TOP 5 AKSHAN COUNTERS MIDLANE

Akshan is not your typical midlaner — he’s a marksman rogue hybrid that thrives on skirmishing, picking off targets, and reviving teammates through his passive. With early-game power, roaming potential, and reset mechanics, Akshan can swing the tempo of solo queue games if he gets even a small lead.

But his strengths are tied to momentum and positioning. Akshan is squishy, heavily auto-attack reliant, and needs to commit with his E (Heroic Swing) to secure kills. If you punish his early-game, deny his roams, or lock him down before he swings out, he loses his identity and becomes ineffective.

The top 5 counters to Akshan mid are: Malzahar, Annie, Galio, Lissandra, and Swain. Each of these champions controls the pace of lane, punishes his aggression, and minimizes his impact in teamfights.

Top 5 Akshan Mid Lane Counters

1. Malzahar

• Playstyle: Control mage / suppression lockdown
• Why it works:
  • Akshan can’t break the passive shield easily, and his trades fizzle against your E poke.
  • Point-and-click R (Nether Grasp) makes his E all-ins suicidal.
  • Your shove is better — you perma-push and roam first.

Lane Plan:

• Play for tempo: shove every wave, keep vision, and roam.
• Save R for when he E’s — it locks him in animation and deletes him.
• Rush Liandry’s + Executioner’s to burn him through his shield and second wind.

2. Annie

• Playstyle: Lane bully / burst mage
• Why it works:
  • Instant stun with passive Q makes him terrified to walk up.
  • Tibbers ignores his swing and invis — you hit no matter what.
  • Low-commit trades let you play safely until you one-shot him post-6.

Lane Plan:

• Keep your stun loaded — zone him off every cannon.
• At level 6, Flash + R + Q deletes him before he can hit E.
• Build Rod of Ages → Shadowflame or Stopwatch to bait and punish dives.

3. Galio

• Playstyle: Anti-AD frontline mage / global pressure
• Why it works:
  • You win every melee trade with Q + passive autos.
  • W taunt cancels his all-in or disengage attempts.
  • Your ult out-roams and counters his win condition.

Lane Plan:

• Farm safely until 6 — your value explodes in 2v2s and skirmishes.
• When he tries to swing, W + taunt him mid-flight.
• Build Merc Treads + Radiant Virtue for teamfight utility he can’t match.

4. Lissandra

• Playstyle: Engage mage / anti-dash CC
• Why it works:
  • Point-and-click ult shuts down his entire combo.
  • You match waveclear and roams while having safer CC in fog.
  • He can’t survive your W + E combo once R is up.

Lane Plan:

• Let him go in first — then counter-dive with W + R.
• Shove and roam whenever he backs — you’ll arrive first and CC lock his target.
• Build Everfrost → Stopwatch to double punish dives.

5. Swain

• Playstyle: Lane bully / scaling drain-tank
• Why it works:
  • E pull grabs him mid-swing or post-R invisibility.
  • You out-heal his DPS in any extended fight with R.
  • He can’t kite or burst you, especially once you stack HP and AP.

Lane Plan:

• Constantly shove with Q and look for E angle when he Qs wave.
• When he E’s in, pop R and stand your ground — he can’t escape.
• Build Liandry’s + Zhonya’s and be the unkillable core in fights.

Gameplan Tips to Beat Akshan Mid

• Track his passive revive cooldown — if it’s up, don’t take risky 1v1s.
• Don’t chase into jungle — he thrives on fog fights and angles with Heroic Swing.
• Punish early levels — Akshan without E is extremely fragile. Trade hard before level 3 and post-E cooldown.