Smolder vs Tristana
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Tristana
The champion's reference build, for lack of enough games in this matchup
Recommended items for Smolder: Essence Reaver, Black Cleaver, Spear of Shojin, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Infinity Edge, Rapid Firecannon, Lord Dominik's Regards, Guardian Angel.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Tristana's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Increases Tristana's Attack Range as she levels.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 20s | 22s | 16s | – |
| 6 | 18s | 22s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 9 | 16s | 20s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 11 | 16s | 18s | 16s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 16s | 14s | 15s | 1m40 |
| 18 | 16s | 14s | 14s | 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 Tristana
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Step away from your minions
Don't stay glued to your minions: when her autos kill them, Explosive Charge (E) damages nearby enemies, and her bomb also explodes in an area.
- Back off when her bomb is on you
Back off as soon as Explosive Charge (E) is stuck on you: each of her hits makes it stronger, and a bomb that explodes at max stacks resets Rocket Jump (W).
- Respect her Rapid Fire
When she activates Rapid Fire (Q) in a fight, back off until the bonus ends, or stun her if you can: her attack speed spikes for the spell's duration.
- Spread out when her bomb is on you
In teamfights, when Explosive Charge (E) is on you, spread out from your allies: when it explodes, the bomb also damages anyone near you.
Other Smolder matchups
Patch 16.21.1