Heimerdinger vs Varus
Favorable matchup
Build vs Varus
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Heimerdinger: Blackfire Torch, Liandry's Torment, Zhonya's Hourglass, Sorcerer's Shoes, Rabadon's Deathcap, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Shadowflame, Luden's Echo.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Varus's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
On kill or assist, Varus temporarily gains Attack Damage and Ability Power. This bonus is larger if the enemy is a champion.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 16s | 40s | 18s | – |
| 6 | 14s | 40s | 18s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 12s | 40s | 18s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 12s | 40s | 18s | 1m20 |
| 16 | 12s | 40s | 14s | 1m |
| 18 | 12s | 40s | 10s | 1m |
Playing as Heimerdinger
Tips to maximize your impact
- Plant your turrets and stay close
Place your turrets with H-28 G Evolution Turret (Q) where you want to fight, then stay close: if you move too far away, they deactivate after 8 seconds.
- Aim the center of your grenade
Aim the center of CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade (E) at your target: only enemies in the center are stunned, and hitting a champion fully charges your nearby turrets.
- R then W for the kill
To kill a target, cast UPGRADE!!! (R) then Hextech Micro-Rockets (W): you fire 4 waves of rockets instead of one.
- Giant turret for objectives
For a teamfight or an objective, cast UPGRADE!!! (R) then H-28 G Evolution Turret (Q): the turret lasts 8 seconds, slows, deals area damage and is immune to CC.
Playing against Varus
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Back off with his Blight on you
Back off after taking a few autos: each one applies a Blight stack from Blighted Quiver (W), and his spells detonate them for damage based on your max health.
- Engage while he charges
If you can engage, go in while he charges Piercing Arrow (Q): charging slows him, and he has no dash to escape.
- Leave his hail of arrows
Get out of the Hail of Arrows (E) zone fast: the desecrated ground slows you and reduces the healing you receive.
- Spread out from the chained ally
When an ally is caught by Chain of Corruption (R), move away from them fast: the corruption spreads to nearby champions, but dies out if you get far enough in time.
Other Heimerdinger matchups
Patch 16.21.1