Ashe vs Varus Counter Pick

This is close to a marksman mirror: both champions deal physical damage, both run on Mana, and their level-18 health totals land near each other at 2,327 for Ashe and 2,385 for Varus. Where they diverge is setup — Ashe’s 600 range against Varus’s 575, and the fact that Varus has to charge Piercing Arrow for its full damage while Ashe’s Volley fires instantly in a cone. Frost Shot’s slow on every hit interferes with the extended windup Piercing Arrow depends on for its bonus range.

Varus is also one of the lowest-difficulty champions available, rated 2, yet Ashe still comes out ahead across a large sample: 1,958 games on patch 16.13.1 put her win rate at 53.2%, rated Easy. Blighted Quiver gives Varus bonus magic damage on hit through a detonation mechanic, so the trade isn’t purely auto-for-auto, but Ashe‘s Enchanted Crystal Arrow threatens a stun from well outside Varus‘s own Chain of Corruption range, letting her punish overextensions first. Ashe also ends up tankier by level 18, 104.2 armor to Varus’s 92, while Varus is only marginally quicker at base, 330 move speed to her 325 — neither edge is large enough to swing the lane on its own.