Varus - League of Legends Champion
Win Rate
47.6%
Pick Rate
3.7%

Varusvs Poppy

FMarksmanMage
Patch26.3
Matches785,220
LaneAll Lanes
TierAll Tiers
Last UpdatedFeb 25, 2026
MethodologyData Methodology

Varus vs Poppy is a very close matchup in LoL patch 26.3. Varus wins with a 50.0% win rate (+0.0%) over Poppy based on 6 games. Varus holds the advantage in both the early and late game. Below you'll find the best Varus build, runes, laning stats, and strategies for the Varus vs Poppy matchup.

Varus Matchup Breakdown

Use the dropdown to select an opponent and see a detailed breakdown of how Varus 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.

Compare against an opponent
Poppy - 50.0% win ratePoppy(50.0%)
Varus - 50.0% win rate in this matchup
Varus
50.0% WR
VS
Poppy vs Varus matchup - 50.0% win rate
Poppy
50.0% WR

Who Wins the Varus vs Poppy Matchup?

Varus wins the Varus vs Poppy matchup
Winner
Varus
Matches: 6
50.0%
Win Rate
50.0%
5.3
CS / min
4.7
1,026
DMG / min
684
11,259
Gold / game
8,939
140
Heal / min
178
575
DMG Mitigated / min
1,449
1.1
CC / min
1.3
50.0%
Early Game WR
50.0%
50.0%
Late Game WR
50.0%

Varus vs Poppy Matchup Summary

The Varus vs Poppy matchup is essentially a coin-flip matchup in League of Legends ranked play. Based on 6 recent matches analyzed, Varus wins with a 50.0% win rate compared to Poppy's 50.0%, giving Varus a 0.0 percentage point advantage. Varus holds a slight edge in both the early and late game, but the margins are thin enough that individual skill and jungle attention will often determine the outcome. Poppy can still find windows through outplays and team coordination. The most significant statistical gap is in sustain, where Poppy leads by 912 HP/min — a difference that heavily influences the outcome of trades and skirmishes. Varus has a statistical edge, but the margin is close enough that respecting Poppy's strengths is important. Trade when cooldowns are favorable, track the enemy jungler, and build toward your strongest item spikes to convert the slight advantage into a decisive lead. Understanding these matchup dynamics is essential for champion select decisions and in-game strategy when facing this lane opponent.

Varus vs Poppy Laning Phase Breakdown

Varus wins the laning phase against Poppy in League of Legends

Varus is favored during the laning phase against Poppy, winning 3 out of 5 key stat categories. Varus holds advantages in farming, damage and gold income, making them the stronger laner in this matchup.

Farming
5.3Varus
4.7Poppy
Varus edges out Poppy by 0.6 CS per minute — a moderate farming advantage that adds up to roughly 9 CS over a 15-minute laning phase. This translates to earlier component purchases and slightly faster power spikes for Varus.
Damage
1,026Varus
684Poppy
Varus heavily out-damages Poppy by 342 DMG/min, dominating both short trades and all-in fights. Poppy should avoid extended combat and instead focus on burst trade patterns — short engages followed by immediate disengagement — to avoid letting Varus's sustained damage advantage take over.
Economy
11,259Varus
8,939Poppy
Varus generates a commanding 2,321 more gold per game than Poppy. This substantial economic advantage means Varus consistently reaches key item breakpoints earlier, creating a compounding lead that grows throughout the game. Poppy should focus on cost-effective item choices and avoid unnecessary deaths to prevent falling further behind.
Utility
1.1Varus
1.3Poppy
Both Varus and Poppy provide similar amounts of crowd control (0.2s/min difference), meaning neither has a significant advantage in locking down opponents for ganks or team fights. Lane ganks are equally effective for both sides.
Sustain
715Varus
1,627Poppy
Poppy vastly out-sustains Varus, healing and mitigating 912 more damage per minute. This massive durability gap means Poppy can absorb significant punishment and remain in lane while Varus is forced to recall. Building grievous wounds early is essential for Varus, and focusing on burst trade patterns rather than sustained fights is critical.

Best Varus Build Against Poppy

Mercury's Treads is the optimal boots choice against Poppy, providing the mobility and stats Varus needs most in this matchup. The top-performing core items for Varus against Poppy are Riftmaker, Zhonya's Hourglass and Nashor's Tooth. This combination gives Varus an effective balance of damage, survivability, and utility for the matchup. Adjustments may be needed based on team compositions and game state, but this build provides the strongest foundation for the Varus vs Poppy matchup.

Early Game vs Late Game

Early Game
Varus
50.0%
+0.0% advantage
Varus early game win rateVarus50.0%
Poppy early game win ratePoppy50.0%
Late Game
Varus
50.0%
+0.0% advantage
Varus late game win rateVarus50.0%
Poppy late game win ratePoppy50.0%

The early game (first 15 minutes) is a toss-up between Varus and Poppy, with Varus holding a razor-thin 50.0% win rate edge (+0.0%). Individual skill and jungle proximity will matter more than champion advantage in the early laning phase.

Late game (25+ minutes) is equally balanced, with Varus at 50.0% win rate — only 0.0 points ahead of Poppy. Team fight execution and macro play determine the winner at this stage, not champion matchup advantage.

This matchup is remarkably even at every stage of the game. Neither Varus nor Poppy has a phase-specific advantage, making this a pure skill matchup where individual mechanics, decision-making, and team coordination determine the outcome.

Best Varus Runes Against Poppy

Domination rune tree - Varus primary runes vs PoppyDomination
Hail of Blades - best Varus rune vs PoppyTaste of Blood - best Varus rune vs PoppySixth Sense - best Varus rune vs PoppyUltimate Hunter - best Varus rune vs Poppy
Sorcery rune tree - Varus secondary runes vs PoppySorcery
Manaflow Band - best Varus rune vs PoppyScorch - best Varus rune vs Poppy
100.0% WR

The Domination primary with Sorcery secondary combination helps Varus maximize their potential in this closely contested matchup, providing the right mix of offensive and defensive tools to edge out Poppy.


Varus matchup data for League of Legends patch 26.3. The table below shows Varus'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 Varus build, runes, laning stats, and early vs late game analysis for that specific matchup.

Varus matchup win rates and stats in League of Legends patch 26.3
Opponent
Win Rate
Matches
CS/min
DMG/min
Gold/game
Early WR
Late WR
47.94%4366.386013,37949.8%46.4%
46.79%2816.487513,98751.6%43.0%
48.39%2796.188814,25850.9%46.8%
46.05%2156.387213,25841.7%49.6%
51.79%1956.494514,61059.5%46.5%
49.37%1586.487913,31947.1%51.1%
54.30%1516.080013,58860.3%50.0%
47.65%1496.794913,63845.3%50.0%
44.44%1446.084413,07345.5%43.6%
45.99%1376.284912,60351.4%39.7%
48.85%1316.790013,55758.0%38.7%
45.63%1036.488313,40649.0%42.6%
51.49%1016.891113,68263.6%42.1%
47.83%926.487013,12456.5%39.1%
41.76%916.390713,27943.5%40.0%
48.84%866.598012,73154.5%45.3%
52.50%806.01,00013,95451.6%53.1%
50.65%776.282212,89651.6%50.0%
49.33%756.189813,49255.3%43.2%
53.52%716.51,21111,30851.3%56.3%
40.85%715.879012,08754.8%30.0%
48.57%706.486413,78354.0%42.4%
39.68%635.91,00213,23550.0%33.3%
42.62%616.387312,57040.9%43.6%
51.79%566.289512,32247.8%54.5%
42.86%565.999412,20845.8%40.6%
38.89%546.11,02013,68032.0%44.8%
45.28%535.993511,55145.8%44.8%
40.38%526.087313,53842.9%38.7%
52.00%506.21,10712,67348.0%56.0%
48.00%506.389311,61251.6%42.1%
36.73%496.287511,83330.4%42.3%
44.90%496.697414,97445.5%44.7%
41.30%466.51,11613,32940.9%41.7%
44.44%456.01,14013,08026.7%53.3%
53.49%436.31,05612,63268.4%41.7%
58.14%436.587514,34153.3%60.7%
42.86%426.689313,80434.8%52.6%
38.10%426.596112,02550.0%22.2%
51.22%416.21,08912,94956.3%48.0%
46.34%416.386511,77542.1%50.0%
42.50%406.283313,76752.6%33.3%
34.21%386.588312,27931.8%37.5%
51.35%376.21,06113,06046.1%54.2%
43.24%376.296113,85418.2%53.9%
45.95%376.11,05712,10371.4%30.4%
47.22%366.076112,82638.5%52.2%
47.22%366.593312,81241.7%50.0%
50.00%346.388813,58155.6%48.0%
47.06%346.399312,91950.0%45.8%
42.42%336.386414,15372.7%27.3%
45.16%316.686514,12663.6%35.0%
54.84%315.889513,65863.6%50.0%
41.94%316.090713,06336.4%45.0%
46.67%306.278911,77446.1%47.1%
44.83%296.51,04914,48230.0%52.6%
75.00%286.692711,03073.7%77.8%
42.86%286.088312,26660.0%23.1%
40.74%276.190411,32764.3%15.4%
37.04%276.189913,81340.0%35.3%
48.15%275.61,19513,00460.0%41.2%
42.31%265.97999,83821.4%66.7%
50.00%266.193511,84254.5%46.7%
48.00%256.484511,20546.7%50.0%
62.50%246.385212,73858.3%66.7%
65.22%236.077811,36466.7%63.6%
59.09%226.397914,83063.6%54.5%
40.00%205.975511,52240.0%40.0%
60.00%207.092112,28650.0%75.0%
20.00%206.491812,60116.7%21.4%
55.00%206.488012,74566.7%45.5%
52.63%196.088611,30954.5%50.0%
47.37%196.888612,21233.3%60.0%
50.00%186.679611,60733.3%66.7%
50.00%186.31,01812,28550.0%50.0%
38.89%186.192213,09050.0%33.3%
52.94%176.095312,16355.6%50.0%
23.53%175.989012,62933.3%18.2%
47.06%176.287912,56771.4%30.0%
37.50%166.088512,85540.0%36.4%
18.75%166.496013,07016.7%20.0%
37.50%166.086612,59137.5%37.5%
33.33%155.485012,31128.6%37.5%
53.33%155.986111,07355.6%50.0%
46.67%156.994812,93846.1%50.0%
80.00%156.51,19612,92775.0%85.7%
26.67%156.383411,62237.5%14.3%
35.71%145.81,01713,64966.7%27.3%
46.15%136.189112,08150.0%42.9%
53.85%136.579311,51566.7%42.9%
38.46%135.777311,25357.1%16.7%
66.67%125.298611,89680.0%57.1%
58.33%126.71,21113,940100.0%16.7%
83.33%125.588311,507100.0%66.7%
27.27%115.980213,5920.0%33.3%
36.36%116.51,03813,03360.0%16.7%
50.00%105.993812,33833.3%75.0%
50.00%106.586411,28766.7%25.0%
40.00%105.181813,16225.0%50.0%
55.56%96.385612,24366.7%50.0%
77.78%96.299616,187100.0%66.7%
33.33%96.283916,0530.0%33.3%
44.44%95.391112,46525.0%60.0%
66.67%96.693613,76660.0%75.0%
62.50%85.799813,63566.7%60.0%
50.00%85.188813,356100.0%42.9%
37.50%86.493615,15850.0%33.3%
75.00%86.991913,07675.0%75.0%
57.14%76.983710,87250.0%66.7%
50.00%65.17539,83150.0%50.0%
66.67%66.699613,74766.7%66.7%
33.33%66.583213,72650.0%25.0%
50.00%64.496114,56650.0%50.0%
50.00%65.31,02611,25950.0%50.0%
20.00%56.283410,34650.0%0.0%
80.00%56.183510,808100.0%66.7%
60.00%56.085214,70450.0%66.7%
80.00%56.476410,26466.7%100.0%
100.00%52.684911,426100.0%100.0%
40.00%55.775210,44525.0%100.0%
40.00%55.31,10511,61925.0%100.0%
0.00%54.98388,7880.0%0.0%
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Varus vs Poppy - Frequently Asked Questions

How does Varus do against Poppy in League of Legends?

Varus wins the Varus vs Poppy matchup with a 50.0% win rate compared to Poppy's 50.0%, a 0.0 percentage point difference. This data is based on 6 recent ranked games in patch 26.3.

How does Varus do against Poppy in the early game?

In the early game, Varus has the advantage against Poppy with a 50.0% win rate versus 50.0%. Varus players should look to press their lane advantage through aggressive trades and wave control during the first 15 minutes.

How does Varus do against Poppy in the late game?

In the late game, Varus takes over the Varus vs Poppy matchup with a 50.0% win rate compared to 50.0%. Varus scales better into team fights and objective contests after 25 minutes.

Who wins the Varus vs Poppy matchup?

Varus wins the matchup against Poppy with a 50.0% win rate in League of Legends patch 26.3. The 0.0 percentage point advantage means Varus is slightly favored in this lane matchup based on 6 games analyzed.

What is the best Varus build against Poppy?

The best Varus build against Poppy includes Riftmaker, Zhonya's Hourglass, Nashor's Tooth with Mercury's Treads. Check the matchup breakdown above for the full item path and build order.

What are the best Varus runes against Poppy?

The best Varus runes against Poppy use the Domination primary tree with Sorcery secondary. This rune setup achieves a 100.0% win rate in the Varus vs Poppy matchup. See the full rune breakdown in the matchup comparison above.

Does Varus counter Poppy?

Yes, Varus has a favorable matchup against Poppy with a 50.0% win rate. Varus slightly edges out Poppy in lane based on current patch 26.3 data.

How do I play Varus against Poppy?

When playing Varus against Poppy, leverage your statistical advantages by trading aggressively during favorable windows. You have early game priority — look for kills and zone control before first recall. Build the recommended items and runes for this specific matchup for the best results.