Ryze vs Sion Counter Pick

Roar of the Slayer damages, slows and reduces the armour of the first enemy it hits. Ryze deals magic damage from 550 range, so that shred is spent on a stat he barely fights through, and the shockwave’s better use is bouncing off a minion. A record of 147 games on patch 16.13.1 is modest, and it currently reads 53.7% in the mage’s favour.

Sion‘s base numbers understate him. Health of 655 rising to 2,134 looks fragile, but Soul Furnace passively grants maximum health whenever he kills enemies, and Glory in Death lets him keep attacking after dying with rapid strikes that heal. His 345 move speed is five higher than Ryze’s 340, and Unstoppable Onslaught ramps up speed as it charges, which is the one tool that reliably closes 375 units of range from off screen. Decimating Smash knocks up when charged long enough, and that knock-up sets up everything else. Ryze counters with Spell Flux into Rune Prison for a root instead of a slow, and treats Realm Warp as an escape route rather than an engage. His 2,728 health and 93.4 armour at level 18 are sturdy for a mage, but 22 base armour against 68 base attack damage is uncomfortable early. Soul Furnace can also be reactivated three seconds after shielding him to damage everything nearby, a second layer before any burst arrives.