How do I engage in meaningful counter play against Kalista?

StrayShellstone·11/22/2014, 10:30:07 AM·6 votes·6,616 views

Riot seems to have a fairly central design philosophy of having meaningful choices in the game and not having those choices limited to pick-ban, as evident by the inclusion of Righteous Glory specifically to counter disengage comps. Suppose I'm not in Kalista's lane and have little decision in how her early game does (which is reasonable since I'm a toplane main). Suppose, again, that I play a champion that doesn't have a targeted form of CC (because I don't play maokai). Exactly what counterplay do I have against a fed Kalista if she can outjump any attempt I have to stick onto her, regardless of how fed I am, because my kit does not include a targeted stun?

Edit: This isn't specifically a nerf Kalista thread. Although I think her passive is broken at very fundamental levels and cannot be balanced, this is a legitimate question of what to do against a Kalista.

23 Comments

Kezzerdrixx11/22/2014, 11:14:13 AM3 votes

Kalista is balanced in the fact she NEEDS her support, however her little leap back is brutal in any 1v1 scenario except against assassins designed to blow her up instantly, such as Kha'zix, Zed, Akali, LB. You pretty much have to catch her out, catch her when she doesn't have ulti, or just not fight her with her support, or you can hope her support doesn't know how to play with her. However, she's stupidly easy to play with, all you have to do is lock down gap close champions such as Akali, Katarina, and let her laugh as she orb walks with her passive, kiting even the most annoying of champions. Her E is also a brutal execution ability, which I use more for that than the slow, Statikk Shiv + her passive being all I need to keep up to someone.

However, this said, all she is is a stupidly easy to use ADC with fail-safes built through her kit.. Target was hit enough times but you didn't secure the kill? That's okay!! E stacks infinite times!! Need vision because your support's bad?! Use W!! Warning: May also cause enemy support to run in opposite direction chasing the ghost to kill it rather than defending his ADC who is now being collapsed on.. Need to poke safely?! Use the Q that you have to be pretty bad to miss!! Need to kite someone? Don't worry, now you can't ever miss that auto attack!! .. Pretty much everything you're supposed to be doing as an ADC with stupidly simple methods of doing it!!

New saying: With Kalista, even bronzies can play like Diamonds!!

DrCyanide11/22/2014, 2:24:57 PM2 votes

I was top against a team that decided to send Kalista solo top. I was Gangplank, so no real gap closer, no CC that mattered to her, but having ranged harass.

What I found worked well was to run up, fire my Q at her, and turn away again. Sure, she'd get one auto attack off on me, but my Q hurts just a bit more than one auto attack.

I think people need to change their priories with Kalista. You don't need to kill her, you need to take her out of the fight. If that means having her kite backwards till she to far gone, then leaving her there, that's OK. Her teammates will die, then it's a 1v#>1 fight against her for objectives.

MrSlowDie11/22/2014, 10:59:17 AM2 votes

yeah ryze, maokai, TF and any assassin will do good against her, this game is about point click CC and high burst assassin afterall

Lord of Ruts11/22/2014, 4:28:58 PM1 votes

nasus annie maoki ryze twisted fate leona talon can easily kill her as well so can zed

Gigahappytown11/22/2014, 4:33:58 PM1 votes

CC

spammable gap closers

basiacly anything that kills a adc will work on kalista shes no different

warpenguin55511/22/2014, 6:16:35 PM1 votes

ive seen maokai stop her in her tracks.

Brenticus1211/22/2014, 6:25:48 PM1 votes

It would be helpful if you could list out the champs you play.

If you play Garen or Darius, good luck, you'll just get kited till you drop.

If you play Nasus or Renekton, you have a good chance of locking her down. Nasus with Wither (Very strong and reduces the jumping distance I believe) and Renekton with his E-E-W (She won't be able to jump away from Renekton cause of the distance he can cover)

If you play Ryze or Irelia, you'll have an easy time. Focus her in team fights.

KzooCrasher11/22/2014, 10:33:32 AM1 votes

Well ummm you basically need to change your mind set.... she doesn't require targeted cc because skill shots are guarenteed to hit her. Which is great just use slowing skill shots or things like randuins

Kyochi11/26/2014, 1:01:48 PM1 votes

Gankplank can kinda rofl stomp her on top. Just rush Gauntlet and Q her everytime when she's in range. She will end with low CS, and since she have to go rather full AD to be any threat her max HP will be low enough to keep her constantly at bay. Also she can't really kite you since your Q range is equal to her AA and you have enough armor to trade. (Remember you can just eat oranges to clear slows)

ˆˆºº11/22/2014, 10:40:31 AM1 votes

If you can make her run as a tank/bruiser than you've already taken her out of a fight and done your job. Many assassins can take her out even with her little hops. If you can't cause her to be either dead or removed than nothing has changed in that this happens and when it does you switch targets.

FiendOfOne11/22/2014, 10:56:45 AM1 votes

Assassins and CC will pretty much annihilate her, and since her hops are telegraphed, you can land skillshots on her if you learn the jump distance.

For example: Zed, Yasuo, and Katarina can pretty much delete her 1v1. Ryze can lock her down for an easy burst and win the trade. Morg can black shield her slow and lock her down while doing damage. Maokai's chain CC can keep her locked up while the damage source takes her down. I had a game where she went mid against me (I still don't know WHY) on TF, and I rocked her pretty hard.

Just like most ADCs, she's very susceptible to burst and CC.