Introduction to Skarner
Skarner is a champion in the popular game League of Legends. He is a champion who excels at ganking, controlling enemies, and pushing through fights with his powerful kit. His kit allows him to lock down enemies and chase them down while looking for opportunities to hit them with his long range abilities.
Let’s take a closer look at Skarner, his kit, and strategies to use him.
Skarner’s abilities
Skarner is a champion in the game League of Legends. He is a fast, hard hitter with a variety of abilities that enable him to easily take down enemies and become the intimidating force he’s known to be.
Skarner’s abilities are:
- Crystal Slash: Skarner attacks multiple enemies with his special crystalline claws, dealing physical damage and slowing them.
- Crystalline Exoskeleton: Skarner summons a shield of energy around himself, gaining movement speed, attack speed and damage resistance while reducing incoming damage.
- Fracture: Skarner sends out a wave of crystals that deal damage to enemies it hits, slowing them and eventually stunning them if the wave reaches its full length.
- Impale: Skarner grabs his target enemy Champion by impaling them with his tail and lifts them into the air for 1 second. During this time all other units will be dealt physical damage on contact with Skarner as well as bonus magic damage based on their missing health which will also grant him bonus armor and magic resistance depending on how much health they have lost previously.
Skarner can use this ability to drag an enemy Champion into a team fight or away from safety towards allied teammates who can bring them down more quickly than they can resist alone.
Skarner’s playstyle
Skarner is a highly powerful and mobile jungler that excels in both early and late game team fights. His unique playstyle makes him a fearsome force that can lock down enemies with ease and quickly become a potential MVP in the late game.
His playstyle revolves around his abilities, Fracture, Crystalline Exoskeleton, Impale, and Ultimate – Skarner Impale. These abilities allow him to engage enemies with relative ease and create amazing outplays in different situations. For instance, his Crystalline Exoskeleton gives him movement speed which he can use to chase down low health targets. His Impale allows him to lock down enemies for 2 seconds which is enough time for his team to follow up with lethal damage or even execute them.
Apart from his abilities, Skarner also has relatively high base stats which make him surprisingly tanky in many fights – especially if he is built defensively – allowing him to survive most of the damage dealt to him while being able to take on big chunks of the enemy teams’ damage output without losing too much health before fleeing the scene or engaging the enemy more aggressively.
Skarner’s strengths allow him to become a formidable opponent that can bring great value to any teamfight as long as they capitalize on any advantage they get during skirmishes. His strengths also open up great potential for creative plays that can be used in many different scenarios such as:
- Ganking lanes
- Baiting enemies into unfavorable positions
- Setting up traps for unsuspecting opponents around important objectives such as Baron Nashor or dragon spawns
– all thanks to Skarner’s unique kit of very powerful yet versatile abilities!
Skarner’s Strengths
Skarner is an incredibly powerful champion in League of Legends, with a set of abilities that make him the perfect pick for both offense and defense. Skarner’s kit consists of a variety of crowd control abilities and long-range crowd control tools that make him a menace to both enemy champions and objectives alike.
In this article, we will look into Skarner’s various strengths and how to make use of them:
High mobility
Skarner is a highly mobile champion that can not only initiate fights with his Scorpion’s Sting, but also has the capability to disengage or pursue enemies with ease.
With his Crystalline Exoskeleton, Skarner has an innate burst of speed over a short distance that allows him to chase down enemies or traverse across the landscape quickly. While in this form, he can also pass through non-ally units – meaning walls and other terrain impassible by other champions – making him difficult to pin down and almost impossible to escape from.
Furthermore, Skarner’s Impale can be used at any time during his Exoskeleton form in order to hold and drag an enemy towards him. This gives Skarner a unique ability to control where enemies go on the map and makes initiating team fights easier for both himself and nearby allies.
The combined effects of these abilities mean that Skarner is always able to move around quickly, remain mobile, and position himself effectively during a fight in order to achieve victory.
High crowd control
Skarner is known for his high crowd control abilities, thanks to all his abilities providing him with reliable CC. His Q, Crystal Slash, is a generous spammable attack that deals bonus magic damage and provides a shield-like passive. His W, Crystalline Exoskeleton, grants him bonus movement speed and a shield on activation. His E, Fracture, is a skillshot that shoots two waves of energy outwards in both sides to slow targets for 2 seconds. His ultimate ability/ult R, Impale, allows Skarner to select an enemy hero and pull them towards him with tremendous force while dealing extra damage around the dragged target in an area circle.
The amount of CC Skarner can provide to the team and use on an enemy target is remarkable given that it’s hard to run away from the Impale ability alone thanks to the targeted drag speed being so high and the added CC effect of slowing enemies around the dragged target with Fracture making it almost impossible not to be killed if he grabs you. As such team fights are often guaranteed wins when being played by Skarner due to his oppressive hard lock held by himself in any broken fight or skirmish initiated by him or his team mates.
High burst damage
Skarner is a powerful jungler who excels at burst damage and mobility. His Passive, Crystal Spires, grants bonus movement speed when traversing in brush. Crystal Slash is his primary damage ability; it does damage in an area and can be used multiple times to build up stacks of Crystallizing on targets for additional magic damage.
Skarner’s W, Crystalline Exoskeleton gives him an AoE shield and extra attack speed if he has max stacks of Crystallizing built up on all affected enemies. On top of all that, his ultimate, Impale, allows him to drag enemies towards him with a long-range grab.
Skarner excels at quickly dealing high burst damage before the enemy can react. He is excellent at quickly rotating through lanes in order to set up ganks and surprise fights with his massive power spike after gaining his first level 6. He also has considerable utility due to the drag ability of Impale and the AoE slow of Fracture (E). With high burst damage, strong mobility, and effective CC abilities Skarner has what it takes to easily dominate the jungle or apply heavy pressure on enemies in teamfights.
Skarner’s Weaknesses
One of the most essential aspects of playing a champion in any game is understanding its weaknesses. While Skarner is a formidable champion in the game of League of Legends, he does have some weaknesses that can be exploited by opponents. Let’s take a closer look at some of the weaknesses that Skarner possess in the game.
- Weaknesses of Skarner:
Lack of range
Skarner, like many other melee champions in League of Legends, is limited by his short range and lack of mobility abilities. This means that he has to be played cautiously to avoid taking unnecessary damage, due to the fact that he cannot move quickly or efficiently in fights.
In response to this weakness, Skarner players should position themselves according to their team’s strategy and works best when being pushed into teamfights. As an issue of sustain, Skarner also struggles in the early game due to his lack of a meaningful ability early on which gives opponents time to harass him before getting into a fight.
Additionally, he is vulnerable against ranged-based champions due to their long-range abilities and poke capabilities – making it difficult for Skarner players to close the gap and engage in a fight.
Low sustain
Skarner is a particularly formidable fighter, but that doesn’t mean he’s invincible in the Rift. He possesses certain weaknesses, one of the most notable being his low sustain. Skarner tends to struggle against champions with longer-ranged abilities and attacks that are capable of harassing him while outside of his melee range. Even if you make decent progress in trading damage with him during early game skirmishes, Skarner has regenerative capabilities that can quickly enable him to win a battle without having taken too much damage himself.
Additionally, high cooldowns can limit Skarner’s effectiveness as he travels around the map or attempts to push enemies away from an objective. His combo of Impale and Crystalline Exoskeleton can be used for powerful crowd control abilities but short cooldowns prevent this from completely dominating potential engagements. This means that any enemy champions contending with Skarner will have plenty of chances to counterattack and potentially turn a fight around completely.
On top of that, Skarner suffers when caught in unfavorable positions such as fighting against multiple enemy champions at once or when enemies are able to focus on him uninterrupted by his teammates. Thus, it is recommended to play Skarner in well-coordinated teams so as to give yourself more opportunities for success and avoid being overrun by opponents on the battlefield.
Low waveclear
Skarner has significantly lower waveclear than many other top lane champions. His auto attacks don’t have much effect on minions and the best way for him to clear waves is with his Crystal Slash (Q). However, Q does not do a lot of damage on its own, so this means Skarner will struggle to keep control of a minion wave as it pushes up the lane. As a result, he has less experience and gold in the early game and can be outpaced by other empowered champions.
In order to prevent getting overrun in team fights or pushed out of lanes, it is important to exercise caution when pushing lanes with Skarner and understand how his overall game plan differs from that of many other top laners:
- Lower waveclear than other top laners.
- Crystal Slash (Q) is the best way to clear waves.
- Q does not do a lot of damage on its own.
- Less experience and gold in the early game.
- Can be outpaced by other empowered champions.
Skarner’s Counterpicks
When playing Skarner, it’s important to know who counters him and what champions you should keep an eye out for. Skarner’s ultimate can be devastating to the enemy team, so knowing which champions can shut him down is key.
In this section, we’ll take a look at the champions that are best suited for countering Skarner. We’ll also provide tips for how best to counter them with Skarner.
Champions with ranged attacks
Champions with ranged attacks can often keep Skarner at bay. For example, Varus and Ezreal can easily harass Skarner with their abilities and kite him across the map. To avoid getting kited, it is important to keep track of where these champions are on the map and to pay attention to their movement patterns. It is also important for a Skarner player to stay mindful of how far away they are from the enemy team’s back line, as he can easily be punished if he overextends.
Skarner may find it difficult to deal with champions that have enagement tools like Ragnaros or Brand as they can easily stop him in his tracks. Champions that have high burst damage such as Ahri or Katarina can also make things difficult for Skarner if they are able to land their spells in the right moments. On top of this, champions who have built-in crowd control such as Janna’s tornado ability or Sejuani’s Arctic Assault ultimate can be hard for Skarner to play against due to their ability to disrupt his combos. Careful positioning is key when playing against these champions.
Champions with high mobility
Skarner’s kit is ideally suited for initiating a fight or chasing down opponents. He has abilities that aid in his mobility, like the Scorpion Sting, allowing him to move quickly and stay on top of fleeing opponents.
Champions with high mobility only strengthen this fact and make it difficult for Skarner to land his CC due to their ability to dodge. Champions such as Zed, Kassadin, and Ahri can easily dodge Skarner’s Crystal Slash by blinking away or dashing in an unpredictable way. This makes them difficult to hit with it and can leave Skarner vulnerable behind them once they have escaped while his escape tool is on cooldown.
Zed, Kassadin, and Ahri are all capable of firing off multiple spells in quick succession while using their mobility skills which can quickly become overwhelming for Skarner if he gets too close.
It’s generally recommended that you avoid counterpicks such as Zed, Kassadin, or Ahri when playing against Skarner as through superior mobility alone they are already at an advantage. Instead focus on champions with lower mobility who have disruptive crowd control abilities like Fiddlesticks or Gnar that can hinder Skarner’s ability to reach the target he is after.
Champions with strong sustain
Champions with strong sustain are very effective against Skarner due to his ability to quickly deplete a target’s health. The following champions have strong lifesteal, self-healing, or stat regeneration that allow them to withstand Skarner’s damage:
- Dr. Mundo
- Vladimir
- Hecarim
- Kayle
- Yorick
The champions with decent sustain listed above can usually survive a fight against Skarner long enough to activate their own CC effects and/or receive support from their teammates. Champions without strong sustain (e.g., AD carries) will be at a disadvantage against Skarner if they do not have allies or items available to help them survive a fight against the Crystal Scorpion. When facing these champions, try to isolate them from their team and outlast them at all costs!
Skarner’s Synergies
Skarner is a powerful champion in the game League of Legends, capable of dealing a lot of damage and crowd controlling enemies. One of the great aspects of Skarner is the fact that he can synergize with many other champions and build a team comp that is both powerful and versatile.
In this section, we will look into what makes Skarner such a great champion to play and how players should use his abilities to maximize damage and crowd control in team fights.
Champions with crowd control
Skarner is an excellent team fighter because he offers a good mix of crowd control, burst damage and utility. His Q, “Crystalline Exoskeleton“, provides him and nearby allies with increased movement speed and attack speed which can turn the tide of a teamfight and give Skarner’s team the upper hand. His W, “Fracture“, is a straight line skill shot that deals magic damage to all affected enemies in its path while briefly slowing them down.
Skarner’s E, “Impale“, lets him briefly stun an enemy champion and drag them along with him as he moves. This is especially potent when combined with champions who have additional crowd control abilities to set up his ultimate – R “Rampage“. When Skarner uses his ultimate near a target enemy champion, it will deal magic damage to the target and all nearby enemies.
Together Skarner’s kit makes him an incredibly powerful tool for any team composition that requires quick reaction times in a fight or enhanced zoning capability during lane phase. One example of champions who can provide further crowd control for Skarner’s ultimate include champions such as Amumu whose Bandage Toss can provide an extended stun for increased follow up potential from Impale; Leona whose Solar Flare offers another area of effect stun; or even Lissandra who can zone opponents away from their intended path with her Ring of Frost while also setting up opportunities to drag them in.
Champions with high burst damage
Skarner is known for his great crowd control and utility, but less so for his ability to burst down opponents. If you’re looking to dish out maximum damage in a short amount of time, pairing Skarner with certain champions can give your team massive DPS.
One champion that stands out is PokeMasters favorite Annie. With her simple combo of stun and a snare capable of disabling an enemy completely while Skarner moves in close to deliver damage from auto-attacks or use his ultimate RSS (Rabid Stinger Slam). Other Champions such as Jayce, Talon and Xerath are also strong bursts due to their stuns and skill shots allowing them set up for Skarner’s team fight secure kills.
However as with all combos, knowing when to go in for the kill can be just as important as the one initiating it. When playing with any of these champions it’s important that someone calls the engage signal to make sure both your team knows when to move together on the objective. Take precaution though if playing Yorick since his sustained damage is hard countered by building some health early on or a quick item like armor negation Quicksilver Sash especially if you notice enemies going heavy AD/AP Damage builds.
Champions with waveclear
Skarner is a jungler who specializes in waveclear, making him an ideal partner for champions who excel in clearing minion waves. Many champions who are adept waveclearers also possess strong CC abilities, providing both ample wave clear and crowd control when combined with Skarner’s kit. Here are some of the best champions to pair with Skarner for a duo lane or roaming gank composition.
- Blitzcrank: With his high damage output on spells like Rocket Grab and Static Field, Blitzcrank is perfect for taking down minion waves quickly while chaining CC on enemy champions. In addition, Blitzcrank’s passive allows him to take advantage of any minion aggro in order to set up more successful ganks from Skarner.
- Brand: Brand has a deadly waveclear combo when paired with Skarner- Seismic Shard combined with Conflagration and Pyroclasm makes for quick work of minion waves and enemy champions alike. Brand can also be ready at the drop of a hat to cover any weaknesses that arise from legendary enemies splitting across the map thanks to his incredible range and AoE damage.
- Orianna: Orianna’s never ending ball can make back-to-back combos with Skarner’s Impale for massive amounts of CC chain opportunities which turn quickly into massive AoEs of destruction upon her Command Shockwave Ultimate detonation. This makes Orianna perfect for annihilating minion lanes while preventing enemies from escaping alive once you two begin looking to pick up kills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is Skarner’s role in League of Legends?
A1: Skarner is a tanky fighter that excels at initiating teamfights and locking down opponents. He is a great pick for top lane and jungle.
Q2: What are some of the strengths of Skarner?
A2: Skarner has strong area-of-effect crowd control abilities, allowing him to disrupt multiple enemies at once. He also has a great ability to engage fights and peel for his team.
Q3: What are some tips for playing Skarner?
A3: When playing Skarner, it’s important to focus on locking down opponents with your CC and engaging teamfights at the right moments. You should also be careful not to overextend yourself in order to avoid getting caught out.