Olaf vs Varus Counter Pick
Matchup Summary
What the Data Means
Olaf, the Berserker, meets Varus, the Arrow of Retribution, in the Top lane. Over 177 ranked games on patch 16.13.1, Olaf closes out 60.5% of them. A 10.5-point edge is what puts this matchup in Olaf’s column.
Hail of Arrows (E) is the ability Olaf has to respect, just as Varus plays around Undertow. Level six shifts things: Ragnarok on one side, Chain of Corruption on the other.
With Olaf and Varus both dealing physical damage, stacking a single stat answers most of it. Starting health splits 645 to 600 in Olaf’s favour, with armour at 35 against 24. That 11-point armour gap favours Olaf in the first all-in. Olaf scales to 2668 health by 18 while Varus reaches 2385. Base attack damage is 68 against 59, so Olaf wins the raw auto-attack exchange. Olaf covers ground faster from level one (350 against 330).
The 575-versus-125 attack range gap means Varus can contest the wave from outside Olaf’s reach. For Olaf, engage timing is the whole answer; without it every auto favours Varus.
Behind 60.5% are 177 games against Varus, not a handful of anecdotes.
FAQ
Yes — Olaf holds the statistical advantage in this matchup. Olaf wins 60.5% of the recorded games.
60.5% from Olaf's perspective, measured on patch 16.13.1.
177 ranked games at Emerald rank and above, across all regions.
The current Olaf build — items, runes and skill order from the same data set — is on the Olaf build page.