"Counter-picks" in Bronze are my favorite

I'm sure there have been innumerable threads on this very topic, but another thread can't hurt because it still doesn't seem to have sunk in for most players in low ELOs. Case in point, I have played 117 matches with Garen this season, and 16 were against a Teemo, with most of those insta-locks after I'd already picked Garen.

The next highest total is Darius, another "counter," with 9 (4-5). Pantheon, also on the list of "counters," is up there too with 7 (3-4). I'm not happy with my sub-50% win rates against the latter two, but in lane, where I should be "countered" most, I still tend to win more often than not.

Anyway, back to Teemo, I see him almost twice as much as Darius and my win rate is 75% (12-4). Even more glaring is the KDA discrepancy between us. Me: 173/45/167 (7.56). Him: 133/163/127 (1.60). I average 2.8 deaths per match. He averages just over 10. 5 of those 16 matches, I was "perfect," not even a single death.

Like my last match, when I went against someone who, sadly enough, appears to be a Teemo main with 82 matches and a 50% win rate. I won lane handily enough to cause Teemo and Cho'Gath to lane swap, finishing 9/0/0 with a double kill. Teemo finished 2/9/1. He came near killing me once (survived with 3 HP), but that was only because I went in with my E still on CD, and worst case scenario we kill one another there.

It's because of matches like this that I will literally beg for a Teemo when I pick Garen. At this point, I know the matchup better, and am more comfortable in it, than any other. And that right there is why counters aren't really a thing in low ELOs. As long as you know your champ well (i.e., better than your opponent knows his) and don't go in with a defeatist attitude, more often than not you'll come out victorious. Basically, at low ELO, it's more you "countering" yourself than anything.

To illustrate this, my absolute worst match-up is Riven (1-5). Yes, one of the champions Garen counters. Next worst is Nasus, another champion I'm supposed to counter, at 2-4. Though that one generally goes like so: 1) I win lane 2) I roam to assist other lanes 3) Nasus farms up his Q 4) Nasus joins his team and bad things happen 5) We lose. When I see either champion, my confidence drops. Though that's partly because, with both, you can win lane and still be screwed. Riven can just go feed on your teammates, even if you ping them a half dozen times that she's missing and to be careful, and Nasus can just AFK farm his way to relevance.

Still, like I said, "counters" in low ELOs are all in your head. With enough experience and skill, you can win any matchup. So, go ahead and keep picking Teemo into my Garen. Heck, give me a Pantheon, Darius, Kennen, or just about any of my "counters." I'd rather that than a Riven or Nasus who knows what they're doing.