Best Olaf counters in LoL

LoL Esports

April 11, 2024

Davide Xu

Here are the three best Olaf counters you should be playing this season to increase your chances of victory in your LoL games.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Olaf counters in LoL – the top three picks

Olaf is renowned for his relentless aggression and powerful early-game presence. As one of the premier bruisers in the game, he can be incredibly challenging to deal with in the hands of skilled players. To counter him effectively, it’s essential to understand which picks are effective against him: here are the best three Olaf counters in the meta.

If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. You will understand why counter picks are important, and how you need to take advantage of them to increase your win rate. Make sure to also understand how classes counter one another in LoL so you always know what to pick in each game.

Camille – the meta counter

Camille is currently one of the best top laners in the game and despite her sub-par early game, she works well against Olaf. She has multiple tools to fight Olaf and survive his early game with her passive and hookshots. Once she scales up, Olaf won’t be able to match her in the side lane and in the 1v1 scenarios.

Akali – too much mobility

While melee champions should usually struggle against a champion like Olaf, this doesn’t apply to Akali. Thanks to her burst damage and mobility, she can mess around with Olaf as much as she likes, going in and out of stealth and amplifying her damage with her passive. As long as you’re able to hit her E, she has kill potential on the opponent.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Trundle- the early game counter

Trundle is considered an Olaf counter given the attack damage reduction applied when using the Q. This greatly reduces the enemy’s damage output and allows you to get a big advantage in all extended trades. Not to mention that you can also lower the enemy’s resistances with your ultimate.

Worst Olaf counters

Volibear – losing all skirmishes

Volibear gets run down by Olaf in the top lane. From level one, most trades will be in the Viking’s favor, especially if he manages to hit his axes. The only way for Volibear to win this matchup is if the enemy ends up messing up dives as he tries to get a kill. Aside from that, the bear should never prevail.

Jayce – can’t run away

Even though Jayce can abuse Olaf in the first minutes of the game, the latter can easily chase down the enemy with one good play. Jayce is far too squishy and he can’t even knock Olaf away if the enemy’s ultimate is up. As a Jayce main, I’ve struggled far too many times in this matchup: do not pick him if possible.

How do you counter Olaf with the items?

When going up against Olaf, it’s recommended to stack a mix of armor and HP. Below is a list of items to build you should consider, based on the class of champion you’re playing:

Bruisers: Bramble Vest/Thornmail, Warden’s Mail, Plated Steelcaps
AD assassins: Guardian’s Angel
ADC champions: Guardian’s Angel
AP champions: Zhonya’s Hourglass
Tanks: Warden’s Mail, Frozen Heart, Plated Steelcaps, Bramble Vest/Thornmail

What Champion counters Olaf?

The three best counters are Camille, Akali, and Trundle. Other strong counters are Kayle, Tryndamere, and Illaoi.

Does K’Sante counter Olaf?

K’Sante struggles against a champion like Olaf so it’s best advised to not pick the champion. The latter can chase you down and kill you early on and given the true damage and sustain on his kit, he will often come out victorious in the trades. All you can do in this matchup is survive.