- Win Rate
- 50.4%
- Pick Rate
- 3.7%
- Ban Rate
- 2.6%
Smolder vs Varus
- Patch
- 26.20
- Games
- 4,868
- Lane
- All Lanes
- Tier
- All Tiers
- Last Updated
- Oct 14, 2026 UTC
- Methodology
- Data Methodology
- Author
- Dakota Chinnick
Smolder vs Varus is a decisive matchup in LoL patch 26.20. Smolder wins with a 53.7% win rate (+7.5%) over Varus based on 67 games. Varus wins the early laning phase while Smolder scales better into the late game. Below you'll find the best Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Smolder vs Varus matchup.
Smolder Matchup Breakdown
Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Smolder 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 Smolder vs Varus?
Smolder wins 54.7% of these games. With this many games the true rate is most likely between 42.6% and 66.3% (95% range).
- Expected
- 51.5% From both champions' overall Bot win rates
- Matchup effect
- +3.2 pts Observed minus expected
- Sample
- 64 games Lane: Bot
- vs patch 26.19
- +3.8 pts Within normal patch-to-patch noise
Lane: Bot · Ranked Solo/Duo & Flex · North America server · All ranks · Patch 26.20 · Oct 9 – Oct 11
Key takeaways
- Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Smolder wins 54.7% of 64 games (95% range 42.6–66.3%).
- Both champions' overall Bot win rates predict 51.5% for Smolder; the result is within the margin of error of that, so this matchup mostly reflects the two champions' general strength.
- Varus usually wins the lane: 800 gold ahead of Smolder at 15 minutes on average (64 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
- Smolder players pick Absorb Life far more often against Varus: 0.6% of their other Bot games, 6.3% 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 Smolder and Varus 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 Smolder'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.
Smolder vs Varus Laning Stats
At 15 minutes
Whole-game averages
Smolder vs Varus Win Rate by Game Length
Smolder's win rate against Varus 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: Smolder's results against Varus in short and long games are within the margin of error of each other.
Smolder vs Varus 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)VarusSmolder gold at 15: −800
- First itemEvenSmolder: 11.9 min · Varus: 11.9 min
- Games under 20 minInsufficient data
- 20–30 min gamesInsufficient data
- 30+ min gamesInsufficient data
What Smolder Changes Against Varus
Choices Smolder players make noticeably more or less often in this matchup than in their other Bot games.
Absorb LifeRuneUsually0.6%vs Varus6.3%+5.6 pts
Triple TonicRuneUsually2.1%vs Varus6.3%+4.2 pts
Best Smolder Build vs Varus
Usual Smolder build (Bot)
59.3% win rate · 609 games
Against Varus
Not enough matchup-specific build data: only 12 of 52 Smolder games against Varus carried a complete build, which is too few to recommend an item path from. Use Smolder's standard build instead.
- Smolder usually completes Essence Reaver first, at 11.9 min (median of 55 games).
- Varus usually completes Statikk Shiv first, at 11.9 min (median of 43 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 Smolder Runes vs Varus
Usual Smolder runes (Bot)
Deathfire Touch
55.5% win rate · 548 games
Against Varus
Too few games for a matchup-specific rune page yet — use the usual page.
Plan your Smolder draft in Draft Lab
Draft Lab lays out both teams lane by lane with live matchup win rates, damage profiles and game-phase lean, and suggests picks and bans from current meta data.
- Full 5v5 draft board
- Lane matchup win rates
- Pick and ban suggestions
Smolder matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.20. The table below shows Smolder'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 Smolder build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.
Other Smolder Matchups
Hardest for Smolder
Easiest for Smolder
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.
Help us maintain accuracy! If you notice incorrect stats, missing data, or any issues, your feedback directly improves the quality of our data for the entire community.
Smolder vs Varus FAQ - Patch 26.20
Who wins Smolder vs Varus?
Current data slightly favors Smolder, but the sample is too limited for a strong conclusion: Smolder wins 54.7% of 64 games (95% range 42.6–66.3%).
What is Smolder's win rate against Varus?
Smolder wins 54.7% of 64 Bot games against Varus on patch 26.20 (95% range 42.6–66.3%). Based on both champions' overall Bot win rates, 51.5% would be expected.
Does Smolder counter Varus?
Not clearly. Smolder wins 54.7% of 64 games against Varus, and the 95% range (42.6–66.3%) includes 50%, so neither champion reliably counters the other on current data.
Who wins lane, Smolder or Varus?
Varus usually wins the lane: 800 gold ahead of Smolder at 15 minutes on average (64 games with a 15-minute snapshot).
Does Smolder outscale Varus?
There are too few games of each length to tell yet.
When is Varus strongest against Smolder?
Varus is measurably ahead in: Lane (15 min).
What should Smolder build against Varus?
There are not enough games for a matchup-specific core, so use Smolder's usual Bot core: Essence Reaver, Spear of Shojin, Rapid Firecannon.
What runes should Smolder use against Varus?
Use Smolder's usual Deathfire Touch page (Sorcery + Inspiration); there are too few games for a matchup-specific page. The biggest change against Varus: Absorb Life (0.6% usually, 6.3% here).