unbreakable (E) raises Braum’s shield in one direction for several seconds and intercepts every projectile, which smashes into him and breaks. Blitzcrank fires Rocket Grab like a missile, so a raised shield between him and the ADC eats the hook. Stand Behind Me (W) leaps Braum to an ally champion or minion and gives both Armor and Magic Resist, so even after a landed grab, Braum arrives right on top of it. Concussive Blows (passive) stuns after 4 stacks from Braum and his allies’ attacks, Winter’s Bite (Q) slows and adds a stack, and Glacial Fissure (R) knocks up nearby and in a line, leaving a slowing fissure. Put simply, he’s the support Blitzcrank least wants to see.

Morgana

Her E is the answer. Cast Black Shield on the ADC and, until enough magic damage breaks it, the drag from Rocket Grab simply doesn’t take hold. Missed the hook? Dark Binding (Q) roots him. Tormented Shadow (W) deals damage over time in a circle, more against low-Health targets, and Soul Siphon (passive) heals her as she damages champions. Soul Shackles (R) chains nearby enemy champions, slows them, then stuns anyone who stays close. One caution, though: Static Field’s active removes shields, Black Shield included.

Alistar

Alistar makes a grab cost Blitzcrank more than it gains him. When Blitzcrank pulls someone in, Pulverize (Q) tosses nearby enemies into the air and Headbutt (W) knocks a target back, so the golem who just walked forward flies back into his own lane. Trample (E) stacks on damaging enemy champions and, at full stacks, makes the next attack stun. Unbreakable Will (R) removes all crowd control on Alistar and cuts incoming physical and magic damage, which means a grabbed Alistar shrugs off Power Fist and fights back. Triumphant Roar (passive) charges from stuns, displacements and nearby enemy deaths, then heals him and nearby allies. Honestly, hooking an Alistar is a mistake most Blitzcrank players make only once.

Thresh

The lantern from W shields allies near it, and a click on it yanks the ally over to Thresh. A grabbed ADC has a way back out. Death Sentence (Q) is his own hook, and he can recast it to pull himself to the target, so the lane becomes a contest of who lands first; Thresh’s cooldown is the one Blitzcrank has to respect. Flay (E) sweeps the chain and knocks enemies in the direction of the blow, which can push Blitzcrank back the way he came mid-combo. The Box (R) builds walls that slow and damage anyone who breaks them. Damnation (passive) collects souls for permanent Armor and Ability Power.

Janna

Janna turns a landed hook into a wasted one. Monsoon (R) throws enemies back from her and then heals nearby allies, so she pushes a dragged ADC’s attackers away and tops the ADC up in the same cast. Howling Gale (Q) charges a storm and knocks away every enemy in its path, interrupting the follow-up, while Eye Of The Storm (E) shields an ally (watch out for the shield strip on Static Field). Zephyr (W) slows and lets her pass through units, and Tailwind (passive) speeds allies moving toward her. Funny enough, she has a 550 range basic attack against his 125, so the lane is hers whenever the hook is down.

How should Blitzcrank counters lane?

  • Stay behind your minions. Rocket Grab grabs the first opponent on its path, and a minion counts.
  • Trade hard after a miss. It’s a 20 second cooldown at rank 1, and his lane pressure vanishes with it.
  • Watch Overdrive. The Move Speed boost is how he closes distance for a closer hook, and he’s slowed when it ends.
  • Save your shield until after Static Field. Its active strips nearby shields.
  • Ward the brush he walks through. Most landed hooks come from an angle you didn’t see.

Which items help Blitzcrank counters?

Not many items stop a hook. Mikael’s Blessing removes crowd control from an ally, though not Airborne, so it won’t cancel Power Fist’s knock-up; it’s still useful against the follow-up from his team. A grabbed carry with Zhonya’s Hourglass can enter stasis for 2.5 seconds and wait for help. Locket of the Iron Solari shields nearby allies; pop it after Static Field is spent (sure, timing matters more than the item here). The full stat lines are in our League item catalog.

When is Blitzcrank weakest?

Right after a missed grab. At rank 1 Rocket Grab is 20 seconds, and in that window Janna, Morgana and Braum all win trades easily. A short window? Not really, it’s long enough to take a plate.

And against a full team. Pulling one target into five enemies only works if his team follows, so a Blitzcrank who grabs into a lane with a Thresh lantern or a Monsoon ready often gives the ADC back (for what it’s worth, that’s also when he’s most likely to die). Static Field’s cooldown drops to 20 seconds at rank 3, which is when the shield strip becomes a regular threat.

Still learning the support role? Our guide to lanes and roles covers it. The rest of our champion write-ups sit in the LoL guide library, and his skins are on the Blitzcrank skins page. In short, Blitzcrank counters block the hook or punish the miss.

FAQ

Who counters Blitzcrank the most?

Supports who block or punish Rocket Grab: Braum, Morgana, Alistar, Thresh and Janna.

Can Braum block Rocket Grab?

Unbreakable intercepts all projectiles from one direction for several seconds, so a shield raised toward Blitzcrank catches the hook.

Does Black Shield stop Blitzcrank’s hook?

Yes, while it holds: the barrier soaks magic damage and blocks disables. Static Field’s active removes shields, so Blitzcrank can strip it first.

What is the cooldown of Rocket Grab?

Rocket Grab has a cooldown of 20/19/18/17/16 seconds.

How were these Blitzcrank counters chosen?

Each pick had to block the hook, make the pulled ally safe, or punish Blitzcrank after a miss, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. No win rates were used.