Best Master Yi counters in LoL

LoL Esports

July 6, 2024

Davide Xu

If you are not able to beat Master Yi in LoL, here are the best counters you should play to win more against him this season.

Image Credit: Riot Games

Master Yi counters in LoL – the top three picks

While Master Yi is not one of the most popular champions anymore, he’s still a frustrating and annoying pick to play against. His mobility and high DPS make him shred through any target later in the game and he’s one of the few junglers with the 1v9 potential in the current iteration of the game. To increase the chances of beating him, there are a few champions that can counter Master Yi and make your life easier: here are the three best.

If you’re fairly new to the game, check out our guide on how counter picks work in League of Legends. You will understand why counter picks are important, and how you need to take advantage of them to increase your win rate. Make sure to also understand how classes counter one another in LoL so you always know what to pick in each game.

Jax – the best counter

Even though he’s usually played as top laner, Jax is probably the best shot you have to win against Master Yi. Not only does he match Master Yi at most points of the game but he also completely negates him thanks to his counter strike, dodging the attacks and turning into a stun and additional damage.

Rek’Sai – knocking him into oblivion

Rek’Sai has been performing as one of the best jungles for the majority of the season thanks to the recent changes. Despite being down in the jungle tier list, she is still a great pick against Master Yi thanks to her ability to knock up the enemy jungler at every point of the game. On top of that, she has a much stronger early map presence, allowing her to snowball the game more easily.

Rammus – can’t kill me

Rammus is another excellent choice against Master Yi. As a champion designed to counter auto-attack based champions, Rammus greatly reduces incoming damage and returns it to the attacker, bringing Master Yi into a “damned if you do and damned if you don’t” situation.

Worst Master Yi counters

Brand – the worst matchup

Brand has been one of the most popular AP champions following the buffs earlier in the season. As a squishy and immobile mage who bases his damage on hitting skill shots, he struggles against a champion like Master Yi. The only way for you to win is by hoping your team has enough crowd control to shut him down during key teamfights.

Warwick – a bad choice

While Warwick can have a good time against Master Yi, things get worse the higher you go up the ranks. This is because high elo junglers will know how to play around Warwick’s strengths and wait for the right moments and skirmishes to get a lead and snowball from there. Once Master Yi gets access to 2 items, it’s basically game over for Warwick.

How do you counter Master Yi with the items?

If you don’t want to waste time on LoL and lose again and again, you’ll need to think about items too. When going up against Master Yi, it’s recommended to stack both armor and health. Below is a list of items to build you should consider, based on the class of champion you’re playing:

Bruisers: Thornmail, Randuin’s Omen, Plated Steelcaps
AD assassins: Guardian Angel
ADC champions: Guardian Angel, Randuin’s Omen
AP champions: Zhonya’s Hourglass
Tanks: Thornmail, Randuin’s Omen, Plated Steelcaps, Frozen Heart

What Champion counters Master Yi?

The three best counters are Jax, Rek’Sai, and Rammus. Other strong counters include Wukong, Udyr, and Volibear.

Does Xin Zhao counter Master Yi?

Even though Xin Zhao can be stronger earlier in the game due to his stronger short trades, Master Yi will win most skirmishes and 1vs1 after unlocking the ultimate. Unless you can somehow pin Master Yi down with the knockup from the ultimate or Q, it will be almost impossible for Xin to win against Yi.