Who to play with Darius — best team synergies

Your own card says they disengage the moment Hemorrhage (P) climbs toward five stacks: after Unstoppable Force (R) they can't. Five bodies floored and stacked are five targets for Decimate (Q)'s outer blade and a chain of Noxian Guillotine (R) resets.

You have no gap closer beyond Apprehend (E): Volcanic Rupture (Q) plants a wall behind the target and Searing Charge (E) crashes them into it for a 1.25-second knock-up. That's terrain in every skirmish, not one ultimate per fight.

The Show Stopper (R) rips an isolated carry out of position and slams them down right in front of you: home delivery for a champion with no dash. Facebreaker (E) meanwhile stuns whenever enemies get caught on both sides of him.

Shadow Dash (E) is a long-range taunt: the target can't retreat while Hemorrhage (P) climbs, and retreating is the only thing that beats you. Stand United (R) covers the flank you pushed one step too deep instead.

All Out (R) hurls a carry away from their team and roots it. Your own card tells you to flank one isolated target instead of trading with their tank: he manufactures one every fight, already pinned in place.

When GNAR! (R) slams their team into a wall it leaves you a stunned pile for Decimate (Q) and the Noxian Guillotine (R) resets. It depends on Rage Gene (P) being full at the right moment and on there being a wall: you can't schedule it.

Your own card says diving first and burning every cooldown gets you killed for free: Hero's Entrance (R) arrives on top of you with a five-man knock-up and a shield. His 2.5-second telegraph doesn't matter, because Apprehend (E) already dragged them into the circle.

Ring of Frost (W) into Frozen Tomb (R) is nearly three seconds where the target simply cannot walk away: that's precisely the window you need to stack Hemorrhage (P) to five and trigger Noxian Might.

Nevermove (E) roots and then pulls the group in: nobody leaves while you stack. And Vision of Empire (W) deals 50% bonus damage to anything already locked down, so your Apprehend (E) buys him an upgraded burst on top of a motionless target.

Command: Shockwave (R) collects enemies into a single spot: Decimate (Q)'s outer blade catches the whole pile, heals you off it and leaves Hemorrhage (P) on half their team, with Noxian Guillotine (R) ready to chain from body to body.

Your stated counter is anything that gets away: Weaver's Wall (R) cuts the map in half and shuts the escape route, and Unraveled Earth (E) cancels and stuns whoever tries to dash out of your range. Against dash-heavy teams it's the most direct answer there is.

Event Horizon (E) is the exact cage for opponents who beat you just by walking away, and inside it you reach five stacks at your leisure. But Veigar sits at a 45.7% win rate in China: only take him if the player can actually place it.

You have no gap closer and your opponents know it: Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R) stuns for up to 3.5 seconds from off-screen and buys you the time to simply walk in. Then Frost Shot (P) slows on every hit, so nobody leaves Decimate (Q) range again.

Fate's Call (R) launches her Oathsworn into the enemy team, knocking up everyone it hits: that is literally the dash your kit doesn't have. She has to bond with you at the start and stay near you, though, or it stays a support-only tool.

Deadly Flourish (W) roots anyone who has just taken damage from an ally: one Decimate (Q) switches it on and the target stays pinned while Hemorrhage (P) climbs. Curtain Call (R) then finishes whoever runs at low health, which is where you can't reach.

Ardent Blaze (W) marks the target and hands 65 bonus movement speed to whichever ally follows up on that mark: the ally is you, and speed is the one thing you're missing to close the gap while Apprehend (E) is down.

Chain of Corruption (R) roots and spreads from one enemy to the next: when they're close together it hands you a whole group standing still while you stack. The catch is that you're not the one grouping them, so it pays in compositions that fight tight.

Death Sentence (Q) drags the target to you and stuns for 1.5 seconds: it's the gap closer your kit doesn't have, paid for on someone else's cooldown. And The Box (R) shuts the exits exactly while Hemorrhage (P) is climbing to five.

Zenith Blade (E), Shield of Daybreak (Q) and Solar Flare (R) are the longest single-target CC chain in the game. Your all-in telegraphs itself and they walk out of it: this is how it lands anyway.

Magnet Storm (R) yanks grouped enemies in and holds them there: Decimate (Q)'s outer blade catches all of them at once and heals you off it. Shattering Strike (Q) meanwhile breaks shields, which are what most often denies you the execute.

Twisted Advance (W) roots from range and Nature's Grasp (R) roots again later in the same fight: two separate windows where the target cannot walk away from you, which is the only defence they have.

Whimsy (W) on you is the speed you're missing to get there, and Rampant Growth (R) gives you bonus health plus a knock-up around you the moment you're in: that's how you survive the seconds it takes to stack Hemorrhage (P) to five.

Dredge Line (Q) into Depth Charge (R) is a lockdown chain that can't be dodged, and Staggering Blow (P) roots off a single auto-attack. He sits at a 48.1% win rate in China though: you take him for the hooks, not because he's strong this patch.