Yunara vs Aphelios

How to Trade

This matchup revolves around tracking Aphelios's current weapon rotation and your Q stack management. Yunara wants extended trades where she can stack her Q to 8 and activate it for empowered damage, but Aphelios's trading power fluctuates dramatically based on his weapons. When Aphelios has Severum (Red/Lifesteal) or Crescendum (White/Chakram), he excels in sustained fights and can match your extended trade pattern - avoid all-ins during these windows. Your best opportunities come when he's holding Gravitum (Root) or Calibrum (Poke) as his main weapon, since these are weaker in close-range duels. At level 2, Yunara has a significant power spike if you've pre-stacked your Q during the first wave. Activating Q and unlocking W creates strong all-in pressure. However, be cautious if Aphelios has Severum - his Q heal can sustain through your burst. Watch his off-hand weapon and the chakrams orbiting him. If you see him stacking chakrams with Crescendum, back off unless you are ahead in health, level and items and your support can follow, since stacked Crescendum ramps up his damage. Respect Aphelios's Gravitum while its slow is on you. If he lands Gravitum autos and activates the root, you're locked in place and vulnerable to his support's follow-up. Play cautiously when Gravitum is Aphelios's primary weapon rather than engaging aggressively.

Wave Management

Yunara should aim to establish a slow push into level 2 so you can stack Q on minions while building a wave advantage. 6), so focus on not missing farm while poking. Aphelios with Infernum (Blue-flame/AOE) can hard-shove waves, so if you see him swap to Infernum, prepare to match his push or you'll be stuck farming under tower. When Aphelios is pushed up without Calibrum (his long-range poke weapon), he's vulnerable to ganks since he lacks escape tools. Freeze near your tower when your jungler is topside, forcing him to overextend.

Itemization

Build your standard first item, but consider early Executioner's Calling if Aphelios is frequently using Severum healing to survive trades. The Grievous Wounds significantly reduces his sustain in extended fights, which is exactly where Yunara wants to trade. Boots timing is important - Berserker's Greaves help you stick to Aphelios during trades and kite away from his Crescendum all-ins. If the enemy support has heavy engage (Nautilus, Leona), prioritize defensive boots and consider a Phantom Dancer for the movement speed and ghosting to kite away before Gravitum roots chain into support CC. Against poke-heavy lanes where Aphelios runs Calibrum, Doran's Blade sustain plus early Vampiric Scepter can help you stay healthy enough to threaten all-ins.

Team Fighting

In teamfights, both champions are traditional ADC threats that need protection, but Yunara's Ultimate provides a significant advantage. When you activate R, your Q becomes automatically empowered for over 10 seconds, removing the stacking requirement and letting you deal maximum damage immediately. This ultimate window is when Yunara is most dangerous, and it's exactly when Aphelios should disengage. Aphelios's teamfight threat depends entirely on his weapon setup. His Infernum R is one of the most devastating teamfight abilities in the game if your team clusters - it can instantly win fights. Position away from teammates to minimize splash damage. If he has Crescendum during fights, he'll try to stack chakrams on frontline before turning on carries with massive DPS. Your team should focus him with CC when possible, as he has zero mobility to escape lockdown. Yunara's AOE damage from Q makes her strong in clustered fights, so look for flanks or positions where you can hit multiple enemies while Aphelios is zoned or focused.

Pro Tips

• Track Aphelios's weapon rotation by watching his HUD or the weapons he drops - knowing his next two weapons lets you predict his trading patterns 10-15 seconds in advance
• Your Q stacks are visible below your health bar; Aphelios players will respect you more when you're at 6-7 stacks, so use high stacks to zone him off CS even without committing to trades
• Aphelios's Crescendum turret from his Q has a fixed duration - if he places it, kite away and re-engage after it expires rather than fighting into the extra DPS

Common Mistakes

• Fighting Aphelios when he has Crescendum (white) chakrams stacked high - his DPS spikes hard in extended trades, so back off unless your health, level and support lead let you commit
• Using W aggressively when Aphelios has Gravitum (purple) ready - the root sets up easy skillshots from his support and negates your mobility advantage
• Grouping too tightly in teamfights against Infernum (blue-flame) Aphelios - his R can one-shot multiple squishies if they're clustered together