Caitlynvs Smolder
Caitlyn vs Smolder is a moderate matchup in LoL patch 26.18. Smolder wins with a 52.2% win rate (+4.3%) over Caitlyn based on 232 games. Caitlyn wins the early laning phase while Smolder scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Caitlyn build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Caitlyn vs Smolder matchup.
Caitlyn Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Caitlyn performs against them. You'll get head-to-head win rates, laning stats, the best build and runes for the matchup, and early vs late game analysis — all based on real ranked data.
Who wins Caitlyn vs Smolder?
Caitlyn wins 48.0% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 41.5% and 54.5% (95% range).
- Expected
- 49.7% From both champions' overall Bot win rates
- Matchup effect
- −1.7 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 223 games Lane: Bot
Lane: Bot · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.18 · Sep 11 – Sep 14
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Caitlyn wins 48.0% of 223 games (95% range 41.5–54.5%).
- Both champions' overall Bot win rates predict 49.7% for Caitlyn; the result is within the margin of error of that, so this matchup mostly reflects the two champions' general strength.
- Caitlyn usually wins the lane: 637 gold ahead of Smolder at 15 minutes on average (218 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
- Caitlyn players pick Doran's Bow + Health Potion + Health Potion far more often against Smolder: 35.1% of their other Bot games, 42.6% here.
How we calculate this
Games: ranked Solo/Duo and Flex games on the North America server from the patch shown. Remakes (games under 5 minutes) are excluded.
A game only counts when Caitlyn and Smolder played the same position on opposite teams, so roaming, lane swaps within a team or a champion merely being in the same game never count as this matchup.
The 95% range is a Wilson score interval. Confidence comes from how wide that range is: within ±3 points is very high, ±5 high, ±8 moderate, anything wider low. Below 20 games a matchup is not classified at all.
Expected win rate combines both champions’ win rates in this lane (same games and filters) with the log5 formula: E = A(1−B) / (A(1−B) + B(1−A)). Matchup effect = observed − expected.
"What changes" compares Caitlyn's choices in this matchup with the same champion's other games in the same lane, and lists a change only when it is at least 3 points and statistically significant (two-proportion z-test, |z| ≥ 2, 20+ games).
Results are not split by rank: the sample per rank is too small for honest per-rank matchup numbers.
Caitlyn vs Smolder Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Solo kills are tracked from this patch on — 0 games have them so far, shown from 30.
Whole-game averages
Caitlyn vs Smolder Win Rate by Game Length
Caitlyn's win rate against Smolder by game length. The dot is the win rate, the bar its 95% range and the dashed line the champion's usual win rate at that length. Lengths with fewer than 25 games are left blank.
No game length stands out: Caitlyn's results against Smolder in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Caitlyn vs Smolder Power Spikes
Who is ahead at each stage, measured from these games. A stage reads "Even" when the difference is inside the margin of error, and "Insufficient data" when there are too few games to tell.
- Lane (15 min)CaitlynCaitlyn gold at 15: +637
- First itemCaitlynCaitlyn: 10.8 min · Smolder: 12.1 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesEvenCaitlyn wins 53.2% of 77 games
- 30+ min gamesEvenCaitlyn wins 45.0% of 131 games
What Caitlyn Changes Against Smolder
Choices Caitlyn players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Bot games.
Doran's Bow + Health Potion + Health PotionStarting itemsUsually35.1%vs Smolder42.6%+7.5 pts52.6% WR here
Best Caitlyn Build vs Smolder
Usual Caitlyn build (Bot)
90.0% win rate · 10 games
Against Smolder
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 16 of 169 Caitlyn games against Smolder carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Caitlyn's standard build instead.
- Caitlyn usually completes Hexoptics C44 first, at 10.8 min (median of 98 games).
- Smolder usually completes Essence Reaver first, at 12.1 min (median of 179 games).
- Skill priority: Q > W > E — the same as usual.
Builds are ranked by the lower edge of their win rate range, not the raw win rate, so a build seen in a handful of wins never outranks a proven one.
Best Caitlyn Runes vs Smolder
Usual Caitlyn runes (Bot)
Press the Attack
85.0% win rate · 20 games
Against Smolder
Fleet Footwork62.1% win rate · 29 games
Caitlyn matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.18. The table below shows Caitlyn's win rate, gold difference, and performance stats against every champion in the current meta. Click any champion name to see a detailed head-to-head breakdown including the best Caitlyn build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Caitlyn Matchups
Hardest for Caitlyn
Easiest for Caitlyn
Win rate and games for each matchup. Lists are ranked by the edge of the 95% range so small samples cannot top them; matchups with at least 50 games only.
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Caitlyn vs Smolder FAQ - Patch 26.18
Who wins Caitlyn vs Smolder?
Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Caitlyn wins 48.0% of 223 games (95% range 41.5–54.5%).
What is Caitlyn's win rate against Smolder?
Caitlyn wins 48.0% of 223 Bot games against Smolder on patch 26.18 (95% range 41.5–54.5%). Based on both champions' overall Bot win rates, 49.7% would be expected.
Does Caitlyn counter Smolder?
Not clearly. Caitlyn wins 48.0% of 223 games against Smolder, and the 95% range (41.5–54.5%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Caitlyn or Smolder?
Caitlyn usually wins the lane: 637 gold ahead of Smolder at 15 minutes on average (218 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
Does Caitlyn outscale Smolder?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Smolder strongest against Caitlyn?
On current data there is no stage of the game where Smolder is ahead of Caitlyn beyond the margin of error.
What should Caitlyn build against Smolder?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Caitlyn's usual Bot core: Stormrazor, Bloodthirster, Lord Dominik's Regards. The biggest change against Smolder: Doran's Bow + Health Potion + Health Potion (35.1% usually, 42.6% here).
What runes should Caitlyn use against Smolder?
Fleet Footwork with Precision and Sorcery — 62.1% over 29 games against Smolder.