How to Beat Ahri Comps in TFT
Ahri has become a very consistent 4 cost carry ever since the first patch when players first began stacking crit items onto her. Even with all of the patches since her rise, she still remains an extremely consistent and powerful carry.
There is only so much you can do to counter a comp like this, but there are still a couple of things you should look out for when playing against Ahri comps.
Counter Itemization
Items are one of the best ways to counter specific comps in general, and the same holds against Ahri comps. Here are a few items that may have passed your mind.
Zephyr
In Set 4, many carries build Quicksilver, making Zephyr a less powerful item. However, Ahri comps rarely build Quicksilver, making Ahri susceptible to Zephyr.
Countering Ahri comps with this item can be extremely effective if you can out-position your opponent. Delaying the Ahri from gaining mana and casting for 5 seconds can be the difference if you are able to kill the rest of the comp quickly enough.
Dragon’s Claw
Dragon’s Claw doesn’t see much play, but it still can be a solid defensive item on your main carry. If you have a frontliner like Jax or Riven, a Dragon’s Claw can greatly reduce the damage that Ahri does to them.
This doesn’t counter Ahri from deleting the rest of your team, but if you have a very strong carry, this item can save them for long enough to deal with Ahri.
Bramble Vest
In my opinion, this item is extremely overlooked in the current meta. While crit isn’t as scary as it was in previous sets, Bramble Vest will still negate the critical damage done from Ahri’s ability.
This can be very clutch on your main carry or frontline tank, allowing them to tank multiple of Ahri’s spell casts.
There are other items that you can make use of to counter Ahri, so make sure to check whether these items are worth investing in.
If you believe an Ahri player will be one of your main opponents late game, look to try and build some items to help out your matchup.
Counter Traits
Countering Ahri comps with traits can be a difficult task if you are already committed to a specific comp. Even still, you should try to look and add in certain traits if you can in order to create a favorable matchup against Ahri.
Mystic
Without a doubt, Mystic is the best counter trait to Ahri. It will boost the magic resistance of your entire team, allowing them to take less damage from Ahri.
Many comps are already able to fit in 2 Mystic, but even if your team comp doesn’t, you should look for ways to fit it in as it can be the difference in a fight.
To take this a step further, if your comp already runs 2 Mystic, think about whether or not it’s worth it to try and go for 4 Mystic with either a Chosen unit or by dropping some of your other units.
If you are playing against an extremely heavy magic damage lobby, this choice can be the correct play, but also keep in mind you won’t be helping yourself against attack damage heavy teams.
Adept
While this counter trait is not obvious, Adept is definitely a small help against Ahri. Since Ahri usually don’t build Quicksilver, Adept will slow her attack speed, making it so that her first cast will come slower than usual.
This won’t make a huge difference, but it is a good thing to note whether or not your build runs Adept.
If your comp does run Adept, you can debate whether going for 3 or 4 Adept is worth it over other options.
Adept is a fairly good trait against any team comp, but it will be lackluster against enemy team comps that run Quicksilver on their main carry.
Counter Positioning
Positioning is one of the hardest things to accomplish against Ahri.
Her ability casts randomly at one of your units, so the general idea is to spread out your team comp in order to minimize the units she bursts with her ability.
While spreading out is a great countermeasure against Ahri, this strategy leaves you more vulnerable to things like Assassins or Shades.
Because of this, it is extremely important that you scout and counter position when you think you will fight Ahri next. This way, you can counter position effectively against any opponent you face.
Generic Positioning
Here is an example of a generic positioning for Sharpshooters. This will do very well against things like Assassins and Shade comps that jump your backline.
Jinx is protected and you have Zeke’s Herald to buff up your main carries.
However, this positioning will be extremely weak against Ahri. Unless Ahri casts on your Nidalee or Vayne, she will likely burst your entire backline with this positioning.
As such, you should make some adjustments when fighting against Ahri.
Spread Out Positioning
This is an example of spreading out your team comp. This positioning keeps Jinx and Jhin close together to make use of Zeke’s Herald, but positions everyone else far away in order to reduce the chance that Ahri’s ability hits Jinx.
Like previously mentioned, this type of positioning will be very weak against Assassins and Shades. That’s why it’s extremely important to scout and make sure you can predict who you will fight next.
Aatrox
The last thing I want to mention is to make sure to position well against Aatrox. If you are running a carry with Quicksilver, you don’t have to worry as much, but Aatrox will be one of the most important things to position around. Once your carry gets pulled in by Aatrox, it’s basically game over.
If your carry doesn’t have a Quicksilver, it’s advised that you not put them into the corner and instead put them a bit toward the middle in order to not be hit by Aatrox.
In this picture, we position Jinx one hex inside. This way, against an enemy Aatrox in the middle, the units that will be pulled in are Nidalee and an Azir sand soldier.
Side Aatrox
While the above positioning will work well for the majority of the time, you should also watch out to make sure the enemy doesn’t position their Aatrox toward the side. If this happens, Aatrox will pull in the two furthest units, which can be on the same side.
You can remedy this by putting your carry toward the center, but this would make your Jinx more susceptible to Ahri. The best thing to do would be to keep a close watch. If the enemy moves their Aatrox toward your left, you should move your main carries, Jinx and Jhin, to the left as well.
Conclusion
This wraps up a few of the things you can do to counter Ahri TFT comps. If they’re simply stronger than you are, there isn’t much you can do. But if the fights are close, you can look to some of these strategies to try and tip the scales in your favor.
Thanks for reading! Head to our Team Builder to theorycraft your own counters or explore our best meta comps to find another answer to climb with.
