Gwen is a scaling AP bruiser who shreds tanks with true damage and becomes unkillable with her W. She's weak early but becomes a monster at 2-3 items. The key to beating her is abusing her weak laning phase and ending before she scales.
Her W makes her immune to damage from outside the zone. You can't poke her, you have to walk into the zone to fight. That's her biggest strength and her biggest weakness — she forces you to fight on her terms.
Best Gwen Counters
1. Mordekaiser (Top Lane)
Mordekaiser hard counters Gwen. His R pulls her into the death realm where her W doesn't matter — there's nowhere to run. He builds AP and armor, so her true damage doesn't hurt as much. He also outscales her in the 1v1.
Why it works: Death realm negates her W. You're both stuck in a cage, and Morde wins that fight every time.
How to play it: Farm early. Hit 6. R her. Kill her. Repeat. Build Riftmaker → Rylai's → Thornmail. She can't escape, she can't kite, she dies.
2. Jax (Top Lane)
Jax beats Gwen at all stages of the game. His E dodges her autos, which are a huge part of her damage. He scales just as hard and wins the split push. Post-6, he can jump on her and burst her before she can react.
Why it works: E dodges her autos. Q lets you stick to her. You scale harder.
How to play it: Trade with E up. Jump on her with Q when she uses W. All-in at 6. Build Trinity Force → Blade of the Ruined King → tank items.
3. Camille (Top Lane)
Camille's R locks Gwen in place. Her W doesn't matter if she can't leave the zone. Camille also has true damage on Q2, so she can match Gwen's damage output. She wins short trades and can disengage with E.
Why it works: R traps her. True damage vs true damage. Better mobility.
How to play it: Short trades with Q2. Disengage with E. All-in at 6 with R. Build Trinity Force → Ravenous Hydra → Sterak's Gage.
4. Fiora (Top Lane)
Fiora beats Gwen in the 1v1. Her W blocks Gwen's R. Her passive does max HP true damage, so Gwen's tankiness doesn't matter. She scales just as hard and wins the split push.
Why it works: W blocks R. True damage vs true damage. Better dueling.
How to play it: Parry her R with W. Proc vitals with Q. All-in when she's low. Build Trinity Force → Ravenous Hydra → Death's Dance.
5. Trundle (Top Lane)
Trundle steals Gwen's stats with R. She builds HP and resistances, which makes his R even stronger. He also has sustain with passive and Q, so he can outsustain her in lane.
Why it works: R steals her tankiness. Sustain beats her poke. Better early game.
How to play it: Trade with Q. All-in with R. Steal her stats and kill her. Build Trinity Force → Blade of the Ruined King → tank items.
How to Beat Gwen in Lane
Abuse her early game. Gwen is weak levels 1-5. She has no gap closer, no hard CC, and low damage. Bully her early and deny CS.
Don't let her scale. Gwen needs 2-3 items to be useful. If you can end the game before she gets there, she's useless.
Walk into her W. Don't try to poke her from outside. Walk into the zone and fight her. She's not that tanky early.
Build grievous wounds. Gwen heals a ton with her Q. Thornmail or Mortal Reminder cuts her healing in half.
Dodge her Q center. Her Q does more damage in the center. Stand to the side and you take way less damage.
How to Beat Gwen in Teamfights
Focus her before she stacks. Gwen's passive stacks on autos. If you let her auto your frontline, she'll shred everyone. Kill her before she stacks.
Kite backwards. Gwen has no gap closer. If you kite backwards, she can't reach your backline.
Burst her. Gwen is tanky but not unkillable. If you burst her before she can heal, she dies.
Ban her. If you don't want to deal with her, just ban her. She's annoying to play against.
Items That Counter Gwen
- Thornmail — reflects damage and applies grievous wounds
- Mortal Reminder — applies grievous wounds on autos
- Blade of the Ruined King — shreds her HP
- Lord Dominik's Regards — cuts through her armor
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counters Gwen the hardest?
Mordekaiser. His R pulls her into the death realm where her W doesn't matter. He builds AP and armor, so her true damage doesn't hurt. He outscales her 1v1.
How do I beat Gwen in lane?
Abuse her weak early game (levels 1-5). Bully her, deny CS, don't let her scale. Walk into her W to fight instead of poking from outside.
What items counter Gwen?
Thornmail and Mortal Reminder for grievous wounds. Blade of the Ruined King and Lord Dominik's Regards to shred her HP and armor.
Does Jax counter Gwen?
Yeah. His E dodges her autos, his Q sticks to her, and he scales just as hard. Trade with E up, all-in at 6, you win.
How does Gwen's W work?
Creates a zone that makes her immune to damage from outside. You have to walk into the zone to fight her. Champions who can trap her (Morde R, Camille R) counter this.
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