Skarner

Skarner Build

the Primordial Sovereign

Role: Jungle Pick Rate: 1.1% Win Rate: 51.52%

Recommended Build

Summoner Spells

Flash Flash
Smite Smite

Skill Priority

Q W E

Items

Start
Mosstomper Seedling
Health Potion
Core
Heartsteel Heartsteel
Plated Steelcaps Plated Steelcaps
Unending Despair Unending Despair
Late
Spirit Visage
Thornmail

Runes

Most Played
Resolve
Grasp of the Undying
Grasp of the Undying 71.2% · 52.4% WR
Shield Bash
Shield Bash 83.9% · 51.9% WR
Conditioning
Conditioning 83.5% · 51.9% WR
Overgrowth
Overgrowth 81.5% · 51.9% WR
Inspiration
Magical Footwear
Magical Footwear
Approach Velocity
Approach Velocity 0.1% · 50% WR
Ability Haste
Ability Haste
Health Scaling
Health Scaling
Health Scaling
Health Scaling
Best WR
Resolve
Grasp of the Undying
Grasp of the Undying 71.2% · 52.4% WR
Shield Bash
Shield Bash 83.9% · 51.9% WR
Conditioning
Conditioning 83.5% · 51.9% WR
Overgrowth
Overgrowth 81.5% · 51.9% WR
Resolve
Approach Velocity
Approach Velocity 0.1% · 50% WR
Magical Footwear
Magical Footwear
Adaptive Force
Adaptive Force
Health Scaling
Health Scaling
Health
Health

Skill Order

Q
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
W
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
E
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
R
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Win Rate by Elo

Iron Iron 41.02%
Bronze Bronze 45.25%
Silver Silver 45.72%
Gold Gold 47.21%
Platinum Platinum 48.15%
Emerald Emerald 50.19%
Diamond Diamond 50.98%
Master Master 53.53%
Grandmaster Grandmaster 54.29%
Challenger Challenger 54.91%
All Elos All Elos 51.16%

Best Counters and Matchups for Skarner

See all counters for Skarner

Top 5 Counters Against Skarner

Nidalee
47.2% WR -0.8%
Amumu
47.6% WR -0.4%
Zac
48.3% WR -0.1%
Lillia
48.4% WR +0.6%
Kha'Zix
48.8% WR -0.3%

Top 5 Best Matchups for Skarner

Rammus
55.5% WR +10.0%
Quinn
55.3% WR +4.6%
Kindred
55.2% WR +7.3%
Evelynn
55.2% WR +8.2%
Jayce
54.3% WR +4.0%

Patch History

V14.20
  • Threads of Vibration Health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)5% − 9% (based on level) of target's maximum health from Damage mitigated by Master-At-Arms (R)5% − 11% (based on level).
  • Ixtal's Impact Health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)6% of his maximum health from 8%.
V14.18
  • Ixtal's Impact Bug Fix: Stun now properly disables the target's actions.
V14.16
  • Stats Base health increased to 630 from 610. Base attack damage increased to 63 from 60.
  • Shattered Earth Bonus AD ratio increased to Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)80% bonus AD from 60%.
  • Upheaval Bonus AD ratio increased to Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)80% bonus AD from 60%.
V14.15
  • Stats Health growth increased to 110 from 105.
  • Shattered Earth Mana cost reduced to 45 from 50. First empowered attack after casting the ability now declares the automatic basic attack more quickly and smoothly.
  • Ixtal's Impact Removed: Charge no longer collides with targets directly behind him. Collision box is now offset significantly further in front of him. Bug Fix: Champions are no longer able to act during the beginning of the stun.
V14.13
  • Shattered Earth Mana cost increased to 50 from 30. Target health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)10% of target's maximum health from 15%.
  • Upheaval Target health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)10% of target's maximum health from 15%.
V14.12
  • Stats Base health reduced to 610 from 650. Health growth increased to 105 from 102.
  • Threads of Vibration Health ratio changed to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)5% − 11% (based on level) of target's maximum health from Damage mitigated by Master-At-Arms (R)7% − 10% (based on level).
V14.10
  • General Bug Fix: Fixed an issue that caused the base skin's taunt emote to play the SFX from a different skin in the Russian localization.
  • Shattered Earth Mana cost reduced to 30 at all ranks from 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50. Health ratio per hit reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)4% bonus health from 5%. Monster percent health damage cap reduced to 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 / 350 from 150 / 225 / 300 / 375 / 450. Structure damage increased to 100% from 50%.
  • Upheaval Health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)4% bonus health from 5%. Monster percent health damage damage cap reduced to 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 / 350 from 150 / 225 / 300 / 375 / 450. Structure damage increased to 100% from 50%.
  • Ixtal's Impact Health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)8% of his maximum health from 10%.
  • Impale Cast time reduced to 0.65 seconds from 0.75. Removed: No longer grants displacement immunity during the cast time. New Effect: Other abilities can now be buffered during the lockout. Bug Fix: Mark / Dash can no longer be cast during the ability. Bug Fix: No longer unintentionally repeatedly displaces Urgot and Skarner in the direction of Mercy and over large distances, if Mercy is cast while Urgot simultaneously becomes affected by Impale. Both users will now stay at their original location.
V14.9
  • Stats Mana regeneration growth incresed to 0.75 from 0.6.
  • Shattered Earth Base damage per hit reduced to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 from 10 / 25 / 40 / 55 / 70. Total base damage reduced to 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 from 30 / 75 / 120 / 165 / 210. Removed: Empowered attacks against wards or jungle plants no longer refresh the buff duration.
  • Upheaval Base damage reduced to 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 from 10 / 25 / 40 / 55 / 70.
  • Seismic Bastion Slow reduced to 20% at all ranks from 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40%. Shield health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)8% maximum health from 9%.
  • Ixtal's Impact Bug Fix: The user's and the target's model no longer sometimes momentarily stop rendering upon the user or target entering brush. Bug Fix: Now properly triggers Fiora's Riposte's stun condition. Bug Fix: Attached target now properly and consistently and properly collides with thin terrain. Bug Fix: Charge no longer stops if user's spell shield blocks an ability that would cancel it. Bug Fix: No longer quickly and incorrectly flicks the camera in the opposite direction of the charge upon attaching to a target located behind thin terrain. Bug Fix: Wall exit SFX no longer plays later than intended.
  • Impale Bug Fix: User is now properly inhibited from entering a Hex-gate while this ability's effects are active.
  • Sandscourge Skarner Bug Fix: Restored and properly timed multiple SFX.
V14.8 - April 18th Hotfix
  • Threads of Vibration Health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)7% − 10% (based on level) of target's maximum health from Damage mitigated by Master-At-Arms (R)7% − 12% (based on level).
  • Shattered Earth Bonus health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)5% of his bonus health from 6%.
  • Upheaval Bonus health ratio reduced to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)5% of his bonus health from 6%
  • Seismic Bastion Base damage reduced to 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 from 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150.
V14.8
  • Stats Mana growth reduced to 40 from 45. Mana regeneration growth increased to 0.6 from 0.45.
  • Shattered Earth Cast time reduced to 0.35 seconds from 0.5. Boulder duration increased to 5 seconds from 3.5. Base damage per hit increased to 10 / 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 from 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50. Bonus AD ratio per hit increased to Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)60% bonus AD from Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)40% bonus AD. Mana cost reduced to 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50 from 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60.
  • Upheaval Recast timer reduced to 0.5 seconds from 0.75. Base damage increased to 10 / 25 / 40 / 55 / 70 from 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50. Bonus AD ratio increased to Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)60% bonus AD from Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)40% bonus AD. Bug Fix: No longer sometimes fails to cast if used at the same frame as Flash.
  • Seismic Bastion Base damage reduced to 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 from 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180. Mana cost increased to 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 from 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70. Bug Fix: Area no longer has a hole of 100 units' height in an arc in the cast direction. Bug Fix: Area now applies over the correct area after Flash is used during the cast time.
  • Ixtal's Impact Bug Fix: VFX and particles for exiting terrain now trigger at the correct time. Previously, they would trigger with a slight delay after exiting.
  • Impale Bug Fix: Now applies Threads of Vibration to minions and monsters hit.
  • Guardian of the Sands Skarner Updated Recall animation. Bug Fix: Restored shockwave VFX during his taunt animation.
  • Battlecast Alpha Skarner Seismic Bastion Bug Fix: No longer sometimes plays his walk animation instead of Seismic's Bastion cast animation.
V14.7 - April 5th Hotfix
  • Stats Mana growth reduced to 45 from 60.
  • Threads of Vibration Monster damage cap increased to 100 − 300 (based on level) from 75 − 250 (based on level).
  • Shattered Earth Monster damage cap increased to 150 / 225 / 300 / 375 / 450 from 100 / 175 / 250 / 325 / 400.
  • Upheaval Monster damage cap increased to 150 / 225 / 300 / 375 / 450 from 100 / 175 / 250 / 325 / 400.
  • Seismic Bastion Mana cost increased to 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 from 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60.
  • Ixtal's Impact Cooldown reduced to 20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16 seconds from 24 / 22 / 20 / 18 / 16.
V14.7 - Full Relaunch
  • General Title changed to The Primordial Sovereign from The Crystal Vanguard. Visual and audio overhaul for all skins. New splash artwork for Original Skarner, Sandscourge Skarner, Earthrune Skarner, and Battlecast Alpha Skarner Adjusted splash artwork for Guardian of the Sands Skarner and Cosmic Sting Skarner.
  • Stats Attack range increased to 150 from 125. Attack windup increased to 18.75% from 18%. Attack windup modifier increased to 100% (default) from 50%. Health growth increased to 102 from 99. Base health regeneration reduced to 7.5 from 9. Health regeneration growth reduced to 0.75 from 0.85. Base attack damage reduced to 60 from 65. Attack damage growth reduced to 3 from 4.5. Base armor reduced to 33 from 38. Armor growth reduced to 4.8 from 5. Attack speed growth reduced to 2% from 2.01%.
  • Threads of Vibration (Innate) Innate: Skarner's basic attacks on-hit, Shattered Earth, Upheaval, and Impale apply a stack of Quaking to enemies hit for 4 seconds, refreshing on subsequent applications and stacking up to 3 times. Enemies afflicted with 3 stacks take Damage mitigated with Shifting Sands (E)magic damage equal to 「 Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)7% − 12% (based on level) of their maximum health over the duration, capped at 75 − 250 (based on level) per tick against monsters. 」「 Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)0.88% − 1.5% (based on level) of their maximum health every 0.5 seconds over the duration, capped at 9.38 − 31.25 (based on level) against monsters. 」
  • Shattered Earth (Q) Active: Skarner rips a boulder out of the ground, carrying it with his tails to empower up to three of his next basic attacks on-attack within 3.5 seconds to have an uncancelable windup, gain 25 bonus range, grant Champions hit with Martial Cadence (P)20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40% bonus attack speed, and deal 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)(+ 40% bonus AD) Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)(+ 6% of his bonus health) Champions killed from outside standard Attack rangebonus physical damage to the target and surrounding enemies, reduced to 50% against structures. Each attack refreshes the duration. Skarner loses the ability to cast Upheaval if the third attack is used. Shattered Earth's duration is paused during Ixtal's Impact's charge. The third attack ends Shattered Earth to cause Skarner to slam the rock onto the target, dealing Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)15% of each target's maximum health as Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)additional bonus physical damage to enemies hit and slowing them by 40% for 1.25 seconds. The damage based on the target's health ratio is not applied against structures and is capped at 100 / 175 / 250 / 325 / 400 against monsters. Skarner loses the ability to cast Upheaval if the third attack is used. Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 mana. Cooldown: 13 / 11.5 / 10 / 8.5 / 7 seconds. Cast Time: 0.5 seconds, Effect Radius: 300.
  • Upheaval (Q2) Active: Skarner ends Shattered Earth by throwing the boulder he picked up in the target direction, exploding upon colliding with the first enemy hit to deal 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 Champions stunned with Pyromania (P)(+ 40% bonus AD) Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)(+ 6% of his bonus health) Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)(+ 15% of the target's maximum health) Champions killed from outside standard Attack rangephysical damage to enemies in the area and slow them by 40% for 1.25 seconds. Upheaval's explosion can hit structures for 50% damage. The damage based on the target's health ratio is not applied against structures and is capped at 100 / 175 / 250 / 325 / 400 against monsters. Cost: No cost. Cast Time: 0.25 seconds, Range: 1050, Effect Radius: 300, Width: 180, Speed: 1600.
  • Seismic Bastion (W) Active: Skarner slams his claws into the ground, shielding himself equal to Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)9% of his maximum health for 2.5 seconds and releasing a shockwave that quickly expands in a radius around him to deal 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+ 80% AP) Damage mitigated with Shifting Sands (E)magic damage to enemies hit and slow them by 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40% for 1 second. Skarner can move during Seismic Bastion's cast time. Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 mana. Cooldown: 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 seconds. Cast Time: 0.3 seconds, Effect Radius: 600 / 700, Speed: 1650.
  • Ixtal's Impact (E) Active: Skarner charges forward in the direction of the cursor for up to 2.75 seconds, during which he gains slow immunity, becomes ghosted, ignores terrain collision, and has unobstructed vision of the surrounding 650 units. He automatically navigates his movement along the way and is able to steer himself with a slow turn rate that increases over time, resetting upon changing direction. Ixtal's Impact can be recast after 1 second, and does so automatically after the duration. Skarner begins the charge at a static amount of Champions killed 5s before or after using Chronobreak (R)150 movement speed that increases by 100 every 0.25 seconds, up to Champions killed 5s before or after using Chronobreak (R)950 total movement speed by the end of the duration. If Skarner collides with an enemy champion or large monster within 160 units, he grabs them with his claws for the time of the remaining charge, attaching them to himself, suppressing them, revealing them, increasing the charge's turn rate to the maximum, and gaining Champions killed 5s before or after using Chronobreak (R)300 bonus movement speed, with a minimum total of 650 and a maximum total of 1150. While the target is grabbed, they are attached to Skarner in a position that is directly in front of him. If a target has been grabbed before the first 1.75 seconds of the charge, the remaining duration is set to 1 second, and set to 0.5 seconds otherwise. The charge does not ramp up in speed while a target is grabbed. If Skarner's attached target collides with terrain while being held, the charge ends, detaching them from him, dealing 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 Champions killed with Comeuppance (R)(+ 10% of his maximum health) Champions killed from outside standard Attack rangephysical damage, stunning them for 1.5 seconds, and reducing Ixtal's Impact's cooldown by 35%. Recast: Skarner ends Ixtal's Impact. If a target has been grabbed, he detaches them from himself. Ixtal's Impact ends immediately if Skarner becomes immobilized, grounded, or silenced during the charge, detaching the grabbed target. While the target is grabbed, they are attached to Skarner in a position that is directly in front of him. Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 mana. Cooldown: 24 / 22 / 20 / 18 / 16 seconds. Cast Time: None, Collision Radius: 160.
  • Impale (R) Active: Skarner winds up his stingers over the cast time, during which he is displacement immune, then lashes them forward in an isosceles trapezoid in the target direction, dealing 150 / 250 / 350 (+ 100% AP) Damage mitigated with Shifting Sands (E)magic damage to all enemies hit and impaling up to 3 of the closest enemy champions within the area to suppress them for 1.5 seconds. While suppressed, the targets are revealed and attached to Skarner 300 units in front of him. If Skarner successfully impales at least one enemy champion, he gains Champions killed 5s before or after using Chronobreak (R)40% bonus movement speed for the same duration. If Impale is cast during Shattered Earth, Skarner automatically casts Upheaval over no cast time and in the direction of Impale's cast. Targets are placed 200 units in the same direction at the end of the effect. Cost: 100 mana. Cooldown: 120 / 105 / 90 seconds. Cast Time: 0.75 seconds, Range: -50 - 625, Width: 350 / 200.

Recommended build

What players actually run on Skarner on the current patch: summoner spells, skill priority, starting, core and late items, runes and skill order.

Every entry comes with its pick rate (how often it is chosen) and, where available, its win rate. For runes, Most Played is the page the majority takes and Best WR the variant that wins most among those with enough games: when they differ, the second is usually the sharper choice, the first the safer one.

Win rate by elo

Skarner's win rate in each rank tier, from Iron to Challenger, plus all tiers combined.

A champion that climbs with rank is usually one that rewards mechanics or game knowledge; one that peaks in low elo is often easy to pick up and punished by better players. Read the tier you play in, not the average. Tiers with no data for this patch are hidden.

Counters and matchups

A preview of the counters page: the five opponents Skarner struggles against the most, and the five it beats most often, on the current patch.

Percentages are Skarner's own win rate in each duel, with the gap to its overall win rate. The full lists, with every matchup that has enough games, are on the counters page linked below each table.

Patch history

Balance changes that touched Skarner, patch by patch, most recent first, as published in the official patch notes.

The ten latest patches are shown, the older ones fold out. Use it to read the win rate movements above: a jump right after a patch is usually a buff or a nerf, not a change in how people play the champion.