Who Counters Sion Top? A Deep Dive into League’s Undead Juggernaut
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The colossal, undead juggernaut that is Sion can be a formidable presence in the Top lane of League of Legends. He boasts impressive wave clear, surprisingly high damage, and nearly unparalleled health scaling, making him a real threat to unprepared opponents. But fear not, aspiring summoners! While Sion can seem invincible, he has distinct weaknesses that certain champions can exploit. The best counters for Sion Top, based on comprehensive analysis of countless matches, include Gwen, Fiora, Kayle, Aatrox, and Riven. These champions excel at either out-dueling Sion, ignoring his tankiness, or scaling into late-game powerhouses that he struggles to handle. Let’s explore why these champions reign supreme against the Undead Juggernaut.
Understanding Sion’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Before diving into specific counters, it’s crucial to understand what makes Sion strong, and where he falls short. His strengths include:
- High Base Damage: Sion’s abilities, especially his Q (Decimating Smash), deal significant damage, making him a lane bully early on.
- Wave Clear: Sion’s abilities allow him to quickly clear waves, pushing his lane and forcing the enemy Top laner to respond.
- Health Scaling: Sion’s W (Soul Furnace) grants him permanent bonus health as he kills minions and monsters, making him incredibly tanky over time.
- Global Pressure: Sion’s R (Unstoppable Onslaught) allows him to roam to other lanes and apply global pressure, potentially turning the tide of a game.
- Disruption: Sion’s Q and R provide strong crowd control, disrupting teamfights and creating opportunities for his team.
- Post-Death Utility: His passive (Glory in Death) allows him to continue dealing damage and potentially secure kills even after dying.
However, Sion also has notable weaknesses:
- Mobility: Sion is relatively immobile, making him vulnerable to ganks and easily kited by ranged champions.
- Predictability: Sion’s Q is easily telegraphed, allowing opponents to dodge it with good positioning.
- Reliance on Scaling: While Sion is strong early, his power truly shines in the mid-to-late game, making him vulnerable to early aggression.
- Vulnerability to True Damage: True damage bypasses Sion’s armor and magic resistance, making champions that deal true damage effective counters.
- Mana Issues: In the early game, Sion can struggle with mana sustain if he spams abilities.
- Dependence on Items: While his W gives health, he needs items to bolster his resistances and damage output effectively.
Top Sion Counters Explained
Now, let’s dissect why the aforementioned champions are so effective against Sion:
Gwen, the Hallowed Seamstress
Gwen is a nightmare matchup for Sion. Her true damage from her passive and ultimate allows her to shred through Sion’s tankiness. She also outscales him significantly due to her reliable damage, and mobility from her E, giving her the edge in drawn-out fights. Her W denies enemy damage giving her another advantage in fights.
Fiora, the Grand Duelist
Fiora thrives in duels, and Sion is no exception. Her W (Riposte) can block Sion’s Q or R, negating their damage and stunning him. Her Q (Lunge) provides mobility and allows her to proc vitals, dealing true damage and healing. Fiora’s ultimate can completely turn fights around. She is a premier duelist and outscales Sion.
Kayle, the Righteous
Kayle’s late-game scaling is legendary, and she becomes virtually unstoppable. While she is weak early, she can farm safely and scale into a hyper-carry. Her ranged auto attacks prevent her from taking damage. Once Kayle reaches level 11 and beyond, she can melt Sion with her enhanced auto attacks and AoE damage. Her ultimate provides invaluable protection for herself and her team.
Aatrox, the Darkin Blade
Aatrox’s consistent damage output, combined with his sustain, makes him a difficult opponent for Sion. He can poke Sion down with his Qs and out-duel him with his auto attacks. Aatrox’s ultimate also provides increased healing and damage, allowing him to win extended fights.
Riven, the Exile
Riven’s high mobility and burst damage allow her to outplay Sion. Her Q gives her high mobility and damage, allowing her to dodge his Q. She can bait out his abilities and punish him for his mistakes. Riven’s ultimate provides even more damage and range, making her a formidable opponent in all stages of the game.
General Strategies for Countering Sion
Beyond specific champion picks, there are several strategies that can help you beat Sion:
- Early Aggression: Sion is vulnerable early, so applying early pressure can deny him farm and prevent him from scaling.
- Ganking: Sion’s lack of mobility makes him an easy target for ganks. Coordinate with your jungler to shut him down early.
- Kiting: Ranged champions can kite Sion effectively, preventing him from getting close enough to use his abilities.
- True Damage: Champions that deal true damage can bypass Sion’s tankiness and deal significant damage.
- Itemization: Building items that reduce healing or provide armor penetration can help you counter Sion’s sustain and tankiness.
- Vision Control: Placing wards around the Top lane can help you anticipate Sion’s ganks and roams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Countering Sion Top
Here are some frequently asked questions about countering Sion in the Top lane:
1. Does Teemo beat Sion?
While some data suggests Teemo has a favorable win rate against Sion in Emerald+ elo, this is not true. The Teemo pick is highly matchup-dependent, and can punish Sion in the early levels by preventing him from farming, but will not do much in the long run. Champions like Sion have the potential to still do their job without needing to farm.
2. Does Warwick counter Sion?
While Warwick is strong against split pushers, he isn’t a direct counter to Sion in lane. Warwick’s sustained damage and healing can be effective, but he lacks the burst damage to quickly take down Sion, especially if Sion builds armor.
3. Does Sion have infinite scaling?
Yes, Sion’s W (Soul Furnace) provides theoretically infinite health scaling as he kills minions and monsters. This makes him incredibly tanky in the late game.
4. Does Sion get stronger when he dies?
Yes, Sion’s passive (Glory in Death) allows him to reanimate after being killed, granting him 100% life steal and increased attack speed. His attacks also deal bonus physical damage based on the target’s maximum health.
5. How do you deal with Sion mid?
The key to dealing with Sion mid is to avoid getting caught by his Q (Decimating Smash) and R (Unstoppable Onslaught). Maintain good vision, and group together, but not too closely, to avoid multi-person knockups. Champions with high mobility and crowd control are effective against him in mid.
6. Who destroys Teemo?
Champions that counter Teemo include Yorick, Yasuo, Malphite, Shen, Quinn, and Irelia. These champions can either withstand Teemo’s poke, close the gap and deal burst damage, or completely negate his shrooms. Games Learning Society could offer even deeper insights into matchups like these.
7. Does Sion counter Malphite?
Data suggests Malphite does not win against Sion, making him the incorrect counter to Sion.
8. Does Sion win against Aatrox?
Again, data proves this is the incorrect matchup. Aatrox is a better pick against Sion, and a very common counter to him.
9. Is Sion strong early?
Sion is relatively weak before level six. He lacks mobility and his Q is easily dodged. He becomes much more threatening once he unlocks his ultimate, R (Unstoppable Onslaught).
10. What damage does Sion do?
Sion primarily deals physical damage with his abilities and auto attacks. His Q and R can deal significant burst damage, while his auto attacks benefit from his high attack damage.
11. How long can you survive in Sion passive?
Sion’s passive (Glory in Death) has a capped duration of 60 seconds. If he manages to survive that long, he dies instantly, regardless of his current health.
12. Who revived Sion?
Sion was revived by the Black Rose, using forbidden magic, and presented him to the Grand General.
13. Does Sion win against Yasuo?
Sion wins against Yasuo more often than he wins against the average opponent, meaning he is a good counterpick.
14. Does Nasus beat Sion?
Again, Sion wins against Nasus more often than he wins against the average opponent, meaning he is a good counterpick.
15. How do you deal with an Inting Sion?
Dealing with an “Inting Sion” (a player intentionally feeding to push lanes) requires a different approach. Focus on:
- Vision Control: Maintain deep vision to track Sion’s movements and prevent him from taking your towers.
- Wave Clear: Designate a champion with strong wave clear to defend against Sion’s pushes.
- Objective Control: Prioritize taking objectives like dragons and Rift Herald to compensate for the lost towers.
- Teamfighting: Group up and force teamfights to punish Sion’s lack of teamfight presence.
Mastering these strategies and understanding the champion matchups will significantly improve your win rate against Sion in the Top lane. Remember to adapt your approach based on the specific game conditions and your team composition. For more in-depth analyses and educational resources on League of Legends and game-based learning, explore GamesLearningSociety.org.