In the fast-paced, disable-heavy world of League of Legends, being locked down by enemy crowd control (CC) often means an immediate death. To counter this, players have access to the strategic Summoner Spell: Cleanse. This tool is designed to immediately remove most forms of disabling effects and is a crucial lifeline for damage-dealing carries who are most vulnerable to targeted lockdowns.
Cleanse acts as an immediate reset button, allowing a champion to instantly break free from immobilization and avoid critical damage-over-time debuffs, often turning a losing skirmish into a successful counter-play.
What Cleanse Removes
When activated, Cleanse instantly dispels the following broad categories of CC and debuffs from the champion:
| Category | Examples of Effects Removed |
| Hard CC | Stuns, Snares (Roots), Taunts, Fears, Charms, Silences, Blinds, and Polymorphs. |
| Movement Impairment | All Movement Slows. |
| Summoner Spell Debuffs | The damage-over-time effect from Ignite and the damage reduction/slow from Exhaust. |
Beyond the immediate removal of effects, Cleanse provides a powerful short-term defensive boost. For 3 seconds after activation, the champion gains 75% Tenacity, meaning any new crowd control effects applied during that window will have their duration significantly reduced.
The Critical Limitations: What Cleanse Cannot Break
Despite its immense power, Cleanse is not a universal shield. It is critical for players to understand the specific, high-impact forms of crowd control that are immune to the spell:
- Suppression: Ultimate abilities that hold a target down, such as Warwick’s Infinite Duress or Malzahar’s Nether Grasp, cannot be removed by Cleanse. These require an item like Quicksilver Sash (QSS) or team intervention to break.
- Airborne Effects: Any effect that forcibly moves a champion off the ground is unbreakable. This includes:
- Knock-ups (e.g., Malphite’s Unstoppable Force)
- Knockbacks
- Pulls and Fling effects (e.g., Singed’s Fling)
Since displacements and airborne effects are completely immune, champions relying on Cleanse must still maintain excellent positioning to avoid getting hit by these abilities.
Strategic Use: When to Pick Cleanse
Cleanse is a highly situational summoner spell, often taken instead of the universal utility of Flash only when the enemy team composition dictates it.
It is most valuable for vulnerable carry champions (like ADCs or mid-lane mages) when facing enemies with heavy, targeted lockdown potential, such as:
- Ashe (Enchanted Crystal Arrow)
- Morgana (Dark Binding)
- Twisted Fate (Gold Card)
- Sejuani (Glacial Prison)
By picking Cleanse, a player can turn a guaranteed gank or a fatal team fight initiation into a successful escape or counter-attack. Its ability to strip away the crippling effects of Ignite or Exhaust also makes it a valuable utility tool in focused 1v1 engagements, giving the player a critical edge in duels.
In summary, Cleanse is a potent, tactical spell that empowers champions to break free from the majority of crowd control and debuffs. Mastering its use requires precise timing and a deep understanding of its limitations, as knowing which enemy abilities it can’t remove is just as crucial as knowing which ones it can.
Written by:
Christian