Dr. Mundo is a popular pick in the top lane thanks to his ability to scale and become an unkillable force later in the game.
Mundo is also one of the simplest champions in the game. Abilities cost Mundo some of his health, but the champion has increased health regeneration as a passive and with his ultimate ability Sadism. Given this, Mundo players are almost always going to build the champion as a full tank, and if able to get a lead Mundo can quickly become a huge problem. Despite health being the main build focus for Mundo, the champion can deal impressive damage with his abilities once he has adequate health making him a huge problem.
Here are the best counter picks to stop Mundo from getting out of control in the top lane.
General strategy
There are a few ways to counter Mundo, but the best of these is to get in the champion’s face early. If you can poke Mundo down and reduce the farm he can secure, the lane will be much more difficult for Mundo. As his abilities cost health, it’s unlikely Mundo will choose to duel early in the game, but be wary to doge incoming cleavers as multiple of these will wear down the health of any champion.
Cleavers are a big part of Mundo’s offense since not only do they deal damage, they also grant Mundo a small amount of health upon hitting their target. If you can avoid these, it may deter Mundo from engaging further.
As the game progresses, Mundo will deal substantially more damage when on low health. With the healing abilities of his ultimate, this can be used to bait players into an exchange. Be wary of taking on Mundo unless you have adequate health to take the fight.
Champions
Jayce
Jayce is an excellent pick against Mundo given his kit’s versatility that allows him to switch from melee to ranged. Early in the game, Jayce can deter Mundo from farming by poking with ranged basic attacks as well as landing shock blasts from a distance. On the other side of things, if Mundo attempts to close the distance and duel with Jayce, switching back to Mercury Hammer will give Jayce a range of melee abilities that should be capable of dealing critical damage or taking down Mundo early in the game.
As with most Mundo matchups, taking Ignite is going to be a key to success at all stages of the game, but especially early before Mundo has built items. Not only does Ignite deal damage over time that can help Jayce win in close duels, it reduces Mundo’s healing, which is one of the key factors the champion needs to win exchanges.
If you can take the lead early and bully Mundo away from the farm using Jayce’s wide array of abilities, this matchup can be easy. Again, dodging Mundo’s cleavers must be a priority as these will lead to Mundo having the upper hand in duels.
Tryndamere
Another great choice against Mundo is Tryndamere. With the ability to heal himself, Tryndamere can outduel Mundo early and bully him away from farm. Dodging cleavers is key for this matchup. Not only will this force Mundo to give up some of his health for nothing, this will allow Tryndamere to farm freely with the upper hand. If Mundo approaches, it can be useful to wait until he uses Masochism that grants bonus damage on his next melee attack. If you can time this being used, it will open a window to deal free damage immediately after.
With Tryndamere’s kit, it can be easy to all-in Mundo early in the game once level six has been hit or sometimes even early and secure kills. Later in the game once Mundo has had the chance to build items, this matchup becomes substantially more difficult.
Ignite hinders Mundo’s healing abilities, and paired with Tryndamere’s dueling sustain granted by his ultimate, will make it substantially easier to wear down Mundo as he tries to out heal damage with his ultimate.
Wukong
Wukong offers a great playstyle to counter Mundo. A key to this matchup is to bait the cleavers using Warrior Trickster and cloning to evade. Like the previous champions mentioned Wukong can get ahead early in this matchup by bullying Mundo away with Crushing Blow.
Early in the game, Wukong will have the ability to takedown Mundo if the opportunity arises. As is standard, the best way to engage is with Nimbus Strike and immediately popping Crushing Blow for extra damage. If the player can get multiple early takedowns on Mundo and establish a clear gold lead, it becomes increasingly difficult for Mundo to recover.
Items to build into Dr. Mundo
Executioner’s Calling
This is a cheap item that will be useful in the early stages of the game. This 800-gold item will inflict targets with Grievous Wounds, hindering their healing abilities for a short amount of time. With Mundo relying on his healing during duels, this is a powerful tool to utilize early in the matchup.
Blade of the Ruined King
Blade of the Ruined King is a powerful weapon against Mundo thanks to its passive that grants bonus damage equal to a percentage of the target’s overall health. With Mundo relying so heavily on health to build his offense, this item is effective.
Thornmail
Building armor can be helpful for many top lane champions. But in the matchup against Mundo, the best armor item to build is Thornmail. On top of its health and armor stat increases, it also boasts a unique passive that will inflict Mundo with Grievous Wounds when he attacks, reducing his healing.
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