Best Yone Counters: How to play Against Him

Yone is one of League of Legends' most feared champions, known for his deadly combination of physical and magic damage as well as unmatched mobility. This assassin, who wields two weapons, can effortlessly cut through teams, swiftly engage and disengage from battles, and unleash devastating combos that leave his enemies confused.

Knowing how to counter Yone is crucial for climbing the ranked ladder. He frequently appears in both mid and top lanes, making him a common opponent. Additionally, if Yone becomes fed, he has the potential to single-handedly determine the outcome of a game.

Successful strategies against Yone revolve around three main factors:

• Early Game Pressure: Taking advantage of his weak early levels
• Crowd Control: Disrupting his ability to move and execute combos
• Strategic Itemization: Equipping the right defensive items

Learning about how to counter pick in League of Legends can greatly improve your chances against Yone. Whether you're facing him in lane or dealing with his split-pushing tactics later on, selecting the appropriate champion can turn this seemingly unstoppable force into a manageable threat.

Furthermore, mastering the skill of map awareness and boosting your vision score can give you valuable information to predict Yone's movements and plans. In this guide, we will explore specific champions and strategies that will help you gain an advantage over this deadly swordsman.

Understanding Yone's Abilities and Playstyle

Yone's kit revolves around his signature ability Soul Unbound (E), which creates a spirit form allowing him to leave his body behind. This ability serves dual purposes:

Offensive Uses

• Extends his attack range
• Creates unpredictable engage angles
• Stores damage dealt during spirit form
• Executes swift trade patterns

Defensive Applications

• Acts as an escape tool
• Provides a guaranteed return point
• Cleanses crowd control upon return
• Tests enemy positions safely

A crucial aspect of Yone's threat comes from his mixed damage output. His kit deals:

• Physical damage through basic attacks
• Magic damage via his W (Spirit Cleave)
• True damage from his E return

This damage diversity makes itemization tricky - pure armor stacking won't suffice. Smart players build both armor and magic resistance items to reduce his damage potential.

Yone's mobility toolkit includes:

• Q3 (Mortal Steel) - Airborne dash
• E (Soul Unbound) - Spirit form movement
• R (Fate Sealed) - Long-range knockup

To play against his mobility:

1. Track his Q stacks - the third Q enables his dash
2. Bait out his E before committing to fights
3. Position away from walls to avoid surprise R engages
4. Save hard CC for when he commits with E
5. Punish him during his E return animation

His spirit form lasts 5 seconds, creating a clear window to predict his return position. Use this knowledge to set up ganks or place crowd control abilities where his body remains.

Incorporating strategies from other games can also provide valuable insights into countering Yone's playstyle. For instance, the tactics used in the Dissidia Project could be adapted to effectively deal with Yone's unique abilities and mobility.

Key Strategies for Countering Yone

Crowd Control: The Ultimate Weapon

Crowd control stands as the most effective tool against Yone's high-mobility playstyle. Champions equipped with reliable CC abilities can shut down his aggressive moves and create opportunities for counterplay:

• Point-and-Click CC: Champions like Annie with her stun, Pantheon with his W stun, and Malphite with his R knockup can lock down Yone without the risk of missing skillshots
• Area Control: Cassiopeia's Miasma and Vex's Fear create zones that punish Yone's dash attempts
• Chain CC: Leona and Nautilus can lock Yone down with multiple CC abilities, preventing his escape

Armor Items: Strengthening Your Defense

Building armor items creates a strong defensive foundation against Yone's primary damage source. The right itemization path includes:

• Early Game
• Plated Steelcaps: Reduces auto-attack damage
• Seeker's Armguard: Cost-effective armor for AP champions
• Cloth Armor: Quick defensive boost in lane
• Mid Game
• Death's Dance: Damage reduction and sustain
• Zhonya's Hourglass: Active ability counters Yone's ultimate
• Randuin's Omen: Reduces critical strike damage

Timing is Everything

Timing your CC abilities with Yone's Spirit Form (E) return point maximizes their impact. When Yone's spirit returns to his body, he becomes briefly vulnerable - this moment creates a perfect opportunity to apply crowd control and initiate a counterattack.

Positioning Matters

Proper positioning behind minions blocks Yone's Q3 and ultimate, forcing him to find alternative engage angles. This defensive strategy pairs well with armor stacking, making his all-in attempts significantly less threatening.

Vision Control and Flank Awareness Against Yone

Vision control is crucial for defending against Yone's surprise attacks. His Soul Unbound ability lets him engage from unexpected angles, so it's important to place wards properly to stay alive.

Key Warding Spots:

• Deep wards in the enemy jungle near mid lane
• River bushes on both sides
• Pixel brush in river
• Tribush when pushing side lanes

During team fights and sieges, Yone is skilled at finding creative ways to reach your backline. By setting up a strategic ward line, you can create a safety net that reveals his approach:

1. Place control wards behind objectives
2. Maintain vision in side lane bushes
3. Keep river entrances warded
4. Light up jungle paths leading to your team

Vision Timing Tips:

• Refresh wards before major objectives
• Track Yone's roaming patterns
• Pay attention to his missing pings
• Watch for his Spirit Form near areas without wards

Keep in mind that Yone has the ability to cross walls with his skills. To spot him before he gets close enough to engage, make sure to place deeper wards. When you're attacking towers, it's important to maintain a ward line behind your team so you can prevent him from executing his signature flanking moves.

Your support and jungler should make it a priority to control vision around active objectives. This network of vision will give your team valuable seconds to reposition whenever Yone tries to carry out his assassinations.

Best Champions to Counter Yone

Choosing the right champion against Yone can change a difficult matchup into a favorable one. Let's look at some of the strongest counters, starting with Annie.

1. Annie

Annie is a powerful counter to Yone because of her abilities that can be used instantly and her potential for dealing a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Her skills directly take advantage of Yone's weaknesses:

Key Advantages:

• Point-and-click stun prevents Yone from executing his combos
• Burst damage punishes his aggressive playstyle
• Simple mechanics allow focus on positioning and timing
• Strong all-in potential at level 6

Trading Pattern:

• Use Q to stack stun while farming
• Hold stun to zone Yone from CS
• Auto-attack harass when he approaches minions
• Save full combo for when he uses Soul Unbound

Build Path:

• Start with Doran's Ring
• Rush Seeker's Armguard against AD damage
• Build Everfrost for additional CC
• Consider Zhonya's Hourglass for survivability

Annie's strength lies in her ability to control Yone's aggressive playstyle. When he attempts to dash forward with Spirit Form, a well-timed stun can leave him vulnerable to a full damage combo. Her passive stun indicator forces Yone to play cautiously, limiting his farming and scaling potential.

Power Spikes:

• Level 2: Access to Q-W combo
• Level 3: Full basic ability rotation
• Level 6: Tibbers burst potential
• First item completion

Annie's reliable CC and burst damage create constant pressure in lane. By maintaining proper spacing and saving abilities for counter-engagement, Annie can consistently punish Yone's attempts to trade or all-in. This matchup becomes particularly one-sided once Annie reaches level 6, as her full combo can delete Yone before he can utilize his mobility tools.

2. Malphite

Malphite is a direct counter to Yone because he can stack armor and has reliable crowd control. His passive shield helps reduce the damage from Yone's trades, making it hard for Yone to get early kills.

Key strengths against Yone:

• Natural armor scaling reduces Yone's physical damage output
• Point-and-click ultimate provides guaranteed crowd control
• Ground-targeted Q slow disrupts Yone's mobility
• Strong early game trades with Comet + Q poke

Optimal build path:

1. Start with Cloth Armor + 4 potions
2. Rush Plated Steelcaps
3. Build Frozen Heart for attack speed reduction
4. Consider Thornmail for healing reduction

Malphite's E ability (Ground Slam) reduces attack speed, directly countering Yone's reliance on auto-attacks and Q stacking. The attack speed slow forces Yone to delay his trades and creates opportunities for favorable exchanges.

Trading pattern:

1. Use Q to slow Yone when he attempts to farm
2. Apply E when he tries to engage
3. Auto-attack with W active for enhanced damage
4. Retreat while his abilities are on cooldown

Post-6, Malphite's ultimate serves as both an engage tool and a defensive mechanism against Yone's all-in attempts. The combination of high armor values and crowd control makes Malphite an excellent pick into Yone at all stages of the game.

3. Pantheon

Pantheon is a strong counter to Yone due to his aggressive early-game presence and ability to control team fights. His Shield Vault (W) ability interrupts Yone's combos and creates opportunities for powerful trades.

Key advantages Pantheon has over Yone:

• Empowered W guarantees a stun, making it difficult for Yone to execute his combos
• Strong early-game trades with Comet Spear (Q) poke
• Aegis Assault (E) blocks Yone's damage and auto-attacks
• Point-and-click abilities bypass Yone's mobility

The optimal trading pattern against Yone:

1. Harass with Q when Yone approaches minions
2. Save W for when Yone attempts his E-Q3 combo
3. Use E to block return damage after stunning
4. Follow up with auto-attacks and Q

Pantheon's build path naturally counters Yone:

• Eclipse provides armor penetration and burst damage
• Black Cleaver shreds Yone's armor
• Death's Dance offers survivability against mixed damage

Roaming potential with Grand Starfall (R) allows Pantheon to impact other lanes while maintaining pressure on Yone. This forces Yone to choose between following roams or losing tower plates.

4. Vex

Vex is a natural counter to Yone's mobility-heavy playstyle. Her passive ability, Doom 'n Gloom, marks and fears champions who dash - a direct answer to Yone's dash-heavy kit.

Her key strengths against Yone include:

• Personal Space: Vex's passive automatically punishes Yone each time he attempts to engage with Soul Unbound or Spirit Cleave
• Reliable Poke: Mistral Bolt allows her to harass Yone from a safe distance
• Fear Control: Her Looming Darkness creates zones Yone must respect or risk being feared
• Ultimate Counter: Shadow Surge can interrupt Yone's Soul Unbound return, leaving him vulnerable

The matchup favors Vex during all game phases:

• Early Game: Punish Yone's farming attempts with auto attacks and Mistral Bolt
• Mid Game: Zone him from teamfights with fear mechanics
• Late Game: Shut down his assassination attempts on backline carries

Build Path Against Yone:

1. Start with Seeker's Armguard
2. Rush Zhonya's Hourglass
3. Focus on AP items with health components

Vex's success against Yone relies on maintaining proper spacing and timing abilities to disrupt his engage patterns. Save Looming Darkness for when Yone attempts all-ins, and use Personal Space to create distance when he gets too close.

5. Vladimir

Vladimir excels against Yone through his sustain-heavy playstyle and ability to dodge crucial abilities. His Sanguine Pool allows him to become untargetable, making Yone's Soul Unbound and Fate Sealed abilities miss their mark.

Key advantages Vladimir has over Yone:

• Built-in sustain through Transfusion keeps him healthy during trades
• Can dodge Yone's ultimate with perfect Sanguine Pool timing
• Scales exceptionally well into late game
• Deals magic damage, making it harder for Yone to itemize

The lane phase revolves around proper ability management. Vladimir should:

1. Save Sanguine Pool for Yone's all-in attempts
2. Harass with Transfusion when Yone approaches to farm
3. Build Seeker's Armguard early for added survivability
4. Stack ability power to outscale Yone's damage

Vladimir's teamfight presence also counters Yone's playstyle. His ability to dive backlines while becoming untargetable disrupts Yone's assassination attempts. A well-timed Hemoplague forces Yone to retreat or risk being burst down during team engagements.

The matchup favors Vladimir players who maintain proper spacing and save their defensive cooldowns for Yone's aggressive moves. Building early armor while scaling into late game ensures Vladimir remains a constant threat throughout the match.

6. Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia is a strong counter to Yone because of her unique abilities and control over the lane. Her Ground effect from Miasma (W) disrupts Yone's mobility-heavy playstyle, preventing him from using his E or Q3 dash while inside the affected area.

Key advantages Cassiopeia holds against Yone:

• Twin Fang (E) provides consistent DPS to punish Yone during trades
• Miasma (W) zones Yone from crucial farm and prevents his escape attempts
• Phase Rush rune setup enables quick repositioning to dodge Yone's abilities

The matchup favors Cassiopeia from level 1, where she can harass Yone with auto attacks and Q poke. Her kill pressure spikes at level 3 when she gains access to her full basic ability rotation.

Lane Control Tips:

1. Position Miasma behind Yone when he uses Soul Unbound (E) to cut off his retreat path
2. Save Petrifying Gaze (R) for when Yone attempts all-in combinations
3. Build Everfrost for additional crowd control and setup potential

Cassiopeia's scaling matches Yone's late-game power, making her a reliable pick throughout all game stages. Her ability to control space and deal consistent damage creates significant problems for Yone's engage-heavy playstyle.

Conclusion

To effectively play against Yone, you need a combination of choosing the right champion and making smart gameplay decisions. The key to winning is understanding his abilities and taking advantage of his weaknesses when they are on cooldown.

Essential strategies to remember:

• Maintain strong vision control to prevent surprise engages
• Pick champions with reliable crowd control
• Build appropriate defensive items early
• Punish his positioning mistakes
• Focus on early game advantages

Your success against Yone depends on your ability to adapt these strategies to each unique game situation. While counter picks like Annie, Malphite, or Cassiopeia can give you an advantage, mastering the fundamental counterplay mechanics is crucial.

Practice these techniques in your games, but don't be afraid to adjust your approach based on the specific match circumstances. With dedication and the right strategic mindset, you can turn the tables on Yone and use his aggression against him.