Alistar is the quintessential all-in engage support. Your kit is built around one brutal combo — Headbutt into Pulverize — that locks enemies down for over 1.5 seconds with zero counterplay. Add Unbreakable Will and you have one of the most durable supports in the game. The goal is simple: punish positioning mistakes hard and transition that lane dominance into winning teamfights.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Triumphant Roar
Passive
Alistar charges his roar by stunning or displacing enemy champions or when nearby enemies die. When fully charged he heals himself all nearby allied champions.
Triumphant Roar charges whenever you CC an enemy or an ally dies nearby — activate it to heal yourself and allies. Keep the charge ready in fights.
Q
Pulverize
AoE · Knockup
Alistar smashes the ground, dealing damage to nearby enemies and tossing them into the air.
CD: 14/13/12/11/10 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Pulverize is best used AFTER Headbutt to keep the enemy in place. Using Q first telegraphs the combo and gives them time to react.
W
Headbutt
Dash · Knockback
Alistar rams a target with his head, dealing damage and knocking the target back.
CD: 14/13/12/11/10 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Headbutt can push enemies into towers, walls, or your team. Aim carefully — a bad W can knock enemies to safety. Use Flash before W for surprise range.
E
Trample
AoE · Stomp · Heal
Alistar tramples nearby enemy units, ignoring unit collision and gaining stacks if he damages an enemy champion. At full stacks Alistar's next basic attack against an enemy champion deals additional magic damage and stuns them.
CD: 12/11.5/11/10.5/10 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Trample's stomp stacks build up with each AoE pulse. Fully stacked Trample interrupts channels. Great for canceling Baron/Dragon grabs or Katarina R.
R
Unbreakable Will
Self-Buff · Damage Reduction
Alistar lets out a wild roar, removing all crowd control effects on himself, and reducing incoming physical and magical damage for the duration.
CD: 120/100/80 · Cost: 100
Unbreakable Will removes all CC on activation and massively reduces incoming damage. Pop it BEFORE you get bursted, not after — it doesn't remove effects already applied.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then W, then Q · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take W — engage and displacement tool from level 1 | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — combo unlocked, W+Q is your first CC chain | ||||
| 3 | Take E — AoE stomp for trading and passive healing | ||||
| 4 | Level E — more stomp damage and heal | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Unbreakable Will unlocked, you are now nearly unkillable | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level W — lower cooldown on your engage | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Start leveling Q — lower CD on knockup | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level Q | ||||
| 18 | Q maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Relic Shield
Generates gold through last-hitting with W or Q poke. Provides early HP sustain for an aggressive playstyle.
400g
Health Potion
Lane sustain for early aggressive trades.
50g
Core Build
Locket of the Iron Solari
Shields your entire team before a fight. Pairs perfectly with your engage to keep everyone alive in the initiation.
3190g
Mobility Boots
Lets you roam, get into position for flanks, and reach your W target faster. Core on engage supports.
1000g
Shurelya's Battlesong
Active speed boost helps your team follow up after your W+Q combo. Makes engages far more reliable.
2500g
Knight's Vow
Redirect damage to yourself from your carry. Combined with R, you are effectively invincible while protecting them.
2300g
Situational
Thornmail
Grievous Wounds on every Q/E hit. Essential when the enemy team has heavy healing.
2700g
Warmog's Armor
Massive HP pool that regenerates out of combat. Lets you stay on the map longer between fights.
3000g
Frozen Heart
Attack speed aura debuff. Great vs heavy auto-attack comps and provides strong armor.
2500g
Start Relic Shield to scale your item generation. Rush Locket for teamfight shields, then Shurelya's for engage follow-up. Knight's Vow ties everything together by protecting your carry.
Frostfire Core
Frostfire Gauntlet
Empowered auto attack slows enemies caught by your W+Q combo. Adds a third slow to your CC chain making escapes impossible.
3200g
Mobility Boots
Roaming and positioning speed.
1000g
Locket of the Iron Solari
Shield for your team during the engage. Never skip this item.
3190g
Warmog's Armor
More HP means more Frostfire aura size. You become an immovable object.
3000g
Frostfire path is for a slower, more methodical engage style. Better in extended fights where you can proc the slowing field repeatedly.
Runes
Resolve Primary
Aftershock
Triggers on W+Q combo — grants huge resistances and then explodes for AoE damage. Makes you nearly invulnerable during your engage window.
Font of Life
Your Q, W, and E CC marks enemies — every ally hitting them heals. Strong passive healing during extended fights.
Conditioning
Free armor and MR scaling at 12 minutes. Alistar already has strong base stats — this makes him even harder to kill.
Unflinching
Tenacity and slow resist when below 50% HP. Keeps you in fights long enough to finish off priority targets.
Inspiration Secondary
Biscuit Delivery
Early sustain lets you be aggressive in lane without running out of mana. Alistar is mana-hungry early.
Cosmic Insight
Summoner spell and item CDR. Flash faster means more W+Q combos.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Alistar
01
Early Game
Establish Lane Dominance with W+Q
- The W+Q combo is your bread and butter — Headbutt an enemy into your ADC and immediately Pulverize to keep them in knockup range. Practice the input buffer so Q fires instantly after W lands.
- Flash + W is a longer-range surprise engage. When the enemy doesn't expect your all-in, flash toward them and W immediately for an extended knockback into your team.
- In lane, poke with E (Trample) when enemies step close. Each stomp stacks the passive, which procs full CC immunity on the Trample stack-up. This forces enemies to respect your position.
- Level 2 all-in is extremely strong. If you hit W+Q at level 2, that's a near-instant kill with your ADC's follow-up. Look for the level 2 power play if the enemy pushes early.
- Buy Control Ward every back and keep it in the tri-bush or river pixel bush. Your engage from those angles is devastating and vision control lets you find them first.
02
Mid Game
Roam and Create Picks
- After completing Locket, look to roam mid. Your W can displace the midlaner into your jungle or under your tower for a free kill — this is one of the strongest mid roams in the game.
- Set up for Dragon fights by warding the pit at 4:00 and looking for a pick on the enemy jungler with your W+Q. If they die, contest Dragon immediately.
- In skirmishes, always engage on the carry first. Headbutt the ADC or APC into your team, Q, then stay on them. Your E stomp does continuous chip damage while they're knocked up.
- Activate R proactively when you take a bad trade — don't wait until you're at 10% HP. R used early in a fight means you absorb more damage for your team.
- Keep river warded at all times. Your engage threat deters the enemy from crossing, and vision lets you predict where the enemy jungler will be for counter-engage.
03
Late Game
Anchor Teamfights with Engage
- In teamfights, your priority is to isolate and CC the enemy carry. W them into your team, Q, then stand on them with E. If they survive the combo, auto-attack with Trample stacks for the interrupt.
- Use Shurelya's active the moment you land W+Q — the speed boost helps your entire team collapse on the locked-down target before the enemy team can react.
- Locket should be activated BEFORE you engage, not after. Pop the shield on your team as you walk in so they enter the fight with a buffer against burst damage.
- Never engage into a Morgana with Black Shield up — wait for it to be on cooldown. Same with QSS users — if they have cleanse, engage onto someone else and let them waste it.
- Peel for your carry if the enemy sends multiple assassins. Your W can throw an assassin away from your ADC, and Q immediately after creates a safe bubble around your backline.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Alistar
Alistar's teamfight revolves around creating chaos with W+Q. The combo's 1.5+ second CC window is a death sentence for any squishy carry. Everything else — R, E, Locket — keeps you in the fight long enough to keep causing problems.
1
Pre-Fight — Find the Flank Angle
Before engage
01
Position in the side brush or fog of war before the fight starts. Your W range is short — you need to be close before you commit.
02
Identify your W target. The enemy ADC or APC is always priority #1. Never W the tank into your team.
03
Activate Locket BEFORE engaging. Pop the shield on your team as you walk in so they enter buffered against burst.
Check for Morgana's Black Shield before committing. If the carry has it, W a different target or wait for the shield to expire.
2
Engage — Execute the W+Q Combo
Fight opening
01
Flash + W for surprise range if enemies are playing safely. The gap close is instant and they have zero reaction time.
02
Q immediately after W lands. Input buffer the Q — press it the frame W connects so the knockup fires instantly. This keeps the target locked in place.
03
Activate Shurelya's right after Q lands to give your team the speed boost they need to collapse on the knocked-up target.
04
Pop R immediately if you're taking heavy return damage. Unbreakable Will keeps you alive through the counter-engage.
3
Aftermath — Stay Alive and CC More
Mid-fight
01
Keep E active after landing. Every stomp pulse deals damage and stacks toward a channel interrupt. Stay on the carry as long as possible.
02
Second W can peel for your carry. If an enemy assassin dives your backline, W them away and immediately Q to keep them away from your ADC.
03
Save Triumphant Roar charges to heal yourself when low — each CC you land charges it, so active fighting gives you free sustain.
Trample at full stacks interrupts channels — use this to stop Katarina R, Malzahar R, Warwick R, and other channeled ultimates.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Alistar.
Basic
W then Q, Never Q then W
Pulverize (Q) first signals the combo and lets enemies dash away before Headbutt (W) lands. Always Headbutt first to push them where you want, then knockup with Q to hold them in place.
Basic
Use R Before You're Low
Unbreakable Will is wasted if you activate it at 10% HP — you're already dead. Pop it when you take the first burst of damage (around 60% HP) to maximize the damage reduction window.
Intermediate
Flash W Surprise Engage
Flash toward the enemy carry, then immediately W. This bypasses the normal W range and lets you engage from an angle the enemy couldn't predict. The window between Flash and W is nearly instant.
Intermediate
Headbutt Into Wall for Tower Kill
Headbutt enemies into your tower or into walls. A target pushed against a wall takes the knockback but barely moves, keeping them in tower range much longer than a clean knockback.
Advanced
Trample Channel Interrupt
Trample's fully-stacked proc is a hard CC that interrupts channeled abilities. Stack Trample by auto-attacking or being near enemies, then time the proc on Katarina, Malzahar, Fiddle, or Warwick ultimates.
Basic
Always Carry a Control Ward
Buy a Control Ward every time you back. Place it in the tri-bush or the river pixel bush to give yourself surprise-engage angles the enemy doesn't expect.
Intermediate
Roam Mid with W
Your W+Q on a mid laner walking up is often a free kill. After pushing the wave in bot, walk mid and look for a W displacement into your midlaner's damage. Enemy midlaners never respect Alistar's roam range.
Advanced
Locket Timing Is Everything
Locket's shield is most valuable BEFORE damage is dealt, not after. Activate it as you walk into the fight — shielded allies absorb the first burst wave which prevents one-shots on your carries.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Alistar struggles against champions who can negate his engage or disengage easily. He dominates passive enchanters who can't punish him before he lands his combo.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Blitzcrank's hook range far exceeds Alistar's W range. He can grab your ADC before you can W+Q and his knockup (E) can interrupt your combo setup. His silence field punishes your grouped engage.
Stay out of hook range and keep a minion wall between you and Blitzcrank. Avoid the level 2 all-in — he wins it clean.
Leona out-engages you at every stage of the game. Her E+Q is faster to execute than your W+Q and she has more resistances from W. Extended fights favor Leona's passive damage on your team.
Match her aggression only when you have level advantage. Play for counter-engage — let her E in and then W+Q her into your team.
Nautilus hooks from far outside your W range and his passive roots anyone he autos. His ult tracks your carry across the screen. He can engage before you and has similar durability.
Play passively pre-6. Your W+Q can counter-engage after his hook. Focus on lane sustain and outscale him with better teamfight.
Wins Against
Soraka has no escape and no hard engage. Your W+Q combo is an immediate death sentence for her. She cannot prevent your engage and her silence (E) comes after you've already landed the CC.
W+Q Soraka first in every fight. She has global healing on R — kill her before the fight extends to neutralize it.
While Janna's R can disengage, her Q shield cannot prevent the initial W+Q impact. She has low HP and dies quickly once CCed. Her disengage is reactive — you can bait it with W and wait for Q.
Bait Janna's R by engaging when it's on cooldown. Track the CD and commit your all-in only when her disengage is unavailable.
Sona is one of the squishiest supports in the game with no real escape. She relies on staying out of range, but your W closes that gap instantly. One W+Q combo and she's dead.
Zone Sona off minions by threatening W. She's afraid of your combo and will play scared all lane — use that to deny her gold.
Yuumi is untargetable while attached but must detach to place her ultimate. When she's off her host, she's a free target for W+Q. Killing the host champion forces her to detach.
Always focus the host champion Yuumi is attached to. When the host dies or Yuumi detaches, immediately W+Q her for a free kill.