Swain Counters: Who Beats Swain

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

Swain counters are supports who block, outrange or knock away his Nevermove root: spell shields, long-range poke mages, and disengage that throws him out of his drain. Swain is a 525 range mage who heals off Ravenous Flock and Demonic Ascension, so cutting the healing and denying the root does most of the work.

The five supports below were picked from how their kits line up against his. No win-rate data went into it.

Why is Swain hard to counter?

• Ravenous Flock (passive): his ravens collect Soul Fragments that heal him and permanently raise his maximum health.
• Death’s Hand (Q): several piercing bolts; each extra bolt on the same enemy deals more damage. Cooldown 7/6/5/4/3.
• Vision of Empire (W): a demon eye that damages, slows and reveals; champions hit give a Soul Fragment. Cooldown 22/21/20/19/18.
• Nevermove (E): a wave that flies out, returns and roots enemies it hits, after which he can pull rooted champions closer. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
• Demonic Ascension (R): a demon form that drains health from nearby enemies and can cast Demonflare to damage and slow; it lasts as long as he keeps draining champions. Cooldown 120.

Swain support is a root-and-drain champion. Nevermove catches someone on its way back, the pull drags them into his ADC, and Death’s Hand bolts stack damage on whoever got caught. Then Demonic Ascension turns him into a demon who heals off every nearby enemy for as long as champions stay close. Is he hard to kill in that form? Very. That’s why the counters below either stop the root or stop him from staying close.

Which champions are the best Swain counters?

Morgana

Her E wraps an ally in starfire that soaks up magic damage and crowd control until it pops. Nevermove is a disable, and nearly all of Swain’s damage is magic, so one shield on the ADC turns his best engage into nothing. Dark Binding (Q) roots him back. Her W pool hurts more the lower the target gets (nice against a Swain who dove too deep), and her passive heals her for part of the damage. Soul Shackles (R) chains nearby champions and stuns anyone who doesn’t break free (Swain wants to stay close in his demon form, so breaking free is awkward for him).

Janna

Swain’s ultimate wants enemies nearby. Janna’s whole kit says no. Monsoon (R) throws every nearby enemy back and then heals her allies, which breaks a Demonic Ascension drain in one cast. Howling Gale (Q) knocks away anything in its path, Zephyr (W) slows, and Eye Of The Storm (E) shields an ally or a turret from incoming damage. Tailwind (passive) speeds up allies moving toward her, a quick exit when Nevermove misses. To be fair, she won’t kill him. She just makes him useless.

Vel’Koz

Vel’Koz pokes from range and turns damage into true damage. Organic Deconstruction (passive) stacks with each ability hit, and three stacks burst for true damage, which ignores any Magic Resist Swain builds. Plasma Fission (Q) slows and splits. Void Rift (W) deals two bursts. Tectonic Disruption (E) knocks up, a clean way to interrupt a Swain walking in for the root, and Life Form Disintegration Ray (R) is a long channel that deals true damage to champions he’s researched. Thing is, Swain’s healing only matters if he survives the poke long enough to use it.

Lux

Prismatic Barrier (W) shields every ally the wand touches, on the way out and back, softening the damage from a Nevermove pull. Light Binding (Q) roots up to two enemies, so Lux can lock Swain and his ADC together. Lucent Singularity (E) slows an area and detonates for damage. Final Spark (R) fires a long beam that hits everything in a line from far outside Swain’s 525 range. Illumination (passive) adds magic damage to the next attack after each spell. She’s safest when she keeps that distance, honestly.

Xerath

In practice, Xerath is a pure range answer. Arcanopulse (Q) fires a long beam through every target, and Eye of Destruction (W) drops an area that slows and hurts more in the centre. Shocking Orb (E) stuns a single enemy, enough to stop Swain walking up for Nevermove. Rite of the Arcane (R) immobilizes Xerath while he fires long-range barrages, so it’s best used once Swain has committed his ultimate somewhere else. Mana Surge (passive) restores Mana off his attacks. His problem? He has no escape if the root does land.

How do you play the lane against Swain?

• Dodge Nevermove on the return. The wave roots on its way back, so step out of its path after it passes.
• Avoid Vision of Empire; champions hit by it give him a Soul Fragment and get revealed.
• Back off when he ascends. Demonic Ascension lasts as long as he drains champions, so distance ends it.
• Stay apart from your ADC when he’s near; Death’s Hand bolts pierce and stack on one target.
• Punish the cooldown. A missed wave means roughly 12 seconds (rank 1) of Swain with no way to hold anyone.

Which items counter Swain?

Look, Grievous Wounds comes first, because his ultimate and passive are both healing. Oblivion Orb applies 40% Wounds whenever magic damage hits a champion and costs only 800 gold, which suits mage supports; Morellonomicon does the same later with 350 Health. ADCs get it through Executioner’s Calling. Against the root itself, 30% Tenacity from Mercury’s Treads shortens it, and the boots throw in some Magic Resist. A support with Banshee’s Veil (rarer, but it happens) simply eats the wave with the spell shield. More numbers? They’re in the LoL items database, and Banshee’s Veil has its own page.

When is Swain at his weakest?

When Nevermove misses. Without the root, he’s a 525 range mage with a slow from Vision of Empire and not much else, and the next Nevermove is 10 to 12 seconds away depending on rank.

Before level 6 matters too. Demonic Ascension is his sustain and teamfight power, and without it Ravenous Flock heals only a little per Soul Fragment. Long-range supports can chip him down then, well, as long as they stay out of the wave’s path.

Still learning the support role? Wards, peel, engage: the guide to LoL roles breaks the job down. His Noxian outfits are on the Swain skins page, and the Swain ARAM guide covers his demon form on one lane. Real talk: Swain counters block the root, cut the healing, and refuse to stand next to him while he’s a demon.

FAQ

Who counters Swain the most?

Morgana, whose Black Shield blocks Nevermove; Janna, whose Monsoon throws him back; Vel’Koz, who deals true damage from range; Lux, who shields and roots; and Xerath, who pokes from long range.

How does Nevermove root?

Nevermove flies forward, then returns to Swain and roots enemies it hits on the way back. He can then pull rooted champions closer.

How long does Demonic Ascension last?

It lasts as long as Swain keeps draining enemy champions. Moving away from him ends the drain.

Does Grievous Wounds work on Swain?

Yes. His passive and ultimate both heal him, and Grievous Wounds reduces that healing.

How did we choose these Swain counters?

Each support was weighed against his patch 26.21 kit, ability by ability. Win rates were not used.