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Pantheon Counters: Who Beats Pantheon

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

Pantheon counters are top laners who survive his early burst and stop the dash that starts it. He’s a 175 range fighter with a spear he thrusts or throws, a dash that stuns, a shield that blocks damage from the front, and an ultimate that drops him onto any spot as a comet. The picks that beat him outlast the first few levels, cancel Shield Vault, or punish him once Aegis Assault is down.

Five matchups follow, with the abilities behind each one. No win-rate tables were used.

Pantheon counters: Pantheon, the Unbreakable Spear, splash art

Why is Pantheon hard to counter?

  • Mortal Will (passive): every few spells or attacks, his next spell is empowered.
  • Comet Spear (Q): a thrust or a throw in the chosen direction. Cooldown 11/10.25/9.5/8.75/8.
  • Shield Vault (W): a dash to a target that damages and stuns them. Cooldown 13/12/11/10/9.
  • Aegis Assault (E): he raises his shield, becoming invulnerable to damage from the front while striking repeatedly. Cooldown 22/21/20/19/18.
  • Grand Starfall (R): after composing himself, he leaps into the air and lands at a chosen location as a comet. Cooldown 180/165/150.

His lane is built around one combo. Shield Vault stuns you, Mortal Will empowers the next spell, Comet Spear lands on a target that can’t move, and if you try to fight back, Aegis Assault blocks everything you throw at his front. That’s a lot of damage at level 3. The problem for Pantheon is everything after that: his kit has no healing, no way to scale, and his only escape is an ultimate on a 180 second cooldown. Survive the early trades and he runs out of ideas.

Which champions are the best Pantheon counters?

Poppy

Steadfast Presence (W) stops enemy dashes around Poppy when activated, slowing and grounding whoever gets stopped. Shield Vault is a dash. If Pantheon tries his combo next to an active Steadfast Presence, the stun never happens, and he’s grounded in front of her. The passive half adds Armor and Magic Resist, more at low Health. Heroic Charge (E) carries Pantheon backward and stuns him if a wall gets in the way, while Keeper’s Verdict (R) can launch him clean out of the fight. Iron Ambassador (passive) gives her a shield every time she catches her buckler. Who wins the level 3 all-in now? Usually her.

Malphite

Granite Shield (passive) is a rock barrier worth up to 10% of Malphite’s maximum Health that regenerates after a few seconds unhit, so Comet Spear poke chips the shield instead of his Health. Seismic Shard (Q) hits from range and borrows some of his Move Speed for 3 seconds. Ground Slam (E) reduces the Attack Speed of enemies around him, cutting the attacks that build Mortal Will. Unstoppable Force (R) launches Malphite to a spot and knocks enemies up, which is a clean answer to a Pantheon who just landed with Grand Starfall (he tends to land right where you want him). Thunderclap (W) adds aftershocks to his attacks. In practice, Malphite takes the early lane quietly and then outscales him.

Garen

Perseverance (passive) regenerates a percentage of Garen’s Health each second when he hasn’t been hit recently, so the gaps between Comet Spear casts give him back what he lost. Decisive Strike (Q) breaks free of slows and silences the target, and a silenced Pantheon can’t cast Shield Vault or Aegis Assault. Courage (W) gives Garen a shield and Tenacity for a moment, then damage reduction, which shortens the Shield Vault stun. Judgment (E) spins for physical damage, and Demacian Justice (R) tries to execute. Honestly? The silence alone wins most trades (it’s that strong in this lane).

Jax

Counter Strike (E) dodges every incoming attack for a short time, then stuns everyone around Jax. Half of Pantheon’s combo is attacks. Those simply miss. Leap Strike (Q) jumps to a unit, so Jax can reach Pantheon behind Aegis Assault from the side. Grandmaster-at-Arms (R) adds bonus magic damage every third attack and, when activated, Armor and Magic Resist. Relentless Assault (passive) ramps Jax’s Attack Speed through a long fight. To be fair, Pantheon wants short ones.

Cho’Gath

Feral Scream (W) silences enemies in a cone for a few seconds, which stops Pantheon from casting anything, empowered or not. Rupture (Q) pops enemies into the air and slows them. Carnivore (passive) restores Health and Mana whenever Cho’Gath kills a unit, so last-hitting under poke keeps him topped up. Vorpal Spikes (E) slows everything in front of him on each attack. Feast (R) deals a high amount of true damage and grants maximum Health on a kill, which means Cho’Gath gets tankier while Pantheon stays the same. The catch: Cho’Gath has to dodge the early stun first.

How do you play the lane against Pantheon?

  • Track Mortal Will. After a few spells or attacks his next spell is empowered, so step back when it’s ready.
  • Don’t attack Aegis Assault from the front. It makes him invulnerable to damage from that direction.
  • Stay out of Shield Vault range when it’s up. The dash stuns, and the rest of his combo follows from it.
  • Trade after Shield Vault is spent. Its cooldown starts at 13 seconds.
  • Ping when he’s missing after level 6. Grand Starfall lets him land anywhere on a chosen location.

Which items counter Pantheon?

His power comes from burst and a stun, so Tenacity and anti-burst items help more than raw resistances. Mercury’s Treads give 30% Tenacity to shorten the Shield Vault stun. Death’s Dance spreads part of the damage you take over 3 seconds, softening his combo, and Sterak’s Gage grants a decaying Shield for 4.5 seconds when you drop below 30% Health. Edge of Night (AD) and Banshee’s Veil (AP) each carry a Spell Shield that blocks the next enemy Ability, which can eat Shield Vault. Against his autoattacks, Plating on Plated Steelcaps shaves off 10%. Tanks get the most from Sunfire Aegis in long trades he doesn’t want, and the full list lives in our item database.

When is Pantheon at his weakest?

Late. His kit doesn’t scale like the counters above, and after the first few levels his combo stops killing anyone with items. Play safe early and the matchup turns.

The other window is right after Grand Starfall. It sits on a 180 second cooldown at rank 1 (150 at rank 3), and without it he has no escape at all, just Shield Vault toward an enemy. Look, a Pantheon who used his ultimate to roam bot is a Pantheon who can’t get away when you collapse on him. Mark the timer.

New to top lane? Our guide to LoL roles explains it, and the rest of our champion guides are a click away. For cosmetics, open the Pantheon skins page. The Pantheon ARAM guide covers one-lane play. Long story short, Pantheon counters survive his early combo, stop Shield Vault, and take over once his ultimate is down.

FAQ

Who counters Pantheon the most?

Poppy, who stops his dash; Garen and Cho’Gath, who silence him; Malphite, who outscales him; and Jax, who dodges his attacks and stuns him back.

Can Poppy stop Shield Vault?

Yes. Activating Steadfast Presence halts dashes near her, Shield Vault included, and leaves the would-be dasher slowed and grounded.

What does Aegis Assault block?

Damage from the front. Pantheon is invulnerable to it while he holds the shield, so attack from the side or wait it out.

How long is Grand Starfall’s cooldown?

180 seconds at rank 1, 165 at rank 2 and 150 at rank 3.

How were these Pantheon counters picked?

Pantheon’s patch 26.21 kit was compared, spell by spell, with each top laner’s abilities. No win-rate data was involved.