Counters for Master Yi
Champion guide
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Champions against Master Yi
Favorable matchup
Rammus vs Master Yi
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Master Yi wins fights with basic attacks: Wuju Style adds true damage to them and Double Strike hits twice. Rammus punishes exactly that. Curled up, he returns damage to whoever attacks him, and Frenzying Taunt makes Yi keep hitting him.
Why Rammus works against Master Yi
01
Defensive Ball Curl returns every hit
Defensive Ball Curl greatly increases Rammus' armor and magic resist and returns damage to enemies who basic attack him. Yi needs to chain attacks to bring Alpha Strike back sooner and to trigger Double Strike; against the shell, every one of those hits costs him health.
02
The taunt doesn't rely on slows
Highlander makes Yi immune to slows, so Powerball and the aftershocks of Soaring Slam do little to stop him while it lasts. Frenzying Taunt is different: it forces him to attack you, and if it catches you curled up, he takes damage back on every attack for the whole taunt.
03
True damage doesn't cancel everything
Wuju Style adds true damage that armor doesn't reduce, so the shell isn't a wall. What decides it is the damage return and the timing: while Yi is taunted he can't choose who to hit, and your allies get those seconds to punish him.
When to attack
Levels 1 to 4: use Powerball's speed to pressure lanes while Yi farms. At dragon and in fights, taunt when he comes out of Alpha Strike; while he's untargetable you can't select him.
How to play Rammus
- 1Levels 1-4: clear your jungle and go into lanes with Powerball when an ally is ready. Yi's kit has no crowd control to answer that gank.
- 2Tell your lanes where Yi is farming: every camp or wave he loses delays the items his damage depends on.
- 3First dragon: get there first, curl up when Yi comes in to contest it and taunt him so your team can punish him.
- 4In teamfights, stay close to your marksman. If Yi jumps on them with Highlander active, taunt him the moment he reappears after Alpha Strike.
Mistakes to avoid
- Opening with Powerball on a Yi with Highlander active, hoping to slow him: the slow doesn't affect him and you've spent your engage.
- Taunting him without the shell up: you force him to attack you, but you return no damage and burn your best tool.
Playing Master Yi against Rammus
On Master Yi, never attack a curled-up Rammus: switch targets or wait for Defensive Ball Curl to end. Save Alpha Strike for when he goes to taunt you, because while you're untargetable he can't pick you. Farm on the side away from his pressure and join fights once he has spent the taunt.
Favorable matchup
Jarvan IV vs Master Yi
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Master Yi has no crowd control: to defend a lane or contest an early objective, all he has is his damage. Jarvan IV plays in that window, with Demacian Standard and Dragon Strike ganks that knock up, and Cataclysm to shut him in when he reaches the fight.
Why Jarvan IV works against Master Yi
01
The flag combo knocks up
Demacian Standard plants a flag, and Dragon Strike cast toward it pulls Jarvan along and knocks up enemies in his path. It's crowd control that doesn't rely on slows, and Highlander only protects Yi from slows.
02
Pressure before Yi has items
Our analysis: Yi gets stronger the more he farms, and his kit gives him nothing to punish a gank with. Jarvan IV can spend the first levels pressuring lanes and contesting the first scuttle and the first dragon, while Yi chooses between farming and answering without crowd control.
03
Cataclysm closes the fight
Cataclysm leaps onto a champion and raises an arena of impassable terrain around them, and enemies inside deal less damage. Drop it on Yi or on the ally he jumps on, once he has used Alpha Strike, so the fight happens inside your walls.
When to attack
Levels 2 to 4 and first dragon: the flag combo is worth the most while Yi has no items yet. Later on, don't look for solo duels and keep Cataclysm for the team fight.
How to play Jarvan IV
- 1Levels 1-3: clear toward the lane with an ally who has a stun or slow and gank as soon as you have Dragon Strike and the flag.
- 2Contest the river scuttle on the side where your lanes have priority; if Yi shows up, the knock-up combo and Golden Aegis give you the tools to fight him.
- 3First dragon: arrive with the flag ready. If Yi comes in to steal it, knock him up with the combo and let your team punish him before he can heal with Meditate.
- 4Teamfights: wait for Yi to spend Alpha Strike and drop Cataclysm on him, or on the ally he is attacking.
Mistakes to avoid
- Spending the flag combo on a camp with Yi nearby: you lose the knock-up right when he shows up.
- Casting Cataclysm before he uses Alpha Strike: he can turn untargetable just as your team goes in and undo the moment.
Playing Master Yi against Jarvan IV
From Master Yi's side, the plan is not to give away the early levels: farm on the opposite side of the map from his ganks and warn your lanes that you have no crowd control to defend them. When you see the flag, wait for Dragon Strike before you go in, and save Alpha Strike for his Cataclysm.
Execution matters
Amumu vs Master Yi
Reviewed for patch 7.3d
Against Master Yi, Amumu has the tools to stop him. Bandage Toss stuns him and Curse of the Sad Mummy leaves nearby enemies unable to attack or move. It hinges on Yi jumping in with your team close by: alone, Amumu can't finish him.
Why Amumu works against Master Yi
01
His ultimate takes the attacks away
Curse of the Sad Mummy wraps nearby enemies and stops them from attacking and moving. For a champion who does everything with basic attacks, that's time with no damage and no Alpha Strike cooldown reduction.
02
Tantrum comes back faster against him
Tantrum permanently reduces the physical damage you take, and its cooldown drops every time you're hit. Yi attacks nonstop; if he stays on you, Tantrum keeps coming back.
03
Bandage Toss as a second chance
Bandage Toss stuns the target and pulls you to them. If the ultimate misses him, the bandage gives you another crowd control to stop him when he chases your marksman.
When to attack
Look for the fight at an objective or in the jungle with your team close, and wait for Yi to come out of Alpha Strike. In isolated duels in your jungle, step away and farm the other side.
How to play Amumu
- 1Levels 1-4: farm safely and give up the first scuttle if Yi is nearby; your value is in fights, not in the duel.
- 2Before each objective, set your team up so Yi has to come in through a narrow entrance, like the mouth of the dragon pit.
- 3When Yi jumps in, let Alpha Strike finish and cast Curse of the Sad Mummy where he reappears, with your allies ready to hit him.
- 4Keep one bandage to follow him if he survives the crowd control.
Mistakes to avoid
- Going in with the ultimate while Yi is untargetable: Alpha Strike can leave you with no target and the fight starts without your best crowd control.
- Hunting Yi alone in your jungle: with no allies to use the crowd control, the stun only delays the outcome.
Playing Master Yi against Amumu
On the other side, as Master Yi, track Amumu's ultimate before going in. If he has it, let him spend it on your allies or come in from an angle where he can't catch several of you at once. Alpha Strike makes you untargetable: use it to try to dodge the bandage.