Lucian vs Varus ADC Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Lucian

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ADC

Varus

Lucian vs Varus

Confidence highUpdated Jun 7, 2026

Overview

Lucian wins short burst trades but struggles in extended fights against Varus's poke and root threat.
Control small waves to use (E) aggressively for quick trades and avoid prolonged poke.
Deny Varus free scaling by punishing his last-hit attempts through low-health minions with (Q).

Trading pattern

Step forward to auto and use (Q) through minions when Varus commits to last-hitting low-health minions, only if enemy support can't punish.
Trade short burst combos after Varus wastes (Q) or (R) cooldowns to reduce his poke threat.
Avoid extended trades where Varus can stack blight and detonate with (Q) or (E) slow.

Danger windows

Avoid stepping forward when Varus has (Q) charged and support can engage or root with (R).
Respect (R) root and follow-up threat when enemy support is positioned to capitalize.
Do not use (E) aggressively without support cooldowns ready, as it leaves you vulnerable to poke and crowd control.

Early game

Contest level 2 with support cover to leverage early (E) dash and passive burst.
Use caster minion positioning to punish Varus's last-hit attempts when his (Q) is uncharged.
Avoid charging (E) forward without support setup to prevent easy poke or root follow-ups.

Power spikes

Level 2 unlocks (E) dash and passive double-shot burst, enabling strong early trades before Varus stabilizes.
First completed marksman item increases burst trade threat, allowing forced recalls or dragon priority.
Level 6 (R) can finish targets pushed out by support setup, but requires prior cooldown advantage.

Win conditions

Convert early burst trades into CS leads and force Varus recalls before he completes key items.
Crash waves after winning trades to deny Varus turret plates and secure dragon vision control.
Use (E) repositioning and (R) to access teamfight DPS windows and finish off targets forced out by support engages.