Smolder vs Viktor
Hard matchup
You are stronger late game. Farm safe and avoid early trades.
Build vs Viktor
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, Endless Hunger.
Starting items
Core build
Standard
Summoner spells
Anti CC
Other options
Power Spikes
Strength by game phase
Viktor's abilities
Passive, spells and ultimate
Viktor gains Hex Fragments whenever he kills an enemy. With every 100 Hex Fragments he obtains, Viktor permanently augments an active ability. After upgrading all of his basic abilities, he can gather 100 Hex Fragments to augment his ultimate ability.
Cooldowns
Cooldowns by spell rank
| Level | Q | W | E | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 9s | 17s | 12s | – |
| 6 | 7s | 17s | 12s | 2m |
| 9 | 5s | 16s | 12s | 2m |
| 11 | 5s | 15s | 12s | 1m40 |
| 16 | 5s | 13s | 10s | 1m20 |
| 18 | 5s | 13s | 8s | 1m20 |
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 Viktor
How to counter and exploit weaknesses
- Leave his field before 1.25 seconds
Get out of Gravity Field (W) right away: the zone slows, and an enemy who stays in it for 1.25 seconds is stunned.
- Engage after his Gravity Field
If you can engage, go in after Gravity Field (W): it's his only stun, on a 17 to 13 second cooldown, and he has no dash.
- Play hard before his upgrades
Get ahead early: for every 100 Hex Fragments he gets from kills, Glorious Evolution (passive) permanently upgrades one of his spells. His staff's glow shows how far along he is.
- Leave his storm fast
Get out of Arcane Storm (R) fast: it hits every second and follows the champions it just damaged on its own.
Other Smolder matchups
Patch 16.21.1