How to win lane as Aphelios against Varus · 50.81% win rate over 2,342 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27
| Stage | Favoured | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Varus | Varus out-ranges you at level 1 and pokes with Piercing Arrow. |
| Level 2 | Varus | At level 2 his Blighted Quiver stacks keep chunking you off the wave. |
| Level 3 | Varus | Level 3 stays his as his charged Q and W combo out-trade you. |
| Levels 4-5 | Varus | Levels 4-5 remain Varus-favored while his poke keeps you low. |
| Level 6 | Varus | Level 6 favors Varus since Chain of Corruption roots you for a support all-in. |
| First item | Aphelios | Your completed first item flips it as your gun DPS overtakes his poke. |
| Two+ items | Aphelios | Two-plus items are yours: you out-sustain and out-DPS his front-loaded damage. |
Levels 1-3 belong to Varus: his Piercing Arrow (Q) out-ranges you and Blighted Quiver (W) stacks let him chunk you hard whenever you step up to farm. Last-hit from behind your minions, use Severum to heal the chip, and never eat a fully charged Q in the open. Do not try to trade back into his poke window; just survive and farm while conceding the early tempo.
The full Aphelios vs Varus report continues with the mid-game plan, the late-game and teamfight plan, every power spike to play around, and the win conditions for both sides — plus cooldown tracking and the live enemy-jungle tracker inside the app.
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Playing the other side? Varus vs Aphelios guide →
All Aphelios bot lane (adc) matchups →