Stats for mythic rank, last 7 days — third-party aggregation, not an official Moonton figure.
Written by EllieAnth — playing MLBB since 2017 (9+ years), peak rank Mythical Immortal, 1126 stars.
A breakdown of the 8 matchups that decide Julian games — why each one leans the way it does, what it costs you in lane, and how to play it.
Overview
What decides Julian's matchups
Julian's lane dominance hinges entirely on how effectively he manages Smith's Legacy. By weaving two distinct spells like Scythe for slowing or Sword for positioning into an enhanced cast of Chain, he gains a massive spike of up to 45% Hybrid Lifesteal alongside pulling Basic Attacks that lock enemies in place. However, opponents exploit the strict downtime that follows: casting an enhanced ability places every skill on a full cooldown for up to nine seconds. If Julian fails to burst or sustain through that post-combo window, he is left vulnerable to aggressive counter-trades with no mobility or crowd control remaining.
Hard counters 2
These heroes have a structural edge over you: their kit directly shuts down the tools you rely on. Winning the lane outright is rarely the plan — the goal is to limit mistakes, give up as little tempo as possible, and look for value somewhere else on the map.
Minsitthar fundamentally neutralizes Julian's fluidity through King's Calling, which disables all movement skills and prevents Julian from casting Sword or utilizing enhanced dashes granted by Smith's Legacy inside the zone. When Julian attempts to engage with Scythe or Chain, Minsitthar can absorb the initial magic damage using Shield Assault to reduce incoming frontal impact by 25 percent while applying decaying slows. If Julian is dragged in by Spear of Glory, he is forced to dump his entire sequence prematurely, leaving him helpless against Minsitthar's passive stun from Mark of the King.
Lane impact
During the laning phase in EXP Lane, Minsitthar controls the tempo by holding Spear of Glory near his outer tower, forcing Julian to clear waves cautiously with long-range Scythe casts rather than aggressively dashing in with Sword. If Julian tries to execute a full three-ability combo to proc Smith's Legacy's enhanced basic attacks, Minsitthar drops King's Calling directly onto him, stripping away his escape option and locking him into prolonged melee trades where Mark of the King's healing and stun prevail, granting Minsitthar uncontested priority over Turtle spawns.
How to play it
To survive this matchup, Julian must never commit his enhanced skill sequence until Minsitthar burns King's Calling. Poke from distance using Scythe, keeping track of Spear of Glory's cooldown so you are not yanked into an inescapable field. If Minsitthar activates Shield Assault, sidestep or delay your enhanced basic attacks from Smith's Legacy until his frontal damage reduction expires. When trapped inside King's Calling, rely on enhanced Chain to immobilize Minsitthar, then walk out of the arena bounds before attempting to re-engage with Sword once your mobility returns.
Julian relies on closing distance with Sword or tethering targets with Chain to trigger his enhanced Smith's Legacy basic attacks, but Zhuxin completely interrupts this flow. As Julian attempts his multi-ability sequence, Zhuxin channels Lantern Flare to rapidly stack Soul Snare at close range. Before Julian can land his empowered melee strikes, Zhuxin lifts him airborne and hurls him away. Should Julian try to retreat, Fluttering Grace slows him while boosting Zhuxin's movement speed, keeping him trapped in her Spirit Lantern domain while his skills sit on cooldown.
Lane impact
In lane, Zhuxin's relentless zone control denies Julian effective wave clear and prevents him from stacking passive hybrid lifesteal via Smith's Legacy. By holding Lantern Flare, Zhuxin clears minions while simultaneously applying Soul Snare whenever Julian steps up to throw Scythe. Julian is forced to spend his multi-skill combos defensively to survive, leaving him with non-existent lane priority. This dynamic locks Julian under his turret while Zhuxin rotates unhindered to secure Turtle objectives or invade the enemy jungle, creating a massive map tempo disadvantage for Julian's team.
How to play it
Julian must avoid aggressive dashes with Sword while Zhuxin holds her Lantern Flare channel. Instead, poke from safety with Scythe and wait for her to exhaust her mana pool or misposition. Save your enhanced skill combination for a reactive play, using enhanced Chain to immobilize her only after she expends her Crimson Beacon blink. When trades are unwinnable, yield wave pressure, farm safely near your turret, and look to flank Zhuxin from vision during chaotic teamfights where her continuous channeling can be interrupted by your allies.
Unfavorable 1
You are behind in this matchup but not helpless. These opponents punish specific mistakes rather than dominating every exchange, so precise cooldown tracking and patient trading keep you in the game.
Hilda structurally counters Julian early through Blessing of Wilderness, using bush shields and passive regeneration to completely absorb poke from Scythe. In direct trades, Art of Hunting quickly applies max stacks of Wilderness Mark, stripping Julian's armor and magic defense. While Julian relies on Smith's Legacy for Hybrid Lifesteal during trades, his long early cooldowns leave him vulnerable. Hilda's Power of Wildness converts those mark stacks into massive execute damage, bursting Julian down before his empowered basic attacks can restore his health.
Lane impact
Julian loses early territorial control over the EXP lane bushes, allowing Hilda to freely initiate trades with the movement speed from Combat Ritual. Because Blessing of Wilderness negates his minor trades, Julian cannot gain health leads and is pinned under his outer turret. Wave control shifts entirely to Hilda, leaving Julian unable to secure quick clear windows. This pressure deprives Julian of early rotation speed, forcing his team to cede position around the first Turtle while Hilda invades his team's nearby jungle.
How to play it
Julian must play passively until unlocking all three abilities, avoiding trades whenever Hilda activates Combat Ritual from a bush. Never dump Scythe or Sword into her active Blessing of Wilderness shield. Instead, thin minion waves safely from range. Once level three, reserve the enhanced Chain combo to immobilize Hilda if she lunges with Art of Hunting, preventing her from stacking Wilderness Mark to cap her Power of Wildness ultimate. If lane trades remain unviable, focus on surviving to impact major objective fights later.
Skill matchups 4
Close matchups decided by execution on both sides. The player who reads cooldowns better, spaces more cleanly and picks the right moment to commit takes the lane — neither kit wins on paper.
This matchup pivots on how Chou utilizes Shunpo to nullify Julian's telegraphed enhanced abilities. When Julian commits his two-skill sequence into Enhanced Chain or Enhanced Scythe, Chou can instantly react with Shunpo to gain Control Immunity and absorb damage with his shield. Furthermore, Jeet Kune Do's third strike knockup gives Chou an immediate interrupt before Julian can complete his basic attack pull from Smith's Legacy. Unless Julian successfully baits Shunpo prior to unleashing his empowered skill, Chou controls the trade timing and forces Julian onto a lengthy skill cooldown.
Lane impact
Laning in the EXP Lane against Chou requires strict minion wave management because Only Fast and Jeet Kune Do allow Chou to aggressively zone Julian away from early last hits. Julian cannot comfortably poke with Scythe, as Chou uses Shunpo to dodge the projectile while closing the gap. When Chou unlocks his ultimate, the threat of The Way of Dragon knocking Julian out of safety disrupts Julian's lifesteal trades. Consequently, Julian frequently loses priority, delaying his early rotations toward the Turtle.
How to play it
To succeed, Julian must refrain from leading with Enhanced Chain, as Chou can easily react with Shunpo's control immunity to cleanse the immobilize. Instead, initiate trades using Scythe and Sword to trigger Enhanced Sword, granting invulnerability to dodge Chou's third Jeet Kune Do knockup or the initial kick of The Way of Dragon. Wait until Chou spends Shunpo offensively before throwing out an Enhanced Scythe. If Chou holds his defensive dash, play near your turret and rely on Smith's Legacy hybrid lifesteal to sustain.
Guinevere relies on landing Spatial Migration to trigger her airborne knockup and chain into Violet Requiem, which grants her Control Immunity during her burst. However, Julian's flexible Smith's Legacy passive gives him tools to neutralize her initiate. If Julian uses Sword to dash out of Spatial Migration before the knockup registers, Guinevere spends her primary crowd control and is left completely exposed. If Julian gets caught by Spatial Migration, Guinevere's Super Magic passive amplifies her damage, preventing Julian from retaliating with Chain before taking lethal combo damage.
Lane impact
In the EXP lane, Guinevere will constantly harass with Energy Wave to trim minion waves and reduce her skill cooldowns. Julian must avoid lining up with minion waves to deny her free cooldown reduction. Whenever Guinevere misses Energy Wave or wastes Spatial Migration, Julian gains a massive opening to aggressively clear the wave using Scythe and Sword. Julian's Smith's Legacy provides crucial hybrid lifesteal during trades, allowing him to win extended skirmishes and claim lane priority to secure side lane map pressure and early Turtle setups.
How to play it
Against Guinevere, your main focus is tracking Spatial Migration's cast animation. Never commit your entire skill sequence blindly when her leap is available. Save Sword to quickly reposition out of Spatial Migration's impact zone, completely dodging the knockup. Once her leap fails and she leaves an illusion, ignore the decoy and immediately collapse on her position with enhanced Scythe or Chain. Trigger Smith's Legacy to stack hybrid lifesteal, using the enhanced basic attack pull to keep her within reach as her skills remain on cooldown.
Paquito's high mobility from Jab and Champ Stance allows him to weave out of Julian's skillshot trajectories, making hits with Scythe or Chain difficult to land. Conversely, Julian's enhanced Sword provides invincibility to dodge Paquito's enhanced Knockout Strike burst. The interaction centers on timing windows: Paquito builds Heavy Left Punch shields to absorb Julian's burst, baiting out Smith's Legacy. When Julian enters his shared 9-6 second cooldown, Paquito's fast skill cycles grant him total authority over the remaining trade window.
Lane impact
In the EXP Lane, Paquito dictates early wave pressure by using Jab to clear minions while simultaneously threatening Julian. If Julian attempts to farm with Scythe, Paquito can shield through the damage using Heavy Left Punch and aggressive dashes. Julian is often forced to concede wave priority, as trading into a Paquito with full Champ Stance stacks results in heavy HP loss. Ceding lane control delays Julian's rotations, allowing Paquito to arrive first at Turtle contests and exert mid-game map pressure.
How to play it
Julian must track Paquito's Champ Stance stacks before engaging. Avoid casting Chain blindly, as Paquito can dodge the delayed immobilization using Jab or enhanced Knockout Strike. Instead, poke safely with Scythe and keep enhanced Sword available to iframe Paquito's heavy burst combinations. The ideal trade occurs right after Paquito expends his enhanced skill; counter instantly using Smith's Legacy enhanced basic attacks, leveraging the passive hybrid lifesteal to sustain through Paquito's reduced damage phase before his cooldowns reset.
Silvanna relies on setting up Spiral Strangling with Cometic Lance to apply Knightess' Resolve marks and shred defenses. However, Julian's Smith's Legacy provides direct counters once all three skills are unlocked. Enhanced Chain can interrupt Spiral Strangling's continuous channel with hard control, while Enhanced Sword grants invulnerability to completely negate her damage inside Imperial Justice. The structural dynamic centers on cooldown baiting: if Silvanna traps Julian in Imperial Justice without his enhanced skill ready, her attack speed and lifesteal crush him, but Julian with ready abilities easily turns her arena against her.
Lane impact
Early level trades heavily favor Silvanna because her Spiral Strangling shield and Cometic Lance stun outmatch Julian's single-ability output before Smith's Legacy triggers. Julian is forced to play defensively near his tower, conceding initial wave priority. Once Julian reaches level three and unlocks his full kit, the EXP Lane tempo flips. Silvanna can no longer freely channel Spiral Strangling on wave clear without risking Julian using Scythe and Sword into Enhanced Chain. Winning trades allows Julian to clear faster and establish priority for early Turtle fights.
How to play it
Concede early minion pressure until all three skills are available. Sidestep or use Sword to dodge Cometic Lance, depriving Silvanna of her primary stun setup. If she leaps with Imperial Justice, do not panic inside the ring. Immediately queue your skills to activate Enhanced Sword, remaining invulnerable through her Spiral Strangling burst, or drop Enhanced Chain to lock her down and cancel her channel. After surviving her initial attempt, exploit her long cooldowns by pursuing with boosted basic attacks powered by Smith's Legacy to secure the kill.
Favorable 1
Your kit has the edge here. These are the matchups where you should look to build a lead early and convert it, rather than playing for scaling.
Sun relies on doppelgangers from Endless Variety and Swift Exchange to overwhelm targets and stack Simian God's physical defense reduction. However, Julian thrives against clustered targets. Hitting Sun's doppelgangers allows Julian to instantly gain all three stacks of Hybrid Lifesteal from Smith's Legacy, turning Sun's numbers advantage into free sustain. Although an unenhanced Scythe stops on the first clone hit, Julian's enhanced skill combinations provide wide magic damage that destroys doppelgangers while damaging the real Sun, forcing him to spend Instantaneous Move to escape rather than attack.
Lane impact
In the EXP Lane, Sun struggles to build trade momentum because Endless Variety inadvertently grants Julian free targets to trigger Smith's Legacy. Julian easily clears minion waves while simultaneously damaging Sun's clones using Sword combined with Scythe or Chain. This consistent area-of-effect pressure denies Sun wave control and leaves him too low on HP to safely contest nearby neutral objectives like the Turtle. Sun is forced into a defensive posture under his turret, forfeiting side lane priority and allowing Julian to rotate freely into the enemy jungle.
How to play it
Never initiate with an unenhanced Scythe if Sun has a doppelganger blocking his front. Instead, save your sequence until Sun uses Instantaneous Move to close the gap. Reposition with Sword, cast Chain to restrict his movement, and cast Enhanced Scythe over Sun and his clones to maximize your Smith's Legacy lifesteal stacks while melting his doppelgangers. Once Sun loses his clones, his passive healing from Simian God drops drastically, leaving him vulnerable to Julian's empowered basic attacks. Force trades whenever Sun's clone skills are on cooldown.
Matchup relationships for 1 of these pairings come from the game's own hero data; the rest are selected from the heroes you actually meet in this lane. All written analysis is AI-generated from both heroes' ability kits and reviewed automatically for accuracy — it describes kit interactions, not live win rates.
