What are strong counter picks to LeBlanc or similar AP nuke mid?

Question

So, I usually don't play AP mid but a few times I've been forced into playing AP. I have a lot of trouble with AP champions with high burst. I know you can stack health but it is very difficult in early game stages.

For example I have problems against

• Level 6 LeBlanc 1.5k burst
• Level 6 Veigar stun gate + spell combo

Should I stack MR runes?

Answer 1

I don't know there there is necessarily a "champion" that hardcounters LeBlanc. She was designed as an extremely bursty AP assassin.

Your best bet is to pick a champion that thrives off of MR, such as Galio.

If Galio isn't your taste, I highly recommend you prioritize MR in your item build. Null-magic mantles into chalice or merc treads along with a a negatron cloak can nullify a lot of her damage.

Also, because most LeBlanc players expect to be able to pressure you, request for more jungle ganks. Oftentimes LeBlancs get greedy and push far past their safety points in order to harass/kill.

Answer 2

LeBlanc can do a ton of damage to a single target but she has no effective AoE clear for minion waves until she gets a ton of AP, that means any champion that can push her to the tower can effectively shut down her farm.

Other champions that work are champions that can

• Block one or more of her skills
  LeBlanc needs to get her full combo out to kill someone, blocking one of her early skills makes her combo not even half as effective.
• Silence her
  Kassadin or later in teamfights Soraka and Cho'Gath can interrupt her combo easily with silence, potentially trapping her in a bad position after LeBlanc used her W.
• Shut down her mobility
  LeBlanc thrives on getting her combo out without the opponent having time to shoot back since she is quite squishy. After she used her combo she can't do anything for several seconds, so if you manage to stun her before she gets out with her W (if i remember correctly, root/snare works, too, but i might be wrong there) you can return a lot of damage... that is if your own champion is tanky enough to survive the initial burst. Note that LeBlanc silences, so you need to get your stun out very fast.

Answer 3

It's very good to remember that LeBlanc's silence takes a bit of time to set up; she has to hit her Q, wait for the projectile to hit (which isn't very long, but she can't just QW, there's a pause), and then use a second spell to actually get the silence.

Note that she can use her Q and then wait a couple of seconds to start the combo, but the silence proc is only six seconds, so she must be fast.

Your average LeBlanc character is very predictable, and does things the exact same way every time. Keep that in mind and try to predict her movement. Prediction is a huge part of the game, and all the good players can tell when another has made a mistake.

Those two reasons are why she is unlikely to be picked in high elo except as a "counter" to APs who do not have CC.

That being said, some good counters:

• Fiddlesticks counters LeBlanc all day. Instant fear beats half-second (one third if you're good) silences.
• Anivia and Morgana do well against LeBlanc, as both can survive the burst, and both outfarm LeBlanc to no end. LeBlanc needs lane control.
• LB's range is actually a bit underwhelming, slightly compensated by her W. That being said, Ezreal and Kog Maw (if the meta ever returns to them being AP) do well against LB.
• Kassadin > LB (one skill silence)
• Mordekaiser wins due to tankiness and lane control

Point being, LeBlanc actually loses to quite a lot, which is why she isn't picked as the first AP. She's picked against people she can go 12-0 with in the laning phase.

Answer 4

Galio is perfect, he gains AP from MR with his passive, he has a high damage nuke with his Q spell, a shield where he gains AP and MR and an awesome Ultimate that locks down people, he is the counter to almost every high damage AP mid.

Answer 5

Galio works well because you can just stack MR and she won't be able to burst you. Sion/Morde also work extremely well for two reasons.

1. They both have shields that help you survive LB early burst, and
2. They both can push the lane extremely fast which leads to LB missing a lot of CS since she has trouble last hitting under tower.

Answer 6

MR. on anyone. you can go annie and build a fast neg cloke. all burst ap champions fall off if they don't get super fed. as long as you survive lane you win. just change your build alittle get more mr and you will out scale any burst AP champ. but make sure with this build to ward around wraiths so that lb or any burst champ can't get ganks off.

Answer 7

lb has a problem farming. try to pick a champ that can push her to her tower and you can keep her from getting much farm and prevent her from roaming and snowballing. having mr runes will give you a good advantage on her as well preventing her from just bursting you down in one shot.