Kai'Sa vs Varus ADC Matchup Guide | LaneStomp

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Kai'Sa

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ADC

Varus

Kai'Sa vs Varus

Confidence highUpdated Jun 7, 2026

Overview

Kai'Sa needs support setup to safely punish Varus's poke and isolate him for burst trades.
Varus controls lane with poke and root threat, so Kai'Sa wins by punishing last-hit windows and scaling into item spikes.

Trading pattern

Step forward to auto or (Q) Varus when he commits to last-hitting cannon or ranged minions and support threat is low.
Avoid trading when Varus has (Q) charged or (R) ready, as his poke and root punish forward positioning.
Use support CC to start plasma stacks and follow with (W) and (R) for burst when Varus is isolated from minions.

Danger windows

Respect (Q) charge when he has space and time to poke safely outside engage range.
Avoid stepping forward when (R) is available and enemy support is positioned to follow up root.
Do not use (E) aggressively before enemy engage or poke cooldowns are spent to prevent getting caught in Varus's burst.

Early game

Use the first three waves to farm safely and avoid charging (E) forward before enemy engage cooldowns expire.
Hold wave near your side to reduce (Q) poke angles and limit his safe charge windows.
Punish Varus during caster minion last hits only if enemy support cannot zone or trade back immediately.

Power spikes

First completed item unlocks evolved abilities, enabling Kai'Sa to threaten all-ins and punish Varus's poke more reliably.
Level 6 (R) allows repositioning onto marked targets, turning small support setups into lethal all-ins.
Avoid committing before evolve and item thresholds, as Varus's poke and root can punish premature engages.

Win conditions

Reach item and evolve thresholds to convert isolated damage and (R) follow-up into kills or forced recalls.
Thin waves to maximize (Q) damage on Varus instead of minions, enabling safer all-ins.
Use health leads from punishing last-hit attempts to crash waves, take plates, and secure dragon vision control.