Hwei Counters: Who Beats Hwei

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

Hwei counters are assassins who reach him before his combo finishes, dodge the painting he needs to land, or soak his magic damage. He’s a 550-range mage with ten abilities and no dash, so he’s lethal at range and fragile once someone closes the gap.

Our five came from reading his patch 26.21 kit against theirs, nothing else. Win rates weren’t part of it.

What makes Hwei dangerous from range?

• Signature of the Visionary (passive): two damaging spells on the same champion leave a signature beneath them that detonates for magic damage after a short delay.
• Subject: Disaster (Q): swaps his abilities to damage spells: Devastating Fire, Severing Bolt and Molten Fissure. Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6.
• Subject: Serenity (W): swaps to utility spells: Fleeting Current, Pool of Reflection and Stirring Lights. Cooldown 18/17.5/17/16.5/16.
• Subject: Torment (E): swaps to crowd control spells: Grim Visage, Gaze of the Abyss and Crushing Maw. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
• Spiraling Despair (R): the first enemy champion hit becomes the center of a growing painting that slows and damages nearby enemies, then explodes. Cooldown 120/100/80.

Hwei picks a subject, then a spell inside it, which gives him three damage tools, three utility tools and three crowd control tools to choose from. Two damaging spells on you leave a signature that blows up. Options, from far away. Thing is, what he doesn’t have is a dash. Every escape he owns is a spell he has to pick and aim, and that takes time. Assassins who close the distance before he finishes that choice catch a mage standing still, and that’s the counter in one sentence.

Who are the best Hwei counters in mid?

Zed

Zed’s ultimate takes him out of targeting as he lunges onto Hwei, and the mark it leaves pops 3 seconds later for a share of everything he hit in between. Hwei can’t aim a crowd control spell at a target that isn’t targetable. Living Shadow (W) sends a shadow ahead that Zed can swap places with, so he closes the gap in two steps. Razor Shuriken (Q) is thrown from Zed and each shadow, Shadow Slash (E) slows anything a shadow’s slash hits, and Contempt for the Weak (passive) adds magic damage to attacks on low-Health targets. Honestly, Hwei sees Zed coming and still can’t stop him.

Katarina

Katarina blinks where Hwei can’t plan for. Shunpo (E) teleports her to any target, enemy or not, and strikes the nearest enemy. Preparation (W) and Bouncing Blade (Q) drop Daggers she picks up to slash everything nearby, and Voracity (passive) slashes the cooldowns on her remaining abilities whenever a champion she damaged dies. Death Lotus (R) channels heavy magic damage on the 3 nearest enemy champions. Is the channel a weak point (it usually is)? Yes, and Hwei’s crowd control can interrupt it, so Katarina should open with daggers and save the ult for when his stuns are on cooldown.

Akali

Twilight Shroud (W) drops a smoke cloud where Akali turns invisible and can’t be targeted by spells or attacks, which makes Hwei’s aimed crowd control a guess. Shuriken Flip (E) flips backward, fires a shuriken that marks the first enemy or smoke cloud, then dashes to the mark. Perfect Execution (R) leaps through enemies and, on the recast, dashes again to execute low-Health targets. Five Point Strike (Q) slows in a cone. Assassin’s Mark (passive) empowers her next attack after she leaves the ring her spells create. Put simply, Hwei needs to see a target to paint it, and Akali spends a lot of time unseen.

Kassadin

Kassadin is built for magic-damage mid laners. Void Stone (passive) reduces all incoming magic damage, and every one of Hwei’s ten spells deals magic damage or crowd control. Null Sphere (Q) interrupts channels and shields Kassadin against magic damage. Riftwalk (R) teleports him to a nearby spot, with extra damage on repeated casts, so he reaches a mage without a dash. Force Pulse (E) charges off spells cast near Kassadin (Hwei casts constantly), then slows in a cone. Nether Blade (W) adds magic damage and restores Mana. The catch? Real talk, before level 6, Kassadin has to survive the lane.

Naafiri

Naafiri brings a pack Hwei has to deal with. Hounds’ Pursuit (R) dashes Naafiri and her packmates at a champion, reveals nearby enemies on a takedown, and can be recast once for a shield. The Call of the Pack (W) makes her untargetable while spawning more packmates and adding Move Speed and Attack Damage. Eviscerate (E) dashes and damages an area, healing the pack. Darkin Daggers (Q) bleed, or hit harder against a target already bleeding, and the pack leaps on the first champion hit. We Are More (passive) spawns the packmates. To be fair, area spells can clear the pack quickly.

How should Hwei counters play the lane?

• Close the gap fast. Hwei has no dash; every escape is a spell he must pick and aim.
• Step off the signature. It detonates after a short delay beneath anyone hit by two of his damaging spells.
• Bait his crowd control subject. Once Torment is used, his stuns and roots are gone for 12 seconds at rank 1.
• Avoid being the first champion hit by Spiraling Despair. The painting centers on that target and slows everyone nearby.
• Dive after he uses Subject: Serenity. Fleeting Current and the other utility spells sit on its 18 second cooldown.

Which items help Hwei counters?

Magic Resist and a spell shield. All of his damage is magic, so Mercury’s Treads and an early Magic Resist item soften the poke. Banshee’s Veil blocks the next enemy ability, ideally Spiraling Despair, and Edge of Night gives the same shield to physical assassins. Zhonya’s Hourglass lets a mage freeze through the signature detonation. Our League item catalog lists them all.

When is Hwei weakest?

Up close. A 550-range mage with no dash relies on keeping distance, and once an assassin reaches him, his best tools are ones he has to select and aim under pressure. Does he have a panic button? Sort of, the utility subject, but it’s on an 18 second cooldown at rank 1.

And early, before his cooldowns drop. Each subject comes back slowly at rank 1, so a lane that forces him to spend Subject: Torment early gives the jungler a clean gank (for what it’s worth, warding his side of the river helps more than any item).

New to the mid lane? Our League roles walkthrough covers it. The rest of our guides cover other champions, and his skins sit on the Hwei skins page. In short, Hwei counters reach him before the painting is done.

FAQ

Who counters Hwei the most?

Assassins and magic-resistant mid laners: Zed, Katarina, Akali, Kassadin and Naafiri.

Does Hwei have a dash?

No. His mobility comes from utility spells like Fleeting Current, which he has to select and aim.

How does Hwei’s passive work?

Hitting a champion with two damaging spells leaves a signature beneath them that detonates for magic damage after a short delay.

What is the cooldown of Spiraling Despair?

120/100/80 seconds by rank, the longest wait in his kit.

How were these Hwei counters chosen?

Each pick had to reach him without being targeted, dodge his aimed spells, or resist his magic damage, judged from patch 26.21 ability text. Win rates were not used.