MacroMind matchup data: real ranked games, not opinions
Varus vs Aphelios
How often does Varus beat Aphelios in ADC?
Varus into Aphelios in ADC: 51% observed win rate across 2,669 ranked games.
Global ranked sample: games from every region and every rank pooled together, not one server's stats. Data runs through patch 26.12; curves updated 2026-08-07.
By 15 minutes the median game has Varus ahead by 294 gold.
Varus at 15:00
- Gold: +294
- CS: +4
- XP: +209
Typical gap to Aphelios, from 2,655 games that reached 15:00.
Does Varus counter Aphelios?
No counter here: Varus sits at 51% over 2,669 games. The swing lives in the spots below, so play the side you know better and chase the row that moves the number the most in this lane, then hold that lead through the first back.
Beating Aphelios: the Varus game plan
A gold lead at 10:00 puts Varus at 60% across 1,509 games. Flip the lead and Varus falls to 40% across 1,155.
| The spot | Win rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Ahead in gold at 10:00 | 60% | 1,509 |
| Behind in gold at 10:00 | 40% | 1,155 |
| First blood | 57% | 1,479 |
| +kills at 10:00 | 61% | 1,214 |
| +CS at 10:00 | 58% | 1,434 |
| 0 deaths at 10:00 | 63% | 670 |
| 0 deaths at 15:00 | 68% | 267 |
Someone usually dies here around 5:39 in the median game, and level 6 lands near 7:31. Until your spike is online, respect the all-in.
Varus's ADC build, with receipts
Into Aphelios specifically, Varus finishes Youmuu's Ghostblade first most often: 53.6% over 576 games of this matchup.
The most-finished core in this exact matchup is Youmuu's Ghostblade, Manamune, Edge of Night: 58.3% across 230 games.
The most-finished Varus core is Statikk Shiv, Guinsoo's Rageblade, Terminus: 52.3% across 4,612 games when all three got done. All matchups, patches 26.1-26.12.
Most games start Doran's Blade + Health Potion; the first finished item is usually Youmuu's Ghostblade (10,588 games).
Skill plan: Varus players max Q first and take E at level 1.