How to Lane Against Blitzcrank and Avoid Feeding in LoL
When we ask bot laners around the world who their biggest fear or hardest champion to play against is, a name that consistently pops up is Blitzcrank. There are a variety of reasons why he is the hardest Support to lane against for many, and it is easy to see why players struggle against him.
In this Mobalytics guide, we will discuss different things you can do to stop yourself from feeding in lane and getting hooked over and over again by the enemy Blitzcrank. For more tips to help you counter Blitzcrank, check our Blitzcrank’s Champion Page.
1. Prepare for the Level 1 Invade
Blitzcrank has a very good level 1 and can easily invade. Most Blitzcranks will invade at level 1 and try to get a head start or at least blow a Summoner Spell or two.
You can prevent these sorts of engages by positioning aggressively at level 1 and backing off if you spot him and his allies making their way towards you. Positioning or placing wards down in or around the river is beneficial as it gives you enough time to back off and away so you do not get killed.
If everyone on your team stand in the river and at jungle entrances, then you can spot him without it being too late. If you do not have people standing at the jungle entrances, or wards placed, and you’re all huddled around the red buff, you are going to get collapsed on or pulled.
2. Adapt Your Positioning In Lane
In the bottom lane, you may want to stand as far back as possible to decrease the chances of Blitzcrank landing his Q on you, but this isn’t always the best idea. If one person is positioned quite back, it will be difficult for the other player to lane effectively, and it may feel like you’re in a 1v2 matchup.
In this matchup, you want to always be hovering around your ally and standing in line with them. So you both have pressure and fight if someone gets hooked. However, against Blitzcrank, you need to be on the lookout for his Q!
You should always ensure that you are not in the open, and always stood behind at least one minion. Remember minions block his Q, so you need to be stood behind at least 1 at all times.
However, just standing behind minions isn’t always easy, and there are other things you can do too. For instance, avoid standing near the walls as it gives you less room to escape his hook, and Blitzcrank will have an easier time to land his Q as there’s only so many places you can go. You have more ways to dodge it when you’re in the open.
A good Blitzcrank will constantly adapt his positioning to try and get cheeky angles on to you. You have to be aware of this and adapt your positioning accordingly.
3. Hit Level 2 at the Same Time
One of Blitzcrank’s biggest strengths is his level 2 all-in. While he is solid at level 1 if he lands a hook, landing a hook at level 2 allows him to utilise his basic combo, which can often result in blown Summoner Spells or even a kill.
The most viable way to counter his level 2 all-in is by hitting level 2 before or at the same time as him. In the bottom lane, to hit level 2, you need to kill the first 9 minions. This is the whole of the first minion wave, followed by the 1st three melee minions on the second. Ensure that you kill the melee minions otherwise, you will not hit level 2 simultaneously.
If you have an advantage, you could get level 2 first and then look for an all-in or trade.
Hitting level 2 before (or at the same time) reduces Blitzcrank’s ability to kill you as:
- You have a second ability to either protect yourself, dodge his hook or deal damage.
- Thanks to your champion’s natural growth via the levelling system, you will be tankier and have extra defensive stats.
Make sure you always hit level 2 at the same time as him regardless of which champion you are playing, as if you give him any little advantage he can easily exploit it.
4. Hold on to Your Dashes
Most meta ADCs have a dash. When playing against Blitzcrank with a dash tool in your kit, you need to remember that you’re vulnerable when your Ultimate is on cooldown.
This is why it’s recommended that you do not use any of the dash abilities that can save your life unless you have to, and keep them up and available at all times just in case he looks for a hook. A good Blitzcrank will always abuse the cooldown and look for plays while you’re unable to defend yourself.
However, you can use your dash aggressively to make plays when he is either out of mana or if he has missed it. But don’t dash into him, as he might knock you up with his E instead. If you are going to use your ability aggressively when his Q is available, ensure that there is a minion between you and him so he cannot land his Q once you have dashed.
But always check the minimap before playing (dashing) aggressively, as the enemy Jungler might be nearby, and you’re going to get yourself killed if you’re overextended.
5. Abuse His Q Cooldown
Whenever he misses his hook, you should use the long cooldown to play aggressively and look to trade.
This is because his ability to trade back with you will be decreased as he is missing a key ability; which reduces his damage output as well as his CC potential.
For some champions such as Janna, Nami or Annie, this would be an ideal time to attack the Blitzcrank as it is the safest time for them to move forward and harass without fear of being pulled in.
If you do not look to harass or play aggressively while his Q is on cooldown, you are telling the Blitzcrank that he can have the lane all to himself and that he is free to do whatever he likes- whenever he likes.
You need to walk up and harass him and be a threat to him while he cannot attack back, period. The best time to actually harass and trade with him though is shortly after he has used the ability because that removes the threat of him having it come back up when you are trading with him.
6. Other Counter Tips
Blitzcrank likes to roam, so if he goes missing ping that he’s gone and be prepared to follow up or go aggressive on to the enemy ADC.
Blitzcrank isn’t very good against champions who can hard engage like Alistar or Leona. Picking these champions into him will make his laning phase much harder.
He is great against squishy and immobile champions. Don’t pick them into him. Pick tanks.
He is very squishy and offers very little when he misses it. In the later stages of the game, if he misses the ability make sure you collapse and focus him down.
Don’t let him pull you under Tower by keeping the minion wave even or closer to your side of the map early on.
In Conclusion
Blitzcrank is a frustrating champion to play against and we hope that these tips provided in this guide will make laning against him a little easier. Remember that if you can’t beat him, why not start playing him so you know what Blitzcrank needs to look for to win lane. You can then use this experience to your advantage to start winning against him.
For more tips on countering Blitzcrank, head to Blitzcrank’s Champion Page.
