Hwei, Mage / Support
Hwei, the Visionary, is a Mage and Support champion in League of Legends. Everything below comes from Riot's Data Dragon for patch 16.21.1: ability text, base stats and Riot's tips. Counters and matchups by class are worked out from that text, and each one shows its reason.
Playing as Hwei
Riot's own tips
Calm down, breathe, and focus.
Each stroke requires precision and intention.
Playing against Hwei
Riot's own tips
Hwei needs to predict your positioning and take time to cast, catch him by surprise.
Hwei's lightning is deadly but slow; it deals more damage when you are alone or unable to move.
After Hwei paints a Torment spell he is vulnerable to being rushed down.
What the kit does
Analysis read from Riot's ability text. Each line shows the words it rests on.
RSoft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)Spiraling Despair: "painting that slows and damages"
PExecute or low-health damageSignature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch"
- PArea damage
Signature of the Visionary: "damage to all enemies in range"
Hwei's abilities
Riot's own text and preview clip for each ability, from Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Pick an ability and its clip plays here, muted.
PPassive
Signature of the Visionary
Hwei primes enemy champions he damages with his abilities for his signature finishing touch. Hitting an enemy with a second damaging spell completes his signature, leaving it beneath them. The signature detonates after a short delay, dealing magic damage to all enemies in range.
Effects in the text
Subject: Disaster
Hwei envisions a series of disasters, allowing him to paint a devastating blow. This ability replaces Hwei's abilities with damaging abilities: Devastating Fire, Severing Bolt, and Molten Fissure.
WW
Subject: Serenity
Hwei envisions a series of serenities, allowing him to paint invigorating settings. This ability replaces Hwei's abilities with utility abilities: Fleeting Current, Pool of Reflection, and Stirring Lights.
EE
Subject: Torment
Hwei envisions a series of torments, allowing him to paint controlling visages. This ability replaces Hwei's abilities with crowd control abilities: Grim Visage, Gaze of the Abyss, and Crushing Maw.
RR
Spiraling Despair
Hwei paints a vision of pure despair. The first enemy champion struck becomes the center of an expanding painting that slows and damages nearby enemies. The vision explodes after reaching its maximum size or when the champion dies.
Effects in the text
Items and runes that fit Hwei
Riot publishes no builds and this page invents none. Below: completed items ranked by how many of the stats Hwei's kit uses they give (ability power (AP) first), the runes whose official text matches the kit, and picks for each enemy type. A fit, not a strength ranking. No win rates.
Closest stat fit
Editorial estimateCompleted items ranked by how many of the stats Hwei's kit uses they give. A fit, not a verdict: Riot publishes no builds and no win rates.
Cryptbloom3,000- +75 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +30% Magic Penetrationits damage is magic
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Actualizer2,800- +90 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +300 Manaits resource is mana
- +10 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Archangel's Staff2,900- +70 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +25 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Blackfire Torch2,800- +80 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Luden's Echo2,750- +100 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +10 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Malignance2,700- +90 Ability PowerHwei scales with it
- +600 Manaits resource is mana
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
More items with the same stat 29
Bloodletter's Curse2,900 gold
Cosmic Drive3,000 gold
Dusk and Dawn3,100 gold
Echoes of Helia2,200 gold
Hextech Rocketbelt2,650 gold
Horizon Focus2,700 gold
Imperial Mandate2,400 gold
Lich Bane2,900 gold
Moonstone Renewer2,200 gold
Morellonomicon2,850 gold
Nashor's Tooth2,900 gold
Redemption2,300 gold
Riftmaker3,100 gold
Shadowflame3,200 gold
Shurelya's Battlesong2,200 gold
Staff of Flowing Water2,250 gold
Stormsurge2,800 gold
Void Staff3,000 gold
Rod of Ages2,600 gold
Ardent Censer2,200 gold
Banshee's Veil3,000 gold
Dawncore2,500 gold
Guinsoo's Rageblade3,000 gold
Hextech Gunblade3,000 gold
Liandry's Torment3,000 gold
Rabadon's Deathcap3,500 gold
Rylai's Crystal Scepter2,600 gold
Statikk Shiv3,000 gold
Zhonya's Hourglass3,250 goldBoots
Rune fits
Editorial estimateRunes whose official text matches the most things Hwei's kit does. Each line shows the words it rests on.
AftershockResolve, Keystone · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Spiraling Despair: "painting that slows and damages"
Arcane CometSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 1- It deals damage with abilities: Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"
Deathfire TouchSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 1- It deals damage with abilities: Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"
Manaflow BandSorcery · Matches: 2- It deals damage with abilities: Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"
- It uses mana: Mana
Approach VelocityInspiration · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Spiraling Despair: "painting that slows and damages"
Cheap ShotDomination · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Spiraling Despair: "painting that slows and damages"
Against each enemy type
Editorial estimateSituational picks, counted from what the champions of each class do in Riot's Data Dragon. Swap a slot when the enemy team has several of that class.
Tanks
Anti-heal 25 of 46 heal or sustain
Cleanse or tenacity 20 of 46 have two or more hard CC abilities
To cut through them Tanks stack armor and magic resist; these items give magic penetration.
Fighters
Anti-heal 40 of 60 heal or sustain
Armor 38 of 60 deal physical damage only
Assassins
Anti-heal 24 of 46 heal or sustain
Armor 23 of 46 deal physical damage only
Mages
Magic resist 52 of 74 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 30 of 74 heal or sustain
Marksmen
Armor 14 of 33 deal physical damage only
Supports
Magic resist 35 of 42 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 19 of 42 heal or sustain
Counted from the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. These are counts of champions, not win rates.
Rune trees
Lit runes: their official text matches something Hwei's kit does (Analysis). Select a rune to read why.
Precision2 lit
Domination3 lit
Sorcery7 lit
Resolve2 lit
Inspiration3 lit
Matchups by class
Hwei against each class of champion, counted from the official ability text. Choose a class or a lane to narrow it down.
Against all 172 champions: 18 ahead, 37 even, 117 behind. Each class is read against that, so check the best and toughest tags too.
Against Tanks
Weak5 ahead · 7 even · 34 behind of 46
- Your damage is magic only, so they can stack magic resist against you.
- They can lock you down: you have few ways out.
What to do: A risky pick into tanks. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.
Against Fighters
Weak8 ahead · 12 even · 40 behind of 60
- They can dive onto your squishy back line.
- They can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts your burst.
What to do: A risky pick into fighters. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.
Against Assassins
WeakToughest class
1 ahead · 7 even · 38 behind of 46
- They can dive onto your squishy back line.
- They can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts your burst.
What to do: A risky pick into assassins. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.
Against Mages
Weak5 ahead · 23 even · 46 behind of 74
- They can lock you down: you have few ways out.
- They can avoid damage for a moment, which blunts your burst.
What to do: A risky pick into mages. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.
Against Marksmen
EvenBest class
9 ahead · 10 even · 14 behind of 33
- You have early pressure while they need time to scale.
- They can dive onto your squishy back line.
What to do: Neither side has a clear edge over marksmen. Execution and the team around you decide it.
Against Supports
Weak0 ahead · 11 even · 31 behind of 42
- Your damage is magic only, so they can stack magic resist against you.
- They can lock you down: you have few ways out.
What to do: A risky pick into supports. Wait for the enemy draft before you lock it, or pick it with a team that covers the gap.
Source: Nexus Lab rules over the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. Each champion of the class is compared with Hwei one by one; the counts come from those rules, not from match results, so they are not win rates. Strong, even and weak compare the number of champions ahead and behind. Lanes are the lanes each class usually plays (Riot ships no lane data per champion), not play rates.
Building against Hwei
Analysis: answers to what Hwei's own kit does.
Hwei deals magic damage only, so magic resist pays off. Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"
Picks that can punish Hwei
Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text.
Yasuo
Counters youYasuo has hard CC (Steel Tempest: "whirlwind that knocks Airborne") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
2 more reasons
Yasuo can dive in (Sweeping Blade: "Dashes through target") on Hwei, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Mage role).
Yasuo can block projectiles (Wind Wall: "wall that blocks all enemy projectiles for"), and Hwei relies on ranged skillshots (Mage role).
Maokai
Counters youMaokai has hard CC (Bramble Smash: "Maokai knocks back nearby") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
2 more reasons
Maokai can avoid damage for a moment (Twisted Advance: "becoming untargetable and dashing"), and Hwei relies on burst (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch").
Hwei deals only magic damage (Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"), so Maokai can stack magic resist (Tank role) against it.
Fizz
Counters youFizz can dive in (Urchin Strike: "Fizz dashes through his") on Hwei, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Mage role).
2 more reasons
Fizz has hard CC (Chum the Waters: "knocking up the") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
Fizz can avoid damage for a moment (Playful / Trickster: "and becoming untargetable"), and Hwei relies on burst (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch").
Watch out: Hwei clears waves more easily (Signature of the Visionary: "damage to all enemies in range") and can push the lane against Fizz.
Pantheon
Counters youPantheon can dive in (Shield Vault: "Pantheon dashes to a") on Hwei, a squishy ranged champion with no hard CC to stop it (Mage role).
2 more reasons
Pantheon has hard CC (Shield Vault: "damaging and stunning them") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
Pantheon can avoid damage for a moment (Aegis Assault: "becoming invulnerable to damage"), and Hwei relies on burst (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch").
Watch out: Hwei clears waves more easily (Signature of the Visionary: "damage to all enemies in range") and can push the lane against Pantheon.
Taric
Counters youTaric has hard CC (Dazzle: "damage and stuns enemies") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
2 more reasons
Hwei deals only magic damage (Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"), so Taric can stack magic resist (Bastion: "Passively increase the Armor of Taric") against it.
Taric can avoid damage for a moment (Cosmic Radiance: "making them invulnerable for a"), and Hwei relies on burst (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch").
Watch out: Hwei clears waves more easily (Signature of the Visionary: "damage to all enemies in range") and can push the lane against Taric.
Leona
Counters youLeona has hard CC (Shield of Daybreak: "damage and stunning the target") to catch Hwei, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
1 more reason
Hwei deals only magic damage (Signature of the Visionary: "dealing magic damage to all"), so Leona can stack magic resist (Eclipse: "shield to gain Damage Reduction, Armor, and Magic Resist") against it.
Who Hwei is good against
The same rules, read the other way.
Kindred
You pressureHwei has burst or execute damage (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch") that can kill before Kindred's healing (Wolf's Frenzy: "next attack restores health") matters.
Gangplank
You pressureHwei has burst or execute damage (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch") that can kill before Gangplank's healing (Remove Scurvy: "effects and restore Health") matters.
Garen
You pressureHwei has burst or execute damage (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch") that can kill before Garen's healing (Perseverance: "he regenerates a percentage") matters.
Gwen
You pressureHwei has burst or execute damage (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch") that can kill before Gwen's healing (A Thousand Cuts: "She heals for a") matters.
Illaoi
You pressureHwei has burst or execute damage (Signature of the Visionary: "his signature finishing touch") that can kill before Illaoi's healing (Prophet of an Elder God: "and will heal Illaoi if") matters.
Counter picks are Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on. They are not win rates, and no League of Legends matchup list has been reviewed by hand yet.
Official story
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Champion video guide
Video by 3 Minute League of Legends · Watch on YouTube The player loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.
Measured numbers
Numbers published or counted by a named source. Each row names the source and the patch.
| Stat | Level 1 | Per level | Level 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 580 | +109 | 2433 |
| Mana | 480 | +30 | 990 |
| Armor | 21 | +4.7 | 100.9 |
| Magic resist | 30 | +1.3 | 52.1 |
| Attack damage | 54 | - | 54 |
| Attack speed | 0.69 | +2.5% | 0.983 |
| Attack range | 550 | - | 550 |
| Move speed | 330 | - | 330 |
| Health regen per 5 seconds | 5.5 | +0.55 | 14.85 |
| Mana regen per 5 seconds | 7.5 | +0.75 | 20.25 |
Riot data Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Level 18 is calculated from Riot's growth formula on the same numbers.
Editorial estimates
Our reading of the data. These are not measured rates and they change when the rules or the data change.
- Counter picks
- 6 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Good against
- 5 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Typical lanes
- Mid, Support Editorial estimateLanes of the class; Riot ships no lane data per champion
- Best class (relative)
- Marksmen Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
- Toughest class (relative)
- Assassins Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
What no source gives us
- Win rate, pick rate and ban rate. Riot publishes none we may print (the Riot API cards are switched off) and no third-party statistics site is read, so none is shown.
- Popular builds. Riot publishes no builds: the items and runes in Build & Runes are a fit to the kit, not a popularity ranking.
Sources
- Riot Games Data DragonOpen
Names, ratings, base stats, ability text, cooldowns, costs, range, items, runes and art.
Patch 16.21.1, file generated 2026-10-26 - Riot ability preview clips
Played from Riot's own server when you press play; never copied here.
Each clip checked with a request before it is offered - League of Legends WikiOpen
Release dates and skin prices in RP (CC BY-SA).
Committed data, see the skins page - Nexus Lab rules
Counters, matchups by class, item and rune fit: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on.
Patch 16.21.1 - Riot UniverseOpen
The official story of Hwei (a link, nothing copied).
