Kha’Zix Counters: Who Beats Kha’Zix

Updated for patch 26.21. Every ability detail here comes from Riot’s official game data for the current patch.

Kha’Zix counters are junglers who win early skirmishes, never let themselves get isolated, and lock him in place before he can Leap out. He’s a 125-range assassin whose damage spikes against lone targets, so tanky duelists, point-and-click crowd control and anything that reveals him take away the two things he’s built on: isolation and invisibility.

We chose these five from patch 26.21 kit text. Win rates weren’t involved.

What makes Kha’Zix dangerous?

• Unseen Threat (passive): marks isolated enemies; while unseen, his next attack on a champion adds magic damage and a slow.
• Taste Their Fear (Q): physical damage on one target, more against isolated ones. Cooldown 4.
• Void Spike (W): exploding spikes that damage enemies and heal him if he’s inside the blast. Cooldown 9.
• Leap (E): jumps to an area for physical damage on landing; the Wings evolution adds range and resets on takedowns. Cooldown 20/18/16/14/12.
• Void Assault (R): evolves one ability per rank; the active turns him invisible with Move Speed. Cooldown 100/85/70.

Kha’Zix hunts loners. Taste Their Fear on a 4-second cooldown deals extra damage to anyone isolated from allies, Unseen Threat adds a slow when he comes out of hiding, and Leap gets him in and, with Wings, out again after a kill. His weaknesses are just as clear. He’s squishy, his escape is on a 20-second cooldown at rank 1 unless it resets, and once he’s seen and caught, he can’t do much. So what beats him? Champions who stay grouped, shrug off his burst, or stop his Leap with crowd control.

Which junglers are the best Kha’Zix counters?

Rammus

Frenzying Taunt (E) is point-and-click: Kha’Zix is forced to attack Rammus, and Defensive Ball Curl (W) massively raises Rammus’s Armor and Magic Resist while returning damage to anyone hitting him. Picture that combo against an assassin whose damage is physical (his Q, W and E all deal physical damage). Better still, his passive converts all that Armor into Attack Damage. Powerball (Q) rolls in to slow, and Soaring Slam (R) slows an area, adding a knock-up if cast mid-Powerball. Funny enough, Rammus’s whole kit asks Kha’Zix to hit him.

Xin Zhao

Xin wins early duels outright. Three Talon Strike (Q) empowers three attacks, the third knocking the target up, and Audacious Charge (E) dashes to an enemy with bonus Attack Speed and a brief slow. Determination (passive) heals him every third attack. Wind Becomes Lightning (W) slows and Challenges enemies, which extends his charge range. Crescent Guard (R) deals damage based on current Health and makes Xin impervious to champions outside its circle. Can Kha’Zix Leap away mid-knock-up? No (that’s the point).

Warwick

Infinite Duress (R) leaps and suppresses the first champion hit for 1.5 seconds, and suppression stops Leap cold. Blood Hunt (W) senses wounded enemies and speeds Warwick toward them, with bigger bonuses the lower they drop, so a Kha’Zix escaping at low Health runs into a speeding werewolf. Eternal Hunger (passive) heals Warwick off his attacks when he’s low. His Q bite scales with your max Health and heals him for what it deals, so even a full-build assassin loses chunks to it. Primal Howl (E) reduces incoming damage, then fears nearby enemies for 1 second.

Lee Sin

Tempest (E) reveals enemy units hit, and Kha’Zix lives on not being seen. After a hit, Cripple slows everyone Tempest damaged. Sonic Wave (Q) hits the first enemy, and Resonating Strike follows it with a dash and missing-Health damage. Safeguard (W) dashes to an ally with a shield, which keeps Lee next to teammates instead of isolated. His ult kick does the rest (Tempest finds him, the kick punishes him). Each spell he casts also speeds up his next two autos, which is how Lee keeps trading after the opening combo lands. Put simply, he finds Kha’Zix and doesn’t let go.

Jarvan IV

Cataclysm (R) builds a ring of terrain around its target. Leap can jump it, sure, but it needs to be off cooldown, and a Kha’Zix who already spent it getting onto Jarvan is trapped. Dragon Strike (Q) lowers Armor and, when pulled to Demacian Standard (E), knocks up everything on the way. Golden Aegis (W) shields Jarvan and slows nearby enemies. His first auto on a fresh target also hits for a slice of current Health. Thing is, Jarvan doesn’t need to see Kha’Zix coming; he just needs to answer once he lands.

How should Kha’Zix counters play?

• Stay near allies. Isolated targets take more damage from Taste Their Fear and his passive.
• Track his evolutions. Wings means his Leap resets on takedowns; Adaptive Cloaking means longer invisibility.
• Save crowd control for after his Leap. Once E is gone (20 seconds on rank 1), he can’t hop out.
• Reveal him. Void Assault’s invisibility is how he gets in.
• Don’t fight inside his Void Spike. It heals him when he stands in the explosion.

Which items help Kha’Zix counters?

Armor and anti-burst. His abilities deal physical damage, so the best defensive items stop a single combo. Mages can wait out his burst with Zhonya’s Hourglass: 2.5 seconds of Stasis and 50 Armor. Marksmen have Guardian Angel, a second life: on lethal damage, Rebirth holds you in Stasis for 4 seconds, then brings you back with 50% base Health, long after his combo is spent. Tanks can add Thornmail, which wounds anyone who attacks them and trims the healing Kha’Zix gets from his follow-up.

When is Kha’Zix weakest?

When nobody is alone. Most of his damage depends on Isolated targets, and grouped teams turn him into a squishy fighter without his bonuses. That’s also when his ult matters least.

And after Leap. With E on cooldown and no takedown to reset it, he’s stuck wherever he landed. For more on the jungle, our role guide for League explains it. Playing the bug yourself? See the Kha’Zix ARAM guide for a random-mode build, and browse his looks on the Kha’Zix skins page. Long story short, Kha’Zix counters stay grouped, survive the first combo, and lock him down once Leap is spent.

FAQ

Who are the best Kha’Zix counters in the jungle?

Tanky duelists and crowd control junglers: Rammus, Xin Zhao, Warwick, Lee Sin and Jarvan IV.

How do you avoid Kha’Zix’s isolation damage?

Stay near allies. Taste Their Fear and Unseen Threat only gain their bonuses against Isolated targets.

Does Lee Sin reveal Kha’Zix?

Yes. Tempest reveals enemy units it hits.

What is the cooldown of Kha’Zix’s Leap?

By rank: 20, 18, 16, 14 and 12 seconds. With the Wings evolution, it resets on a champion kill or assist.

How were these Kha’Zix counters chosen?

From patch 26.21 ability text: each pick wins early duels, reveals him, or locks him down after Leap. Win rates were not used.