Varus vs Olaf Counter Pick
Matchup Summary
What the Data Means
Varus, the Arrow of Retribution, meets Olaf, the Berserker, in the Top lane. Over 167 ranked games on patch 16.13.1, Varus closes out 40.7% of them. A deficit of 9.3 points is what earns Olaf its counter flag in this matchup.
Range decides much of the early game: Varus attacks from 575 units, Olaf from 125. For Olaf, engage timing is the whole answer; without it every auto favours Varus.
With Varus and Olaf both dealing physical damage, stacking a single stat answers most of it. Before items it is 600 HP, 24 armour, 30 MR for Varus; 645, 35, 32 for Olaf. 11 armour of separation tilts level-one trades toward Olaf. Varus scales to 2385 health by 18 while Olaf reaches 2668. Olaf also hits harder before items — 68 AD to 59. Olaf covers ground faster from level one (330 against 350).
Reckless Swing (E) is the ability Varus has to respect, just as Olaf plays around Piercing Arrow. Then it becomes Chain of Corruption against Ragnarok, and the one still holding it sets the terms.
Varus players logged 167 of these games to produce the 40.7% figure.
FAQ
No — current data marks this as a counter matchup: Olaf has the statistical edge. Varus wins 40.7% of the recorded games.
40.7% from Varus's perspective, measured on patch 16.13.1.
167 ranked games at Emerald rank and above, across all regions.
The current Varus build — items, runes and skill order from the same data set — is on the Varus build page.