Smolder vs Ahri
Hard matchup
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Ahri
Build adapted to this matchup
Recommended items for Smolder: Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Rapid Firecannon, Infinity Edge, B. F. Sword, Hubris.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Ahri's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
After killing 9 minions or monsters, Ahri heals.After taking down an enemy champion, Ahri heals for a greater amount.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7s | 9s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 9s | 12s | 2m20 |
| 9 | 7s | 8s | 12s | 2m20 |
| 11 | 7s | 7s | 12s | 2m |
| 16 | 7s | 5s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 7s | 5s | 12s | 1m40 |
Playing as Smolder
Tips to maximize your impact
- Last-hit minions with your fireball
Last-hit minions with Super Scorcher Breath (Q): each kill with the spell gives you a Dragon Practice (passive) stack, which empowers your basic spells.
- Poke with your sneeze
Poke with Achooo! (W): the sneeze slows, explodes on champions hit, and each champion hit gives you a Dragon Practice stack.
- Aim for the final tier
Build enough stacks for the final tier of Super Scorcher Breath (Q): it burns its target, and kills a champion who drops below a health threshold.
- Take flight to escape
Escape or reposition with Flap, Flap, Flap (E): you fly over obstacles, bombarding the enemy with the lowest health.
- Call your mom from far away
Cast MMOOOMMMM! (R) to finish or slow from far away: the center of the breath hits harder and slows, and if it hits you, your mom heals you.
Playing against Ahri
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Stay behind your minions
Keep minions between you and her: Charm (E) stops on the first enemy hit, and without it her burst lands far less often.
- Dodge the return of her orb
If you can only dodge one pass of Orb of Deception (Q), dodge the return: it deals true damage, which your resistances don't reduce.
- Play hard when her R is down
Play hard once she has used the dashes of Spirit Rush (R): she has nothing left to escape with, and its cooldown is 140 to 100 seconds.
- Group up when she roams
When she roams, avoid walking through the jungle alone: Charm (E) then Spirit Rush (R) let her catch an isolated target by surprise.
Other Smolder matchups
Patch 16.21.1