TOP 5 EKKO MID LANE COUNTERS

Ekko is a high-mobility AP assassin that thrives in chaos. With Phase Dive (E) burst, Parallel Convergence (W) stun setup, and his iconic Chronobreak (R) reset, he excels at all-ins, dives, and teamfight disruption. Once ahead, Ekko becomes nearly impossible to catch and extremely hard to kill thanks to his mobility and defensive tools.

But Ekko is cooldown-reliant, melee-ranged, and vulnerable to early lane pressure. He needs time to scale into burst territory and heavily relies on landing his W or finding a flank to succeed in fights. Champions that outrange him, lock him down, or burst faster than he can combo will consistently shut him down.

The top 5 counters to Ekko mid are: Lissandra, Sylas, Galio, Vex, and Tristana. These champions either punish his short-range laning, deny his combos with hard CC, or kill him before he can press R.

Top 5 Ekko Mid Lane Counters

1. Lissandra

• Playstyle: Lockdown mage / anti-assassin
• Strengths:
  • Point-and-click R (Frozen Tomb) forces Ekko to use R defensively or die.
  • W (Ring of Frost) locks him down during E engage or post-flash.
  • Out-scales in grouped fights and provides more reliable engage.

Play Tips:

• Time your W + R for when he E’s in — he can’t combo or ult in time.
• Shove waves and match roams with E (Glacial Path).
• Take Aftershock + Stopwatch to punish dives and bait his burst window.

2. Sylas

• Playstyle: Bruiser AP duelist / ability thief
• Strengths:
  • Can steal Ekko’s R — outplay him at his own game.
  • Stronger sustain and melee trading with W and passive.
  • Scales better in sustained brawls and grouped fights.

Play Tips:

• Fight early and often — you out-duel him pre-6 with short CDs and better base stats.
• Time your stolen R after he ults — you win the second round of the fight.
• Build Everfrost or Hextech Rocketbelt to close distance and punish mispositions.

3. Galio

• Playstyle: Anti-magic tank / roam support mage
• Strengths:
  • W (Shield of Durand) punishes Ekko when he E’s into you.
  • R (Hero’s Entrance) allows global map pressure and skirmish disruption.
  • Can’t be bursted easily — naturally stacks MR and HP.

Play Tips:

• Use Q + passive autos to waveclear and farm safely.
• Peel with W whenever Ekko dives your backline — he can’t win long fights.
• Roam on cooldown with ult — you influence the map better than him.

4. Vex

• Playstyle: Anti-dash mage / burst denial
• Strengths:
  • Passive fear activates every time Ekko dashes — hard counter to E+Q engage.
  • Bursts him faster than he can respond.
  • R (Shadow Surge) lets her roam and match his pick potential.

Play Tips:

• Save passive + Q for his engage — it interrupts or punishes the trade.
• Farm safely early — level 6 is your spike.
• Zone him post-6 — one fear combo can force his ult or his death.

5. Tristana

• Playstyle: Scaling burst ADC / anti-melee punisher
• Strengths:
  • Outranges Ekko and can shove him in constantly.
  • E + auto resets let her win short trades and burst faster.
  • R (Buster Shot) interrupts his all-in or knocks him out of R reactivation range.

Play Tips:

• Shove waves constantly to deny his ability to roam.
• Play aggressive with level 2 all-ins — Ekko can’t trade back.
• Save R for his E engage or to knock him out of his clone return zone.

Bonus Tips to Beat Ekko:

• Track his R cooldown — it’s his only safety net. Once down, force fights.
• Use CC to break his W setup — don’t let him stun you in the zone.
• Sweep flanks — if you deny his engage angles, Ekko struggles to start fights.