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Elise Counters: Who Beats Elise

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

Elise counters are junglers who can take her early burst and hit back, ignore Cocoon’s stun, or chase her down after Rappel. She’s a 550-range mage in human form who switches to a short-range spider for the kill, and her strength sits heavily in the early game.

Each pick was set against her patch 26.21 ability text. We left win-rate sites out of it.

Elise counters: Elise, the Spider Queen, splash art

How does Elise win fights?

  • Spider Queen (passive): human-form hits give her dormant Spiderlings; in spider form, her attacks deal bonus magic damage and heal her.
  • Neurotoxin / Venomous Bite (Q): human form hits harder on high-Health targets; spider form lunges and hits harder on low-Health ones. Cooldown 6.
  • Volatile Spiderling / Skittering Frenzy (W): a spiderling that explodes near a target, or bonus Attack Speed for her and her swarm. Cooldown 12.
  • Cocoon / Rappel (E): a stun on the first enemy hit, or a lift into the air and a drop onto a target that boosts her passive. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
  • Spider Form (R): switches forms, trading range for Move Speed, new abilities and a Spiderling swarm. Cooldown 3.

Cocoon starts everything. It stuns the first enemy it hits, human-form Neurotoxin chunks a healthy target, then spider form switches in to lunge and finish with bonus magic damage that heals her. It’s a lot of damage very early. And Rappel lifts her out of reach of almost anything mid-fight. What does she struggle with? Champions who stop or survive that first stun, tanks who outlast the burst, and the mid game, when her damage stops scaling the way it did at level 3. Counters lean on one of those.

Who are the best Elise counters in the jungle?

Udyr

Blazing Stampede (E) gives Udyr Move Speed and stuns the first time he attacks each target. The recast is the real answer: a couple of seconds where nothing can root or stun him, Cocoon included, plus extra speed. Iron Mantle (W) shields him and heals on the next two attacks, or more with the recast. Wilding Claw (Q) adds Attack Speed and bonus damage, and Wingborne Storm (R) wraps him in a slowing storm that tracks enemies on the recast. Bridge Between (passive) gives Attack Speed after each ability. Put simply, Udyr walks through her opening and stuns her instead.

Gragas

Gragas is built to absorb a burst. His W has him drink for a second, then reduce damage taken and add magic damage to his next attack, so Elise’s opener lands on a damage-reduced target. Body Slam (E) charges into the first enemy he meets and stuns everyone nearby, which interrupts the combo or the Rappel landing. Barrel Roll (Q) rolls a cask that explodes and slows, and Explosive Cask (R) knocks enemies back, separating her from the Spiderlings and the low-Health target she was diving. Happy Hour (passive) heals him periodically after spells. Honestly, the damage reduction alone ruins her early trades.

Lee Sin

Lee Sin matches her early game, which is where she expects to win. His Q is a two-part tool, a wave that tags her and a follow-up dash that hurts more the lower she is. The E shockwave lights her up on the map, and its second cast slows. Safeguard (W) dashes to an ally and shields both, and Iron Will adds Omnivamp afterward. Flurry (passive) boosts two attacks after each ability. Dragon’s Rage (R) kicks a target back into anyone behind them, knocking them up too. Is Rappel an escape from him (it’s her usual one)? Partly, but Tempest’s reveal and Sonic Wave’s range give him a second shot when she lands.

Rek’Sai

Rek’Sai tracks Elise across the map and punishes her when she lands. Burrow (W) gives Move Speed underground, Tunnel (E, burrowed) builds long-lasting tunnels, and Unburrow knocks up nearby enemies, a good answer to an Elise who just finished Rappel. Prey Seeker (Q, burrowed) reveals enemies hit. Her ultimate is a lunge at a target she’s already damaged, untargetable for a moment and scaled to max Health. Fury of the Xer’Sai (passive) heals her from Fury while burrowed, which covers the burst Elise lands. Furious Bite deals true damage at max Fury.

Nocturne

Cocoon is a single enemy ability, and Nocturne’s W fades him into a barrier that stops exactly one. Block the stun, and Elise’s combo has no start. A successful block also doubles his passive Attack Speed. Paranoia (R) shrinks enemy vision and cuts their shared sight, then launches him at a champion, which finds her even after Rappel. Then the fear (E). Duskbringer (Q) leaves a trail for speed and damage, and Umbra Blades (passive) heals him with a cleaving hit every few seconds. To be fair, she can bait the shield with Neurotoxin first.

How should Elise counters play the jungle?

  • Dodge Cocoon. It stuns the first enemy unit hit, so keep a minion or monster between you and her.
  • Don’t fight her at full Health in human form. Neurotoxin deals more damage the higher your Health.
  • Track Rappel. It lifts her out of reach and drops onto a target; wait for the landing, then commit.
  • Kill the Spiderlings. In spider form they attack for her and gain Attack Speed from Skittering Frenzy.
  • Play for the mid game. Her pressure is strongest early, so trade safely and scale.

What items help Elise counters?

Magic Resist, early. Her damage is magic in both forms, so Mercury’s Treads add Magic Resist and Tenacity for a shorter Cocoon stun. Kaenic Rookern’s Magebane shield appears once you’ve gone 15 seconds without magic damage, a decent answer to her pick-off style. Spirit Visage boosts your own healing and shields by 25% and brings Magic Resist too. Banshee’s Veil (or Edge of Night on an attacker) blocks Cocoon outright. Full stats are in our LoL item tables.

When is Elise weakest?

After level 6, when other junglers catch up. Elise peaks in the first levels, when Cocoon plus Neurotoxin is a kill threat on almost anyone. By the mid game, tanks and fighters have the Health and resistances to take her combo and hit back. Want to beat her? Survive the first ten minutes (for what it’s worth, warding her side of the river helps a lot).

And when Cocoon misses. Without the stun, her combo is a lot of damage on a target who can walk away, and Rappel at 12 seconds on rank 1 is her only reset.

New to the jungle role? Our intro to LoL roles covers it. Every champion we’ve written about is in the guide collection, and her skins sit on the Elise skins page. Long story short, Elise counters survive the Cocoon and outscale the spider.

FAQ

Who counters Elise the most?

Junglers who ignore, block or survive her stun: Udyr, Gragas, Lee Sin, Rek’Sai and Nocturne.

Can you avoid Elise’s Cocoon?

Cocoon stuns the first enemy unit hit, so a minion or monster in the way blocks it. Udyr’s recast Blazing Stampede gives immunity to immobilizing effects.

Is Elise strong early?

Yes. Cocoon plus Neurotoxin and Venomous Bite deal heavy damage in the first levels, which is why counters aim to outlast her.

What is the cooldown of Cocoon?

Cocoon has a cooldown of 12/11.5/11/10.5/10 seconds.

How were these Elise counters chosen?

Each pick had to survive or ignore Cocoon, punish Rappel’s landing, or outlast her early burst, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates were not used.