Counters for Jinx
Champion guide
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Champions against Jinx
Favorable matchup
Samira vs Jinx
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
With no dashes, Jinx depends on keeping her distance. Samira breaks it with Wild Rush. Blade Whirl destroys enemy missiles, which is how Zap! and the rocket travel. The catch is Flame Chompers!: don't go in stepping on them.
Why Samira works against Jinx
01
Blade Whirl for Zap! and the rocket
Zap! and Super Mega Death Rocket! are the two shots Jinx uses to slow you or finish you. Blade Whirl destroys enemy missiles around you: with the whirl timed right, neither of them gets through.
02
Wild Rush against a kit with no exit
Wild Rush carries you through an enemy and gives you attack speed. Jinx can't dash away: with you on top of her, all she has left is Flame Chompers! and walking backward.
03
Watch out for the Chompers
Flame Chompers! root champions who walk over them. Don't use Wild Rush through the line of grenades, because they can cut your engage short: wait for them to blow up after 5 seconds, or come in from another angle.
When to attack
Go in once Jinx has used Flame Chompers!: with no grenades on the ground, Wild Rush lands clean. If your support locks her down, your attacks bring you in without spending it. While the Chompers are ready, last-hit and wait.
How to play Samira
- 1Play the lane behind your minions so Zap! hits them before it hits you.
- 2Wait for Jinx to throw Flame Chompers! before committing with Wild Rush.
- 3Save Blade Whirl for Zap! on the way in, or for the rocket when you're running away low.
- 4Once you're in, chain different hits (attack, Flair, attack) so your Daredevil Impulse combo climbs before you fire Inferno Trigger.
Mistakes to avoid
- Going in with Wild Rush over Flame Chompers!: you end up rooted at her feet with no dash.
- Using Blade Whirl just for damage on the wave and not having it for Zap! when you engage.
Playing Jinx against Samira
If you're playing Jinx, throw Flame Chompers! between Samira and you before she uses Wild Rush, not after. Poke with Fishbones from max range and keep Zap! for when she has already spent Blade Whirl. If she reaches you, Get Excited! only comes with a takedown: don't count on it to escape.
Favorable matchup
Lucian vs Jinx
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Jinx needs time: Pow-Pow gains attack speed while she keeps firing and Get Excited! only triggers on a takedown. Lucian denies her that time with short Lightslinger trades and leaves with Relentless Pursuit before the fight drags on.
Why Lucian works against Jinx
01
Pow-Pow needs to keep firing
With Pow-Pow, the minigun, every Jinx attack grants her attack speed. A short trade doesn't let her build that edge; a long one does.
02
Two shots after every ability
Lightslinger turns your next attack into a double shot every time you use an ability. Piercing Light goes through its target and reaches Jinx through her wave; followed by the double shot, the trade is over before she can answer with Fishbones.
03
No takedown, no Get Excited!
Get Excited! gives Jinx a huge burst of movement and attack speed when she helps take down a champion, an epic monster or a structure. If you leave the trade in time with Relentless Pursuit, you never give her that boost.
When to attack
From level 2, trade on every wave where Jinx walks up to last-hit. Keep an eye on your tower too: a destroyed structure also triggers Get Excited!, so don't let her push unanswered.
How to play Lucian
- 1Use Piercing Light on a minion lined up with Jinx and follow with the double shot if she steps up.
- 2Go in with Relentless Pursuit when the double shot is going to land: every Lightslinger hit lowers its cooldown and lets you leave sooner.
- 3Cast Ardent Blaze to mark her and gain speed when you attack her during a chase.
- 4Save The Culling for when Jinx is locked down by your support or has no Flame Chompers!.
Mistakes to avoid
- Staying to trade basic attacks while she builds speed with Pow-Pow.
- Going after Jinx through Flame Chompers!: the root keeps you in her range right when the trade gets long.
Playing Jinx against Lucian
Playing Jinx, give up the short trade and punish the long one: once Lucian spends Relentless Pursuit, he can't leave quickly. Throw Flame Chompers! on his way out and last-hit with Fishbones from max range. Zap! cuts his chase short if he tries to follow you.
Execution matters
Draven vs Jinx
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Draven against Jinx is a lane on a timer: with a support who follows up, his axes and Stand Aside hunt the kill before Jinx has her tools. Everything rides on those first levels: if the lane reaches teamfights with no lead, the pick loses its point.
Why Draven works against Jinx
01
The axes hit from level 1
Spinning Axe adds physical damage to your next attack and, if you catch it, readies another; you can hold two at once. 7.3a raised its ratio to 90-120% bonus AD, and Blood Rush grants 25-40% attack speed. With two axes and Blood Rush, the short trade is yours.
02
Stand Aside opens the window
Stand Aside throws your axes, knocking aside and slowing. Jinx has no dash: if your support locks her down or the slow keeps her in place, you have time to keep hitting with your axes.
03
The gold from the kill
League of Draven stacks Adoration when you catch axes and kill minions, and turns it into bonus gold when you kill a champion. An early kill on Jinx is worth more than normal gold and delays her right when she needs items.
When to attack
Levels 1 to 3, with your support close and the wave in a neutral spot. If Jinx gets through that phase without losing much, stop forcing the duel and play for your team's fights.
How to play Draven
- 1From level 1, have two axes ready whenever your support looks for a trade.
- 2Open with Stand Aside when Jinx is outside her wave and keep attacking while she is slowed.
- 3Catch every axe without leaving your support's range: if picking it up means chasing Jinx alone, let it drop.
- 4If you get the kill, recall with the League of Draven gold and come back before she recovers her tempo.
Mistakes to avoid
- Forcing an all-in without your support: Jinx slows you with Zap!, backs off and the window is gone.
- Still hunting duels in the mid game when the lane gave you no lead: every takedown she gets triggers Get Excited! and gives her speed for the next one.
Playing Jinx against Draven
As Jinx, play levels 1 to 3 to deny the first kill: stay level with your support, let the wave reach your tower if you have to and keep Zap! to slow his Blood Rush engage. Every kill you deny is League of Draven gold he never cashes in.