Taric vs Pantheon Counter Pick

Pantheon supports on early aggression: Shield Vault dashes and stuns, Comet Spear is thrust or thrown depending on the range, and Aegis Assault makes him invulnerable to damage from the front while he strikes repeatedly. He also matches Taric where it usually counts, opening on 40 armour and climbing to 124.2 at level 18 against Taric’s 40 and 113.1. Even so, the 224 games logged on patch 16.13.1 return 60.7% for Taric, difficulty Easy.

His pressure has an expiry date, and that is the reason. Mortal Will empowers only every few casts or attacks, so his damage arrives in separated bursts that a well-timed Bastion shield can absorb, while Starlight’s Touch heals back the remainder from charges accumulated through Bravado attacks. Grand Starfall relocates him but announces itself on the way down. Taric’s mixed damage also aims at his softer defensive number, 28 base magic resistance, rather than at his armour. The one genuine execution demand falls on Dazzle, whose delayed beam is awkward against a champion who dashes — notable for a champion rated 3 out of 10 against Pantheon’s 4. Aegis Assault covers only the front, so damage arriving from a flank while he holds it is free, and Bravado’s paired attacks are quick enough to take that opening. Cosmic Radiance then removes the payoff from a committed all-in entirely. His empowerment cycle is described on the Pantheon champion page.