Int Support AP Varus is a champion that deals a surprisingly high amount of free poke damage and also has built-in heal reduction and crowd-control. His skill path isn't very intuitive as only his Blighted Quiver [W] has an AP ratio, but once you know that the rest of his playstyle is very much like an ARAM-style Varus.
Guide to Playing Support AP Varus
Int Support AP Varus is a champion that deals a surprisingly high amount of free poke damage and also has built-in heal reduction and crowd-control. His skill path isn't very intuitive as only his Blighted Quiver [W] has an AP ratio, but once you know that the rest of his playstyle is very much like an ARAM-style Varus.
Check out how to play him below!
How to Play Int Support AP Varus
Abilities: E, W, Q then prioritize R > W > Q > E
Summoner Spells:
Starting Items: Spellthief's Edge + Health Potions
Strategy: Poke with autos, then detonate blight with E or W + Q. Late game initiate with ultimate then W, charge Q and detonate blight.
Core Items: Shard of True Ice, Sorcerer's Shoes, Luden's Tempest, Horizon Focus, Void Staff, Rabadon's Deathcap
Summoner Spells:
Starting Items: Spellthief's Edge + Health Potions
Strategy: Poke with autos, then detonate blight with E or W + Q. Late game initiate with ultimate then W, charge Q and detonate blight.
Core Items: Shard of True Ice, Sorcerer's Shoes, Luden's Tempest, Horizon Focus, Void Staff, Rabadon's Deathcap
Support AP Varus Top Runes Setup
Primary: First Strike, Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight
Secondary: Cheap Shot, Ultimate Hunter
How It Works
Excellent First Strike Synergy
Varus' strong poke damage is further amplified as a support with First Strike as he can easily drop out of champion combat and wait for his rune cooldown. Moreover, his first hit is also his strongest which maximizes the gold gain with First Strike.
Excellent Scaling
AP Varus scales incredibly well on his W and with roughly 600 AP will be doing 20% of a target's maximum HP per stack of blight. At 3 stacks this instantly knocks off over half of a target's health simply through R + W + Q, which is only amplified by R's 100% AP ratio and Q's increased bonus damage via the W active.
High Crowd-Control
Most off-meta poke supports lack early game crowd-control or late-game teamfight potential. Varus on the other hand does not have this weakness as his burst damage spell happens to also be his big AOE crowd-control spell. Add on Exhaust and he becomes an excellent peel support that can shred tanks with ease.
Potential Pitfalls
Vulnerable Close-Range
Much like other poke supports, Varus is vulnerable at close range. Additionally, with his Q charge time, he's more vulnerable than most as he needs a few seconds to ramp up to full damage potential.
No Hard Crowd-Control
While Varus' ultimate does root and his E does slow, he does have trouble against champions that must be hard-CC'd like Master Yi or Yone. This means that while he does perform quite well as an off-meta support he likely won't make it to the big leagues.
Countering Support AP Varus
As mentioned previously, all-in supports like Leona and strong bruisers like Master Yi or Yone spell trouble for a poke-oriented game plan.
Support AP Varus Conclusions
In terms of crowd-control he's not quite as good as Xerath, but in terms of tank-killing power he's far stronger. Varus also has more engagement potential when there are multiple threats on the enemy team due to his AOE crowd-control.
Suggested Tier: Mid Tier 3
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