How to Counter

This is a thread made to discuss how to counter spells and unit skills, as well as spell and unit damage. Ranging from how to deal with a certain Champion no matter which region deck your playing, to how to stop spells when you don't have Deny because you just don't always want to use freaking Ionia decks.

Notes: Since there are LOADS of counters to cards, for the sake of space and time, I won't do combo card moves. i.e.: Use Glimpse Beyond to kill an ally in order to use Black Spear on an enemy. Those combo moves are up to you to either post here or figure out in-game.

How to Counter: Garen

Basic Rundown of Stats:

• Region: Demacia
• Trait: Elite
• Mana cost: 5
• Power: 5 -> 6
• Health: 5 -> 6
• Buff: Regeneration
• Level Up requirement: "I've Struck twice"
• Level Up buff: "Start of Round: Rally"
• Associated Card: "Garen's Judgement"

General analysis:

Garen is a midrange Champ from Demacia who lives by justice, truth, and faith in his kingdom by destroying all who would oppose him. He is also a giant pain to deal with due to his Regeneration and easy requirements to Level Up. 

Counters:

• Demacia
  • Spells that give bonus Power
    • Radiant Strike, Stand Alone, Riposte, Back To Back, For Demacia, Redoubled Valor
  • Spells that Strike or allows the chance to Strike
    • Level Up Warning: Some cards such as Single Combat and Rally give Garen the chance to strike twice and thus satisfy his requirement. Make sure to have allies that can kill him by the second strike. 
    • Single Combat, En Garde, Relentless Pursuit, Judgment
  • Burst Spells
    • Radiant Strike - very cheap and handy, it can give you the +1 Power to end the valiant knight. 
    • En Garde - If you are attacking, using this card allows you to choose which enemy you want which ally to battle. Great if you have a high Powered ally. 
    • Stand Alone - Only usable when there is a singular ally on the field, this card can suddenly turn the tide for you and finish off Garen with the bonus 3 Power.
    • Riposte - Grants an ally 3 Power and Barrier, allowing you to defeat Garen while leaving your ally unscathed.
    • Back to Back - The more expensive version of Stand Alone (and only lasts for a single round), you can put this on two allies. 
  • Fast Spells
    
    • Single Combat - You can force Garen to fight one of your allies, which lowers his health. Great if you have an ally with more Power than his Health, or if during Combat, he is battling an ally and another one from Single Combat.
    • Relentless Pursuit - Allows you to have another go at the enemy. Should you have attacked already and lowered Garen's Health, you can do it again in the same round, potentially beating him before his Regeneration kicks in. 
    • Detain - Allows an ally to capture him, removing him from play. It's wiser to put on a follower who won't be fighting or has a lot of Health.
    • Judgment - While costly, it allows an ally in combat to strike every battling enemy without taking damage. It can either wipe out Garen completely or give the ally the opportunity to kill him when they strike each other.
  • Slow Spells
    • For Demacia! - The much slower version of Stand Alone, this buffs all allies.
    • Redoubled Valor - Pulling off this card can give your ally both the strength and endurance to battle Garen.
  • Units that give Power or have the Power to kill Garen 
    • Battlesmith, Mageseeker Persuader, War Chefs, Dawnspeakers, Lucian, Senna, Laurent Bladekeeper, Mageseeker Inciter, Vanguard Bannerman, Vanguard Firstblade, Garen, Radiant Guardian, Swiftwing Lancer, Vanguard Cavalry, Cithria The Bold, Tianna Crownguard, Battlesteel Formation
  • Units that offer control against Garen, resulting in his removal 
    • Mageseeker Investigator, Swiftwing Lancer

How to Counter: Spells that give buffs to units

Note: some spells or units can be used against other things. But I won't repeat their exact names (i.e: Demacia - Purify) because that's super redundant.

• Against a Burst Spell
  • Demacia
    • Purify
• Against a Fast/Slow Spell
  • Demacia
    
    • Detain 
  • Ionia
    • Deny
    • Wind of Ionia
• Against a Power buff Spell (before and after the spell goes through) 
  • Demacia
    • Spells and Units that give Barrier
  • Ionia
    • Death Mark
    • Shadow Flare
    • Spells and Units that recall enemies
    • Spells and Units that give Barrier
  • Freljord
    • Spells and Units that Frostbite enemies
  • Noxus
    • Noxus Guillotine (if the enemy is damaged)
    • Spells that do damage to units
    • Spells and Units that stun units
  • Piltover & Zaun
    • Spells that do damage to units
    • Hextech Transmogulator
  • Shadow Isles
    • Spells that do damage to units
    • Vengeance
    • Ruination

Quote From JunLong

• • Shadow Isles
    • Ruination

The Ruination is a slow spell, so it won't work as a counter (unless you count the enemy activating a non-Burst spell like Iceborn Legacy out of combat).