Ekko Counters: Who Beats Ekko

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

Ekko counters are mid laners who punish his dashes, lock him down before he gets close, or shrug off his magic damage. He’s a 125-range assassin with a rewinding grenade, a delayed stun zone, a dash that teleports to his target, and Chronobreak, an ultimate that rewinds him a few seconds back in time and heals him.

Phase Dive and Chronobreak, as written for patch 26.21, decided which kits made the cut. No win rates were involved.

Why is Ekko hard to counter?

• Z-Drive Resonance (passive): every third attack or damaging spell on the same target deals bonus magic damage and, against a champion, gives Ekko a burst of speed.
• Timewinder (Q): a grenade that expands into a slowing field on hitting an enemy champion, then rewinds to Ekko for more damage. Cooldown 9/8.5/8/7.5/7.
• Parallel Convergence (W): his attacks deal bonus magic damage to low-Health enemies; cast, it creates an anomaly after a few seconds that slows, and if Ekko enters it he gains a shield and stuns enemies inside. Cooldown 22/20/18/16/14.
• Phase Dive (E): an evasive roll, then an empowered attack that teleports him to the target. Cooldown 9/8.5/8/7.5/7.
• Chronobreak (R): he becomes untargetable, rewinds to where he was a few seconds ago, heals for part of the damage taken in that time, and deals heavy damage near where he arrives. Cooldown 110/80/50.

Ekko is slippery. Phase Dive gets him in, Chronobreak gets him out (and heals him, and damages whoever’s near his old spot), and Parallel Convergence sets up a stun zone that you see coming but still have to walk around. What gives him trouble? His engage is a dash, so champions who punish dashes have an edge. His W stun takes a few seconds to arm, so anyone who locks him down first wins the race. And most of his listed damage is magic, which Magic Resist and spell shields answer.

Which champions are the best Ekko counters?

Vex

Every so often, Vex’s passive charges up, and the next basic spell she throws fears targets and breaks dashes. Phase Dive starts with a roll. Time the empowered spell on that roll and Ekko is feared out of his own engage. The passive also marks any nearby enemy who dashes, and consuming that mark deals bonus damage and shortens the empowered cooldown, so every Phase Dive near her feeds her kit. Personal Space (W) shields Vex and damages nearby enemies, Looming Darkness (E) slows, and Shadow Surge (R) marks a champion and lets her dash to them. Honestly, it’s about as clean a counter as mid lane has.

Lissandra

Ring of Frost (W) roots every enemy around Lissandra, and Ekko has to come close to deal damage. That’s the whole matchup in one line. Frozen Tomb (R) stuns an enemy champion, or, cast on herself, makes her untargetable and invulnerable while she heals, which wastes a Phase Dive or a Chronobreak burst. Ice Shard (Q) slows and passes through the first target, and Glacial Path (E) sends a claw she can teleport to. Iceborn Subjugation (passive) turns dead enemies into Frozen Thralls that slow and then shatter. To be fair, Lissandra has to save the root for after his dash, not before.

Kassadin

Void Stone (passive) reduces the magic damage Kassadin takes, and the magic damage in Ekko’s text comes from his passive’s third hit and his W’s bonus on low-Health targets. Null Sphere (Q) adds a magic shield on top and interrupts channels. Riftwalk (R) teleports, and Kassadin can chain it, which lets him follow an Ekko who rewinds with Chronobreak to wherever he lands. Force Pulse (E) charges from nearby spells and slows in a cone, and Nether Blade (W) adds magic damage to his attacks. Long story short, Kassadin takes less from Ekko than most mid laners do.

Galio

Shield of Durand (W) is a charge-and-release taunt around Galio, which is awkward for an assassin who has to teleport right next to his target to finish Phase Dive. Justice Punch (E) knocks up the first enemy champion in a short charge, Winds of War (Q) builds a tornado that damages over time, and Colossal Smash (passive) adds area magic damage to his next attack every few seconds. Hero’s Entrance (R) grants a magic shield to allies at the landing spot, then knocks up enemies near it, which protects whoever Ekko jumped on in a side lane. The thing is, Galio wins skirmishes more than the lane itself.

Malzahar

Malzahar’s passive is the key: if nothing has hit or controlled him for a little while, he soaks far less damage and can’t be crowd controlled at all. Ekko’s W stun is crowd control, and a fresh Malzahar ignores it. Nether Grasp (R) suppresses an enemy champion over a damaging zone, Call of the Void (Q) silences, which stops Ekko from casting Phase Dive or Chronobreak while it lasts, and Malefic Visions (E) deals damage over time. Void Swarm (W) adds Voidlings, and a silenced Ekko has no tools at all.

How do you play the lane against Ekko?

• Walk out of Parallel Convergence before it arms. The anomaly appears after a few seconds, and Ekko needs to enter it to stun.
• Dodge Timewinder twice. It slows on the way out and damages again on the way back.
• Remember where he was. Chronobreak returns him to his position a few seconds earlier and damages enemies around that spot.
• Avoid the third hit. Every third attack or damaging spell on the same target triggers Z-Drive Resonance’s bonus damage.
• Trade after Phase Dive. It’s his gap closer, on a 9 second cooldown at rank 1.

Which items counter Ekko?

Magic Resist, a spell shield and Wounds. Kaenic Rookern gives 400 Health and 80 Magic Resist, plus a magic shield once you’ve gone a while without taking magic damage. Banshee’s Veil blocks the next enemy ability, which can be Timewinder, and adds 40 Magic Resist. Mercury’s Treads give 30% Tenacity against the W stun and the Q slow. Chronobreak heals him for part of the damage he took, and Oblivion Orb or Executioner’s Calling apply Wounds to reduce that heal. Zhonya’s Hourglass gives 2.5 seconds of Stasis, enough to wait out the anomaly. Compare their exact numbers in our items database before you commit gold (Magic Resist items differ a lot in price).

When is Ekko at his weakest?

When Chronobreak is on cooldown. It’s 110 seconds at rank 1, and without it Ekko is a 125-range assassin who committed with Phase Dive and has no way back. That’s the window. In practice, kill threats are only real against Ekko once the rewind is gone.

He’s also weak against early crowd control. Parallel Convergence takes a few seconds to arm, and that delay is the opening. Can a root or a fear land first? Usually, yes, and Vex, Lissandra and Malzahar all have one ready.

Mid lane basics are covered in our guide to LoL roles (start there if mid is new to you). Looking for another champion entirely? The guide hub page lists them. For his time-bending outfits, browse the Ekko skins page; for one-lane random games, read the Ekko ARAM guide. Put simply, Ekko counters punish the dash and wait out the rewind.

FAQ

Who counters Ekko the most?

Mid laners who punish dashes, lock him down or resist magic damage: Vex, Lissandra, Kassadin, Galio and Malzahar.

What does Chronobreak do?

It sends him back a few seconds, to the spot he stood on, and he can’t be targeted while it happens. He heals for part of the damage taken in that time, and enemies near his arrival point take heavy damage.

How does Vex counter Ekko?

Vex’s passive empowers her next basic ability to fear enemies and interrupt dashes, and Phase Dive begins with a roll. Enemies who dash near her are also marked for bonus damage.

How do you avoid Ekko’s stun?

Parallel Convergence creates its anomaly after a few seconds, and Ekko must enter it to stun enemies inside. Leaving the area before he arrives avoids the stun.

How were these counters chosen?

A counter had to punish the dash, beat the stun to the punch or soak his magic damage, judged from the patch 26.21 ability text. No match statistics were used.