Skip to content

Wukong Counters: Who Beats Wukong

Updated for patch 26.22. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch.

Wukong counters are junglers who punish his dashes, outscale his early skirmishes or win the first fight before Stone Skin stacks up. He’s a 175 range fighter-tank who dives with Nimbus Strike, fakes you out with an invisible clone and knocks up whole teams with Cyclone, so anything that stops dashes or hits him from range does the job.

These five come from reading kits side by side, without win-rate data.

Wukong counters: Wukong, the Monkey King, splash art

Why is Wukong hard to counter?

  • Stone Skin (passive): stacking armor and max health regeneration while he fights champions and monsters.
  • Crushing Blow (Q): his next attack gains range, deals bonus damage and lowers the target’s armor for a few seconds. Cooldown 8/7.5/7/6.5/6.
  • Warrior Trickster (W): he turns Invisible and dashes, leaving a clone that attacks nearby enemies. Cooldown 22/21/20/19/18.
  • Nimbus Strike (E): a dash to a targeted enemy, with images striking enemies around the target. Cooldown 10/9.25/8.5/7.75/7.
  • Cyclone (R): he spins his staff with bonus Move Speed, damaging and knocking up everyone he hits. Cooldown 130/110/90.

Two dashes, a decoy and an area knock-up. That’s a lot of tools for one champion. Wukong ganks by flying in with Nimbus Strike, then uses the clone to make you waste your spells on nothing, and Cyclone turns a teamfight into a pile of airborne enemies. The longer he fights, the tougher Stone Skin makes him. What does he lack? Range, mostly. Every plan he has starts with getting close, and both of his dashes can be punished.

Which champions are the best Wukong counters?

Taliyah

Unraveled Earth (E) lays a slowing minefield, and any enemy who dashes through it or gets knocked through it is stunned when the mines explode. Wukong’s whole engage is two dashes. See the problem? Seismic Shove (W) throws enemies in the direction she chooses, ideally right back into those mines. Threaded Volley (Q) pokes from 525 range, and Weaver’s Wall (R) builds a very long wall she can surf, splitting a fight or cutting off his escape.

Lee Sin

Lee is the early skirmisher who meets Wukong head-on and usually gets there first. Sonic Wave (Q) hits the first enemy, then Resonating Strike dashes after them for damage based on missing Health. Tempest (E) reveals enemy units it hits and Cripple slows them, which helps against a monkey who keeps darting around. Between spells, his passive (Flurry) gives two quick attacks that refund Energy. Dragon’s Rage (R) kicks the target back and knocks up anyone it collides with. Kick Wukong into his own team mid-Cyclone? That’s the dream.

Vi

Cease and Desist (R) runs down one chosen enemy, knocks aside everyone in the way, and slams the target into the ground. Wukong can’t dodge it with a dash once it’s cast. Denting Blows (W) breaks Armor with her punches, which undoes Stone Skin’s stacking armor. Her Q, Vault Breaker, is a charged punch that drags Vi forward and shoves the target back (handy for pinning him away from his team). Relentless Force (E) blasts through the target to hit whoever stands behind it, and Blast Shield (passive) gives her a shield after an ability hits.

Elise

Elise wins the early jungle fights before Wukong gets his items. Cocoon (E) in human form stuns the first enemy hit, and Neurotoxin (Q) deals damage based on how much Health the target has, which suits an opener against a full-health jungler. Then Spider Form (R) swaps her kit: Venomous Bite punishes low Health, Skittering Frenzy adds attack speed, and Rappel lifts her and her Spiderlings into the air to drop on a target. Spider Queen (passive) heals her on attacks in that form. Real talk, she picks the fight.

Kindred

Kindred shoots from 500 range and tumbles with Dance of Arrows (Q), so a Nimbus Strike lands and she’s already gone. Mounting Dread (E) slows, and the third hit sends Wolf in for massive damage. Mark of the Kindred (passive) empowers her basic abilities with each completed Hunt and grows her attack range every 4 hunts. The trump card is Lamb’s Respite (R): a zone where nothing can die until it ends, which can make his Cyclone engage a wasted ultimate (a very satisfying one, if you’re Kindred).

How do you play against Wukong in the jungle?

  • Don’t use your best spell on the first Wukong you see. Warrior Trickster leaves a clone while he turns invisible.
  • Spread out in fights; Cyclone knocks up every enemy it hits.
  • Fight before Stone Skin stacks. Its armor and regeneration grow while he fights.
  • Place slows and dash-stoppers where Nimbus Strike will land.
  • Track his ultimate: 130 seconds at rank 1. Without it, he can’t control a teamfight.

Which items counter Wukong?

His damage is physical, and Crushing Blow lowers your armor for a few seconds, so raw Armor matters. For boots, the Plating passive on Plated Steelcaps knocks 10% off each of his auto attacks. Randuin’s Omen brings 75 Armor plus Humility, a 70% slow on nearby enemies for 2 seconds, perfect when he’s spinning next to you. Frozen Heart reduces the Attack Speed of champions around you, and Thornmail punishes his auto attacks. Mages can save themselves from Cyclone follow-ups with Zhonya’s Hourglass. To be fair, Armor alone won’t stop the knock-up; positioning does that. Item numbers are in our LoL items database, and Randuin’s Omen has its own page.

When is Wukong at his weakest?

Right after he dashes. Nimbus Strike and Warrior Trickster are his only movement, and once both are on cooldown (the W is 22 seconds at rank 1), he’s a melee fighter standing in front of your team with nowhere to go.

Before his ultimate, too. Cyclone is what makes him dangerous in teamfights, and without it he’s a strong duelist but not a teamfight threat. Ward his approach and fight while it’s down. Simple, but in practice it works.

Learning the jungle? Honestly, our guide to LoL roles is the easiest first read. Each Monkey King costume is shown on the Wukong skins page, and when he rolls up in random mode, check the Wukong ARAM guide. Long story short, Wukong counters punish his dashes, ignore the clone, and spread out against Cyclone.

FAQ

Who counters Wukong the most?

Taliyah, whose minefield stuns dashing enemies, Lee Sin and Vi, who win skirmishes and lock him down, Elise, who wins early fights, and Kindred, whose ultimate stops deaths in a zone.

How does Wukong’s clone work?

Warrior Trickster makes Wukong invisible and dashes him in a direction, leaving behind a clone that attacks nearby enemies. Its cooldown is 22/21/20/19/18 seconds.

What does Cyclone do?

Wukong spins his extended staff repeatedly while gaining Move Speed. Enemies he strikes take damage and are knocked up. Its cooldown is 130/110/90 seconds.

Does Armor help against Wukong?

Yes, his damage is physical. Crushing Blow reduces the target’s armor for a few seconds, so items such as Randuin’s Omen and Plated Steelcaps are good picks.

How were these Wukong counters picked?

We compared each jungler’s abilities with his patch 26.22 kit. Win rates didn’t factor in.