Teemo is one of the
most annoying champions in the game, but he's also a relatively easy champion to counter. The reason why most players have a problem with his play style is because he's a
lane bully. You can try trading with him but he can kill you even after he dies, especially during the early game phase with his poison ticks.
So how the heck do you counter him?
Start the Game Right: Choose a Champion that Counters Teemo
Let me start by saying that if you choose Nasus, you're going to have a bad time.
Now that we have that clear, below are the types of champions that can beat Teemo during the laning phase:
Yorick
You think Teemo is annoying? The only person that can possibly beat Teemo's harass is Yorick. If you choose Yorick you can just summon auto-attacking ghosts on Teemo and laugh as he hobbles away.
Pantheon
Pantheon's passive plus his
reliable CC and his
DPS makes him a nightmare for Teemo players. Pantheons eat Teemo for dinner! All you have to do is be careful about the first couple of levels until you get your stun and your spear flurry skill.
Cooperate with your jungler since your stun can lock-in guaranteed kills.
Jayce
The
overpowered missile-speed ball of "OMFG" makes Jayce a good opponent against Teemo players. He can also go either melee or ranged mode so it's easy for him to be strong from all distances. His CC is also valuable, and since he has strong skills, he doesn't necessarily have to worry about Teemo's blind.
Rumble
Rumble can get harassed a bit by Teemo if you're not careful, so make sure you
position yourself correctly so that you can trade blows with an aggressive Teemo. Your cone of fire reaches far enough to singe the little bastard if he gets too close for comfort. You could also shoot your electric missiles to increase your damage output. If you aim everything correctly you can
always win trades with Teemo, and you can use your shield to laugh as the poison doesn't kill you.
The WRONG Champions to Choose Against Teemo
Below are the worst champions to pick against Teemo. Don't choose these champions!
Tryndamere
Not only is Tryndamere a melee character with a
horrible early game phase (incoming harass!), but his ultimate, which would normally frustrate the majority of players, is
absolutely garbage against Teemo. Teemo's blind dart lasts an absurdly long time, and that gives Teemo enough time to dodge the majority of your hits, use his speed buff to get away from you, and then continue his onslaught from a distance.
Even if you do manage to kill him, his poison will kill you after your ultimate runs out. Yikes!
Garen
I've seen Garens kill Teemo players before, but if a Garen player and a Teemo player had the same skill level, then Teemo will always win.
Why? Because Garen is a traditional melee-range champion. He is a deadly player during the beginning phase and his spin-to-win is annoying, but
Teemo can easily keep his distance and
harass Garen's massive HP and then dive in for the kill. Garen also has not reliable CC whatsoever except for a silence that can be avoided due to Teemo's speed boost.
Darius
Darius's weaknesses are a lot like Garen's, except he's in a
worse spot against Teemo. Unlike Garen, Darius is
slow as hell and does not have any
speed boosts. This allows Teemo to dance around him as he tries to catch up. Teemo's speed boost also allows him to get away quickly if Darius's pull makes it in.
Did I mention he's a melee-ranged champion?
Singed
Unlike a lot of other traditional melee-ranged characters that are hack and slash, Singed's gameplay is a little different. In some ways, this different gameplay makes him
one of the worst picks to play against a good Teemo player.
The reason is because he needs to put himself in
dangerous positions in order to do anything. In order to kill a minion wave, he needs to drag his poison clouds over all the minions. While he's doing this, Teemo can
easily chop down his HP with his poisonous darts. This is especially deadly during the early game phase when Singed doesn't have much defensive items.
Beating Teemo during the Laning Phase
Whatever champion you choose, it all comes down to being the
smarter player. If you can outwit Teemo and predict his actions, you can beat a good Teemo no matter what champion you are using. Of course, it's better if you choose the champions that work best against Teemo instead of the harder-to-use melee champions.
Below are some tips to help you come out on top as the winner when fighting against Teemo.
Use a Pink Ward in the River Bush
Usually Teemo mushrooms are placed all over the bush by the river. This allows to Teemo to harass you easily and safely while having enough time to run away if your Jungler gets caught by a mushroom. A Pink ward is a small investment but it can save you
a lot of time and frustration when dealing with an enemy Teemo.
If for some reason your enemy Teemo also buys a Pink ward to counter-pink your ward,
use that opportunity to have your Jungler gank while he's in the river. You approach Teemo from the top while your Jungler approaches Teemo from the bottom. Can you say insta-dead?
Never fight Teemo with Less than 25% HP
For some reason people always forget that even if you do kill Teemo, the poison ticks lasts for quite a long time and they can kill you!
If you are finding that you are nearing 25% HP, use that time to go back. It's best to lose a few minion gold and port back to be safe than to die to Teemo, lose even more minion gold, and perhaps a Tower in the process.
Have your Jungler prioritize Top Lane
Most Teemo players will not buy green wards because they are working for Level 6 to have their free mushroom wards. Use that opportunity to
continuously gank Teemo and get him farther and farther behind. Teemo is horribly squishy and it doesn't take more than a little coordination to kill Teemo. In addition, he can get very far behind because he doesn't have good farming abilities apart from his mushroom. And, if he does use his mushroom to clear minions, that means there's less vision in the river, and more chances to gank him so he gets even more behind.
Don't listen to his laugh
There's a reason why Teemo is unofficially the most annoying champion in the game. His high voice and laugh makes him one of the most irritating runts in any game I have ever played. If you're feeling a little intimidated by Teemo and if the enemy player is taunting you with it, just take a deep breath and ignore it. You'd be surprised how many people fall for the provocations and die.
If you follow these tips and choose the right champions, you can mop the floor with Teemo. Good luck and happy Leaguing!