Aatrox

He can be really annoying, but as lokg as you play to avoid his abilities, you'll eventually be fine and outscale. Rush Bramble Vest, take your W at level 2 and stay focused on reacting to his dash whenever he tries to land a Q on you and he's a a little bit far, and if you catch him, trade, disengage with E to a minion if anything goes wrong and DO NOT let him hit you with his 3rd Q. Your W stops his dash.

Akali

Her Q outranges your Q, be aware of her range and play around that, it'll be the most impactful factor of how you'll duel her out. Whenever she Q's and misses, go and take CS. Be cautious of any time she tries to engage on you and react accordingly with your W (take it level 2). Bramble's good, but build MR afterwards. Remember to disengage when there's smoke. Your W can stop her dash.

Camille

Be aware of her pokes and her mobility, she's good at that. Don't stand near walls, make her play your game, not the other way around. Beware of her shield, and trade based on that cooldown. Poke her with Passive + Q like always. Your W stops her dash (both versions).

Cho'Gath

You might want to take Conqueror in this matchup. He scales really hard, but he doesn't have mobility, and if he misses his stun, it's fairly over. Rush Executioner's Calling/Bramble Vest, build health/MR, don't let him farm, try to push and roam and get the match over as soon as possible. Get this thing far away from your carry, don't be afraid to R him.

Darius

Playing an important match? Don't pick Poppy into this matchup. To beat him, it's all about the zoning. Be aware of his Q and E range. Use your W to move away from his Q, get away from him with your E towards a minion and if he walks towards you, harass him with Q+Passive. Don't get used to Q him, and if you do, try to get it at max range, and when his E is on cooldown. Do NOT take extended trades. Poke him and avoid every single Q or don't fight him. Try to stay at exp range, roam as much as you can.

Dr. Mundo

Rush Executioner's Calling. Duck into your wave and avoid his pokes to the best of your ability. Any possible chance to kill him, take it, because you might regret poking him only to get his health to the top of skies. Conqueror is viable, just remember to have Executioner's before trading. He'll outscale hard and he wants to, so he'll push waves and maybe even bully you with his axe (please avoid it, there's health % damage going on). Take the chance to play intelligently and poke him when he can't (or take free ganks if he isn't careful.) Try to kill him before it becomes impossible (lmao).

Fiddlesticks

Some people were crazy enough to do this and you actually won't like it. Rush Bramble vest and build MR based on teamcomp (otherwise just Bami's). He has a lot of range, stay at xp range but don't risk it with gold. This matchup slightly favours his trades, so only 1 gank and 1 wave is enough for you to take on this lane for the entire game. R him when he R's at an objective.

Fiora

She's made to demolish tanks, but you stand a fair chance against her. Watch your blind spot and try not to trade level 1. If she tries to engage kite her with your Q and passive. Take W level 2 and pay attention to her Q cooldown. Try to test her reactions with her riposte so you can take some trades and use your E to stun her. Rush Bramble Vest. Your W stops her dash.

Fizz

If you lane against this guy, it won't be fun for him. Be aware of his ranges and poke him. Don't all-in him, most of the time it'll be a waste. Build MR (Mercury's Threads are awesome) and be patient. Your W can stop his dash (tricky).

Gangplank

Try not to pick Poppy into this matchup. Captain Oranges will stop any all-in and poke you almost every time you try to CS, so be careful of range and try to get those barrels out with your passive. Maybe you'll like to ask for a gank. His roaming potential and R will really hurt your game, so be careful and don't let him do as he wants.

Garen

Don't be close to him when you're low. Poke him with your Q + Pasive and let him push. Try your best to keep him from farming safely, while you try to farm as best as possible. Don't trade with him, just poke and farm and you'll get the upper hand.

Gnar

He can be stressful to play against, but he's actually scared of you. Rush tabis, engage on him using a minion and always punish his positioning. His Mega Form is big, so you can trade with him and stun hin most of the time. Be careful with his range (it's not the real deal until he levels up a bunch). Remember to avoid his mega stun and avoid walls when he hits 6! Your W stops his dash (both)).

Illaoi

This matchup is tricky, try to practice it beforehand (ask a friend to duel or try her yourself) and it'll become EXTREMELY easier. Rush Bramble Vest and avoid her tentacles from hitting you. If she hits her E, you're in trouble, get out of there or avoid her from killing your soul to the best of your ability. Her cooldowns can doom her, so engage on her as soon as she misses her skillshots. Ducking into minion waves when you are suspicious of her using her E is a really good idea. Beware of her ult, she's inmune to CC when the animation comes up, so don't waste your own. Your W can stop her 'dash'.

Irelia

Your level 1 doesn't have angage tools, so don't get flashy the first 2 minutes, get your butt to farm or she'll conqueror you out of lane. A good Irelia will patiently wait for you to waste your W and then engage. If you don't take the bait and don't eat that weird stun, you win the lane and possibly the game if you harass her correctly. If she R's you and you're in danger (or someone else is) you can literally R her away and it's over. Poke her, don't take extended trades, watch her stun, farm and don't let her do so without punishing, and win. Remember, spare your W, use it when she's low or when you're low and she can Q. This is an ideal matchup for Poppy. You have everything to counter her, don't let her outplay you. Your W can stop her dash.

Jarvan IV

You can stop his dash (E, Q) with your W AND his R can be his doom, because it's a wall and it's amazingly easy for you to win if you get that stun. Poke him (it's really easy) and punish every attempt at dashing. If he's the enemy jungler, w, run, go back to farming. Ideal matchup for Poppy. You outscale him, so you don't even need an outplay, don't let him get kills or farm, keep him away from your team.

Jax

If he's the jungler, he'l rarely pull off a succesful gank against you. If he's top however, your main goal in the match is to stop him from scaling. This master duelist needs to be shutdown, and you have the kit, but maybe not the cooldowns. Take W first and prioritize it over your E. Never take extended trades unless he's being dumb. Get out of his counter with an E to a minion or walking out with W. If he gets problematic in a teamfight or while you duel him, R him away. He scales and hits hard, he snowballs everytime, but you can build tabis before he gets trinity and bully him. Respect his 1v1 potential, your W can stop his dash.

Jayce

Treat this matchup like you would against an ADC. Before 6, he's a really srong lane bully. He'll probably push the wave, try yout best to farm against him and avoid his skillshots (try to practice before encountering him in ranked!). Build tabis, and if you were the better CSer, you won the lane. Your hammering is way better than his, so take trades happily whenever he decides to go melee. Your w stops his 'dash'.

Kayle

Try your best to bully her before 6. If you didn't kill her before 6, things can get pretty ugly. Respect her powerspikes, she outscales most of the champions in the game. Try to end the match as fast as possible. If that doesn't happen, try to get her out of teamfights with your R and lock the carry. Don't dive on her post-6.

Kennen

He bullies in an amazing fashion and your hope here is to outfarm and rush Adaptive helm. If you do so, you're capable of taking him out of teamfights and not dying whenever he's up. Play to farm to the best of your ability. Remember, you're a tank, you're useful.

Kled

He's a strong lane-bully but your kit stops him like a wall. Get out of Q range, wait for him to waste his W on minions before engaging and W his E and his shotgun. Be careful with his remount (passive), he can turn around fights in seconds if you aren't careful. Do not lose sight of him because he might gank lanes with his ult, bully him and if Skaarl goes away, it's hammer time. Seriously, if you don't see him, let your team know. His engage is ridiculous. Your W stops his dash and shotgun.

Lee Sin

He's the jungler? W him if he hadoukens you, and the gank is over. He's top? You outscale him, you don't need to even win the lane, just don't give him kills, build tanky and harass him with your Q and passive. Your W can stop his dashes.

Galio

Galio Top doesn't enjoy this matchup. Your Q melts him as much as his melts you, but you can easily avoid his and you can hit it every time he tries to farm. Be aware of his taunt, he might set up a gank with ease. Don't let him say hi and interrupt with E/R, your W stops his dash.

Lillia

This is all about positioning. She's a really solid lane bully, you might want some MR and bait her into a wall. All-in at her first mistake, she's amazingly squishy, specially at laning phase, when she doesn't have as much damage. She moves really fast without dashes, so use your W to get closer, further, or in the right angle to use your E. If you feel like you can't do it, look at botlane and try to help your teammates.

Malphite

This matchup is tricky. If he builds tank, bully him before first back (Wait for him to get low on mana) because he'll outscale you (REALLY. He'll be a better you at 20 mins if you don't stop him). If he goes for AP, his laning phase will be strong after first back, so you need to be really careful and wait to outscale in tankiness. Disengage if you were inside his E, he's really mana hungry before items, so if he pokes you with Q, let him and heal with biscuits/corrupting pot. Don't let him proc his passive, as it's his only method of sustain. You can poke him with Q + Passive and get him out of lane most of the time. If he gets fed, get him out of the fight when you do NOT think he'll R, because he's inmune to CC while ulting. Your W does NOT stop his dash.

Maokai

You'll rarely kill him, so farm AND poke. Rush executioner's blade and get some good trades against him, try to force him out of lane, because he'll outscale with or without the gold. Remember, he HEALS, so he'll out-trade you. Try poking! Don't enter bushes, respect his dash thing, your W does NOT stop it.

Mordekaiser

He likes to kill tanks, that means he's a fan of extended trades. Avoid his E with your E or just walk away. He'll eventually outscale you, so end laning phase in the best way you can. Avoid his passive and poke him. Be wary of his Q and try to duck into it with your shield on. If you kill him, rush doran's blade and build a little MR, and he's out of the fight for a while. Remember to farm, he'll push and try to level up fast.

Nasus

This guy wants to Q minions the whole match. Do your best to harass him and make him lose CS. You're against time in this matchup, so try to get him killed before he gets too powerful and outscales you. Remember, he has no mobility, so he's specially weak to ganks.

Ornn

He has a slower, AoE version of your E and can summon a pillar he can use to his dash and damage you. His scaling is really good, so you might want to win the early game. Avoid walls, and whenever he uses his w, use your Q on him. He'll get hit twice by it. If he marks you, disengage, you don't want that extra damage on you. Your W stops his dash.

Pantheon

His early game is really good, don't underestimate him. Play around his Q range, and avoid the spears when he throws them. Be aware of his passive, try not to get in his W range, specially if he has 3-4 stacks. You have your W, but his W is really fast, so you might end up triggering it on prediction more than reaction. Take care of yourself and don't let him roam, you'll outscale. Your W stops his dash.

Poppy

Tips for the mirror matchup? Your W stops your dash, play around that. Try to engage when you have your shield on and your opponent has her shield up, he'll use her passive and you won't be damaged. Focus on farming and harassing as always.


Tips for countering her? I have some tips!


-Do NOT stand between her and a wall. This is the classic tip.

-Remember that structures and certain abilities also count as walls (so don't use Jarvan's R, don't stand in front of your turret, etc).

-You can flash out of her E. If she doesn't react, you can counter her dash with one of your own.

- Avoid her Q. Get out of there walking to the side, not backwards or towards Poppy, or you'll get too much damage.

-When trying to ambush her, even if you're 5, you need to be positioned away from your teammates, so she doesn't ult everyone away. People still don't get this one right most of the time.

-You can also remember that any form of CC stops her from channeling her ult. Poppy mains normally know the timings of that, so you need to be careful when the player's good.

-It's really easy to kite her if she didn't have hit her Q! If she doesn't the right items, she gets destroyed by kiting.

-never go full AD agaisnst her, kind of like the Malphite matchup.

-Laning against her and don't want to get your dash interrupted? If you bait it succesfully, her cooldown is 24 seconds long and lasts 2 seconds.

Pyke

He isn't a real threat for you. It doesn't matter if he goes in a solo lane or in bottom lane, he lacks the damage to lock you down or damage you enough. If he tries to CS, use your Q + Passive like any other melee matchup. Duck into the wave when he channels his hook. Be aware of his stun, avoid it once, and you'll get a good trade. He can heal when in bushes, counter that with a corrupting potion of your own and keep harassing. Your W stops his dash.

Quinn

The laning phase with her is similar to an ADCs. Try punishing her when she goes for CS, after she's in cooldown. Rush tabis, don't underestimate her poking and don't die; she scales a lot. Your W stops her dash.

Renekton

Interesting matchup. He gets a really big powerspike when he gets to level 3, try to harass him before that. Respect his damage, when he tries to engage, W away, and if you get his dash, poke him and disengage unless he got low. Don't dive him unless he used his R recently. Your W stops his dash.

Rengar

He didn't expect you to pick Poppy. If he hides on a bush, be ready to W. If he ults you, be ready to W. He has a skillshot that slows you, try avoiding it, but it won't mean doom if it hits. Build tanky, you can easily poke him down with your Q and passive. Respect his damage before first back. When in teamfights, he won't be able to do a lot when you're around. Protect your team from him in teamfights, you nullify him. Your W stops his dash. This is an ideal matchup for Poppy, stop him from reaching your teammates, you'll succeed.

Kassadin

At first, he gets like a squishy poking machine that TPs away when in trouble. Build some important MR and you'll be able to take on him comfortably. He scales a lot, so try your best to survive before first back. He's mana hungry at first, so pay attention to that. Your W doesn't stop anything.

Riven

The hardest this matchup can be at even levels is while you're at level 1 (she has an advantage). Try to kill 7 minions before her and take W level 2. Whenever she Q's, try to take on the 3rd Q with your W (Good Riven players won't go and spam her Q's, they have combos and baits and you'll have to react to it instead of "predicting"), this way you're avoiding CC and starting a good trade. She has another dash that gives her a shield. You can play around that and go for more harass with your Q. Remember to play out of her range, and you should be fine. This is an ideal matchup for Poppy. Your W stops her dashes (all of them, really).

Rumble

Conqueror is viable here. Rush adaptive helm, give up CS if neccessary, he pokes hard. Really hard, so, don't feel bad if you're missing CS, your life is more valuable. Engage on him when he's about to overheat. Try poking him, but remember that minions are your priority.

Ryze

Play around his mana, don't take free hits. At early stages, he's weak, so you might try poking him when he already tried so. Don't give him kills, he scales a lot.

Senna

Rush Tabis, all-in her at the first opportunity you get, otherwise she'll scale hard. There's not a lot going on on this matchup, avoid her skillshot, punish her positioning, cry for help.

Sett

He scales, hits hard and everything, but if you avoid his W, you can get some good trades. Bait his E and poke, if he runs at you, poke. He heals a lot, so consider buying a grievous wounds item. When he activates his Q, it's a good time to hit your own and run away, he'll take a good chunk of damage everytime. At level 6 he gets a big powerspike, so respect that with trading. Your W has a weird interaction with his R, use it when he showstops you and he'll get hit.

Sejuani

Her skillshots aren't really hard to avoid, please do so. She's fairly squishy before getting items, so punish her for farming and go for the kill if she enters in W range while low. As the game goes on, center on ignoring her more than fighting her and get to the carries in teamfights. Your W stops her dash.

Shen

You're both tanky, you're both good at peeling, and neither of you are great damage dealers. Poke him, disengage when he gets the rare aura in which he strengthens his AAs, beware of his taunt and interrupt his R. If he goes in a bush, ward it or facecheck it, use your E/R to prevent him from ulting. Your W stops his dash.

Singed

This matchup isn't fun. Adaptive helm works wonders. Never chase him. Try your best to farm and to impact the map more than him. You can always try to punish his positioning, but honestly, you're better at poking him out of lane. Try to do so.

Sion

He scales a lot an has a lot of roaming potential with his R, but that's when he actually scales. Use your tools (E to a minion, W to run away) to avoid his Q, zigzag towards him and take some trades against him. Take your shield and it's hammer time. Your Q will hurt A LOT, specially in early levels. Try using it when he Q's and you got out of range. This matchup can be really fun, specially because of the tankiness of both. Have fun AFK farming!

Sylas

His early game isn't the best, so you can duel him. Be sure to bring your shield (passive) and a corrupting potion. Rush a Grievous Wounds item depending on his playstyle, poke him when he tries to farm. MR is mandatory here. Your W stops his "dash".

Teemo

Start with Doran Shield + health potion, take Anti-ADC runes. Rush adaptive helm and boots depending on the team composition, and punish this bastard anytime he positions badly. Because of his heavy poking, try to take a hit of his blinding attack and attack right after if he mispositions and you'll get an amazing trade, because he's really squishy. Remember, get items before going ham, and play to farm.

Tristana

Why is she here? Bring Anti-ADC runes, start with Doran's Shield + Health Potion. Don't fight her level 2, fight her level 3. Use a minion to engage with your E, poke her with Q and some AAs. When she's low, engage with E AND W, that way she'll get caught in her rocket jump and die. Your W stops her dash.

Trundle

He will bite and heal, and you don't want to fight that. Rush Bramble Vest, he's one of those guys you'll run away from when he tries to engage, so remember to Q and run backwards when he's close. You should be able to poke him down, but his sustain is really stressing to play against. Disengage using your W, E or/AND R.

Tryndamere

Rush WARDEN'S MAIL, NOT BRAMBLE VEST. You want him to hit LESS, so Randuin and thornmail is good. He'll try pushing waves and he's amazing at it, so try to match it with Bami's. During laning phase, DO NOT ENGAGE until first back (avoid his level 1 cheese) unless you poke him enough. You counter him with ease if you scale, keep farming and take care of your team. He won't deal a lot of damage to you, but your teammates will suffer. His ul lasts 5 seconds. Your W stops his dash.

Twisted Fate

He's a pain in the neck. He has a stun, good roaming potential after 6 and deals good damage. He's inmobile though. Let him push, focus on farming and scale, and your jungler will know what to do. Don't let him roam for free.

Heimerdinger

He needs one stun to win the trade (and he'll manage to do so!). He'll push the lane, focus on farming and punish positioning. Be careful when he isn't around, push your wave. You won't enjoy this matchup.

Urgot

He's annoying, but your Q and your passive are annoying too. Harass him with both, punish him when he farms and avoid extended trades at all costs. He wants to take them, even at low HP, really. If you can't finish him off with a burst, respect his range, and don't let him engage on you. That's not really hard, given your kit. He's engaging by walking? Q. He's engaging with his dash? W. Do you feel like you're in danger? R him, run with W/E. DON'T LET YOURSELF BE AT LOW HP. Your W can stop his dash.

Vayne

She's cool and all, but you haven't bought Tabis and Bramble Vest yet. Do so, you can give up CS if she's poking too much, don't sweat it. Just don't give her kills. One gank and it's over. Remember to bring Anti-ADC runes! Your W can stop her dash.

Vladimir

Conqueror is a lot better than Grasp in this matchup, please ask another tank to be present in this match. Rush Executioner's Blade and poke him as much as possible AFTER you have your item. Before them, try spacing correctly and farming to the best of your ability. Take every opportunity to take some trades with him if he mispositions. Remember, he scales, so you want to beat him in the early game. Bully him as much as you can. If you're going full tank, play EXTREMELY PASSIVELY, rush executioner's blade and wait patiently for ganks.

Volibear

Be careful with farming, his passive is annoying. You can W his run but it will still stun you (better than nothing). He heals like a madman, has an important powerspike with his R, so be careful. He shouldn't be able to dive you, so if he tries, take that to your advantage and let him die alone. When running away from him, use your Q, and if he's about to stun you, use your W. Afterwards, position yourself so you can pin him on a wall. After his stun, he has no mobility, so you can ult him away. Your W (kinda) stops his dash.

Warwick

Wukong

Yasuo

He's annoying and deals a lot of damage. Rush Tabis and Bramble, like against an ADC, and poke him to death. If he tries to engage, use your W and you can trade with him for free. Don't eat his Q, never. Play around avoiding his Q and paying attention to when he'll try to hit you with it. His W stops your passive AND YOUR R. BE CAREFUL. He has little chance to duel you if you outfarm him and kill him in lane once. Don't let him engage on your carry. Your W stop his dash.

Yorick

This matchup is a real challenge, but it can be fun for you, like surviving against a Zombie Horde. Before 6, try your best to duel him. When he traps you in his wall, you can go away from it if you use your E (or simply hit it, like everyone else). When he hits 6 however, he'll outscale you and destroy towers with you in front of him. You can stop his minions with your W, so use it to disengage. This matchup is really important for the match, as Yorick's splitpushing potential is amazing and you don't have the kit to stop him, but surviving him. Ask for ganks, try dueling and poking before level 4/5. Afterwards, take care.

Cassiopeia

Your early game depends on her mana usage and reaction to ganks. Be always on the looks to punish her positioning, but don't try to trade, she'll bully you with ease. Play to farm whatever you can. Survive.

Yone

This matchup fully depends on your W stopping his long dash. If you do so, you'll devastate him with a trade, and if you don't, you'll lose hp, and he'll try again. The point is, you have more damage early. If you win the lane, you've got this. Be aware of his pokes and use your shield to avoid damage. You should outtrade him. Beware at 6. Your W stops 2 of 3 dashes (not his ult/R, also it's really telegraphed, get out of there)