How To Block Or Dodge Captain CC – Vainglory14 min read

Ever dreamed of blocking Phinn’s hook or Cath’s OP silence? If you’re in my level of pro-ness, you’d have craved for it because it’s the only thing that stands between you and pro level 9000. My solo q team once asked me in draft chat to capt / roam and I said “yes, if you want to be silenced throughout the entire game.” I was sadly being honest, though. I’ve had too many roam experiences where my team gets melted within the long seconds of Cath’s blast tremor. And it sucked.

In hopes of learning how to deal with every single crowd control (CC) in Vainglory, I’ve compiled all the Vainglory captain (carries and junglers in separate posts) heroes’ crowd control abilities with tips on how to block or dodge them. That means, all heroes with abilities that provide crowd control. This is to help players like me get used to the animation in game and anticipate the ability resulting to an effective block. I listed out only abilities that have crowd control and focused mainly on the effects of the abilities rather than the damage so here goes (videos are my own recordings, unless specified):

You can click on a specific hero below to jump to their section.


(A) Wolf’s Maw

Yates pulls the first enemy hit (whether minion or hero). Kinda like Phinn’s but it only pulls 1 enemy and it can be body blocked by minions and heroes.

TIP: Don’t waste crucible (for captains) on this ability unless it’s really essential because it has a low cooldown and only pulls one enemy. Stutter step / dodge or body block (as in stand behind minion, jungle creep or your captain to avoid getting pulled) this instead. Video below shows the ability animation only.

(B) Overwhelm

Yates channels briefly then stuns enemies within an area around him.

TIP: It’s like Grace’s B where you can see the channeling before it happens. However, he can do this while on the run, unlike Grace (where she has to stay in one place). It’s fairly easy to dodge. Just kite and stay away from the ring or get out of it before the channeling stops. If you can’t, because he might outrun you with his passive, reflex block it a second after the ring becomes visible. Video below shows how to block it if you are at the edge and can’t escape.

(ULT) Iron Mandate

Yates basically teleports somewhere in the map (global) and where he lands, there’s a wide ring where all enemies caught inside are slowed.

TIP: This is a predictable ability. In most cases, you can just dodge this. However, it is possible for Yates to press his ULT then press his B (stun) so when he lands, his B will also take effect stunning the surrounding enemies. Watch out for when that happens, and crucible to avoid the AoE (area of effect) stun. Check out the video below for the visual cue for when Yates uses his ULT.


(A) Gift of Fire

Slows nearby enemies if he casts this on himself.

TIP: Requires some practice to be able to dodge. The casting is really quick. Try to predict when he will use it. Chances are he will use it when trying to chase. In most cases, you will see him use his boots to get near you and apply the slow so, watch out for that.

*video from

(ULT) Verse of Judgement

Creates a wide ring where the enemies caught inside it take damage. Enemies that are burning with arcane fire (those hit with Adagio’s A) will be stunned for a long time.

TIP: The most predictable crowd control in Vainglory in my opinion. As soon as you see the markings on the ground, dodge it (if you can) or your captain should Crucible.


(A) Vanguard

Jumps to target ally applying barrier and a brief slow to surrounding enemies.

TIP: it’s not worth reflex blocking the slow. It’s very brief. You can’t dodge this either, if you are melee attacking his carry. If you are a mage, stay away from his B range before he uses his A to slow you down.


*video from

(ULT) Gauntlet

Ardan targets an area and makes a perimeter (like a fence) surrounding the area that lasts for a long time (unless Ardan leaves the perimeter in which case, the gauntlet disappears). Enemies who try to cross it are stunned.

TIP: Reflex just right before you cross the barrier. You can see the shadow of the perimeter before it lands. In some cases, Ardan will use his Gauntlet not for zoning but for stunning multiple enemies on the spot. In this case, as soon as you see the visual cue, the ghost of the gauntlet, before it actually materializes on you or your allies, reflex block if you don’t have a dash ability you can use to dodge (Vox B, Idris A, Kinetic B, etc). 


(A) Merciless Pursuit

Catherine runs fast and basic attacks you, except, the basic attack is a stun, with a short cooldown.

TIP: If you are low health, reflex this or outrun her with your boots. It’s fairly easy to predict too. As soon as Catherine starts running towards you, she’s likely not using her boots but her A. So reflex when she gets near.

(ULT) Blast Tremor

Catherine raises her shield and slams it to the ground, silencing enemies in front of her (all those within a cone-shaped area facing her) for a few painful seconds. This silence blocks all abilities for the entire duration so carries will be melted before they can damage.

TIP: It’s a bit hard to block at first. Watch out for when she raises her shield and reflex / crucible right away. You can practice predicting this ability by watching out for Catherine in team fights. If she is nowhere to be found, she is likely positioning herself to get the maximum effect of her ult.

Helpful note from @Shonix11 on Twitter (visit his YouTube page here) “[Catherine’s] ult is the only ability that forces her to stop moving. If you see her stop in her tracks all of a sudden, she’s ulting you more than likely.”


(A) Hook & Chain

Churnwalker throws a hook that briefly slows the target if it hits (skillshot). Enemies hit by his A are chained until they run far enough from Churnwalker to break the chain.

TIP: Dodge or stutter step. It has a low cooldown and not worth reflex blocking.

(B) Torment

Churnwalker pulls a chained target towards him (causing his allies to massacre you).

TIP: Don’t get chained. If you do, run away before he pulls you to your death.

(ULT) Trespass

Churnwalker summons green clouds (churn clouds) jumping to a target location and stunning all chained enemies.

TIP: You can see the smoke forming before Churnwalker jumps to a location and stuns you so crucible as soon as the green clouds appear. It may take practice to get used to it. Check out the video below on how to block it.


(A) Binding Light

Flicker creates a fairy-infested area for to deal damage before the area turns into a root zone (meaning enemies still within the area when the ability expires are rooted).

TIP: This crowd control is fairly easy to dodge because you will see it for a few seconds before it roots, so dodge it. If you can’t, however, block just before the root materializes. If Flicker uses this during a team fight, it’s hard to pay attention to the visual cue, so I would predict it instead. Watch what Flicker does when he activates the ability (he does something with his hands and jumps up) and just time it before it roots. Check out the video below on how to block it.

(B) Fairy Dust

Flicker is surrounded by fairy dust. Enemies caught inside the area around him is slowed for a few seconds.

TIP: Flicker will hide by the bush first to get the passive (stealth) and appear right next to you to slow you down while his team massacres you. Reflex as soon as he appears with his B and run away (especially if you are a mage with no mobility, it will be your death).


(PERK) Retribution

Grace’s basic attack chains to a ground slam which slows enemies in a wide area. The duration of this slow scales with her crystal power.

TIP: Kite her and don’t get basic attacked. She does a two-animation attack, second one being the slow. Just dodge it. It’s fairly easy. When you see her lift up her weapon, step away because she will slam the ground to slow a small area in front of her.

(A) Benediction

Grace will charge on to you and it’s quite fast so you can’t outrun that part of the ability. When she gets to you, she will do a basic attack and trigger her perk (slow).

TIP: As soon as she gets to you but before she slams the ground, step away. Just run and keep distance. You can avoid the CC that way, unless you are melee attacking a carry nearby, then this crowd control doesn’t matter to you.

(B) Holy Nova

Grace forms a ring around her (sort of like Yates’) and after a short delay, stuns all enemies inside the ring.

TIP: It is fairly easy to predict. Dodge it if you can, or kite her. If you are melee and trying to get a kill, reflex block. Check out the video below on how to block it.


(A) Impale

Lance charges forward and strikes the ground, rooting enemies caught by his sword.

TIP: There is a fairly noticeable visual cue before Lance lands his root so dodge him or stutter step. You will see him jump high above ground with his pole arm pointing forward (to the location he’s gonna land the root). Block it just before he lands.

(B) Gythian Wall

Lance strikes his enemies using his shield and pushes them backward. If enemies collide with a wall or structure, they are stunned.

TIP: This, in my opinion, is the hardest to block in game. Pay attention to your positioning. If you get hit by his A and near the wall or a turret, chances are he will use his B to stun you. It’s hard to block the stun because the animation is so quick. Practice predicting when he will use his stun and be mindful of your positioning. It has a fairly short cooldown and RIP if he builds cooldown-damage items (Spellsword, Aftershock). He can only stun you if you collide with the wall or a structure so it would be beneficial to take your team fights out in the open. That way he can only push you away (or closer to his teammates).


(A) Fish Food

Lorelai summons her fish friends creating an area stun.

TIP: Fairly easy to dodge. If she uses this on you and you are on her B pool the stun is not easy to see (they are both white-ish) and you are slowed down enough to get caught by the stun. Also if she is on her pool and she casts the stun, it lasts longer (she becomes empowered because of her perk). If you are low health trying to get a kill, reflex as soon as you see the ability form. Below is a video on how to block it.

(B) Splashdown

Lorelai creates a large pool that slows all enemies on it (scales with her bonus health).

TIP: Dodge the pool. Sometimes it is unavoidable, especially in team fights, and you can’t reflex block out of it so rely on your team to keep you alive long enough to kill her. Also, if there’s a Lorelai on the enemy team, the zone control is very annoying to deal with so an off-tip, draft against her with assassin/mobile types that can ignore her zone control (Reza, Idris, Skye, etc).


(Perk) Principle Arcanum

Every second basic attack from Lyra, if she stands still slows the target (scales with her bonus health).

TIP: If you are dying, don’t get near her basic attack range because the perk attack will follow you to eternity to slow you down (and might even kill you).

(B) Bright Bulwark

Lyra creates a perimeter (similar to but smaller than Ardan’s Gauntlet) that slows surrounding enemies and prevents them from dashing through (that means movement based abilities such as Reza’s B or Varya’s B are disabled or stopped). Enemies who cross the perimeter and enemies inside it are also slowed.

TIP: It has a short cool down and a very quick startup. The best way to deal with it is predict when she will use it, which is as soon as the fight starts (whether she is engaging with her portal and her team or fleeing away from enemies). Save your movement based abilities for when the ability expires.


(A) Quibble

Phinn slams his anchor down on a target location slowing enemies caught within. If over-driven, the slow becomes a stun.

TIP: It has a very short cool down. Dodge it because it’s fairly easy to predict. If he chains this with his other abilities, however, it becomes a problem and reflex block if you can’t dodge.

(B) Polite Company

Phinn stomps on the ground pulling enemies toward him. It has a wide range and all enemies caught within will be pulled.

TIP: It’s not a dangerous ability per se, but if you get pulled in within his A range, reflex block the incoming stun unless you are confident you can survive the attacks from his team that will surely follow.

(ULT) Forced Accord

Phinn throws out his hook (has a long range) and pulls in enemy or enemies toward him. This can’t be body blocked by minions, unlike Yates’

TIP: This is the more powerful version of Yates’ A but has a longer cooldown. It can pull an entire enemy so rely on your captain to crucible this all the time. It is not easy to dodge and predict as it has a quick startup. See the animation below and get familiar with how he first throws his hook backwards before it goes forward. If you can’t block this pull, which happens even in pro matches, still crucible or reflex the stun (A) that is sure to follow.

That’s all about it so far. I will continue to update this list with every new captain hero released. I’d like to dedicate this time to thank the friends who helped me finish this guide and I hope it is helpful to all who love VainGlory.

Special thanks to: gloriousfood for doing the videos with me and Shuffle for the tips.

PS: Any corrections or additional tips, do let me know in the comments below or you can reach me on Twitter and I’ll update as soon as I can.


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