Caitlyn vs Aphelios — Bot Lane (ADC) Matchup Guide

How to win lane as Caitlyn against Aphelios · 51.97% win rate over 13,378 Emerald+ games · Updated 2026-07-27

Verdict: Caitlyn is favoured — Caitlyn owns 6 of the 7 game windows to Aphelios's 1. Caitlyn wins 51.97% of games vs Aphelios in bot lane (adc) (13,378 Emerald+ games analysed).

Favour timeline — who owns each window

StageFavouredWhy
Level 1CaitlynCaitlyn's base attack range and Headshot poke beat Aphelios's short early gun ranges at level 1.
Level 2CaitlynCaitlyn out-trades a dashless Aphelios through levels 2-3 with free Headshot pokes.
Level 3CaitlynTrap plus net plus support CC gives Caitlyn an all-in window Aphelios cannot escape.
Levels 4-5CaitlynCaitlyn's first-item spike and turret siege keep lane control over Aphelios mid.
Level 6CaitlynAce in the Hole lets Caitlyn punish and pick a low Aphelios who lacks mobility.
First itemCaitlynCaitlyn's range still lets her poke and zone Aphelios through the mid-late transition.
Two+ itemsApheliosAt full build Aphelios's rotating weapons and crit out-DPS Caitlyn in every extended fight.

Early game (levels 1–5)

Caitlyn dominates levels 1-3 with the longest attack range in the game and Headshot procs that punish Aphelios every time he steps up to last-hit. Aphelios has no early escape and limited range on most gun pairings, so Caitlyn can trade for free and deny CS under threat of a trap. Bully hard while he is fragile and range-starved.

Read the rest of this matchup

The full Caitlyn vs Aphelios 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? Aphelios vs Caitlyn guide →
All Caitlyn bot lane (adc) matchups →