How to Counter Yao — Best Picks & Strategy

How to approach Yao (Assassin, Jungle):

• Yao is squishy — any hard CC chain deletes them. Save one reliable stun for their engage window.
• Shut them down early. Gank pre-4 to deny their first powerspike. A behind Yao is one of the weakest heroes on the map.
• Don't fight fair 1v1s. Yao excels in duels — collapse with numbers instead.

Statistically, Yao struggles vs: Hou Yi, Daji, Angela.

These heroes have favorable win rates vs Yao:

• Hou Yi: Has a mechanical advantage over Yao. Click for full guide.
• Daji: Has a mechanical advantage over Yao. Click for full guide.
• Angela: Has a mechanical advantage over Yao. Click for full guide.

Pick based on your champion pool and team needs. A comfortable pick in a slightly losing matchup outperforms an uncomfortable "counter" pick every time.

Itemization vs Yao (Assassin):

Tanks/Warriors:
• First big item should be defensive stats matching Yao's primary damage type (armor).
• Immortal Robe or Blade of Resilience for anti-burst survivability.
• If Yao has sustain/lifesteal → build anti-heal immediately.

Damage Dealers:
• Defensive item 3rd or 4th. Surviving Yao's burst is more important than a 6th damage item.
• Purify can cleanse Yao's CC chain — often saves more lives than Flash.

Core strategy when laning against Yao:

• Levels 1-3 are your best window. Most heroes are weakest before their ultimate. Trade aggressively early.
• Track cooldowns. Bait out Yao's key ability, then punish during the cooldown window.
• Control wave position. Don't mindlessly push — a frozen wave near your tower sets up easy jungle ganks.
• Ping your jungler. Let them know when Yao's Flash or escape is on cooldown for guaranteed kills.
• Vision is life. Ward the river brush. If you don't see the enemy jungler, assume they're coming for you.

How to handle Yao in teamfights:

• Deny comfortable positioning. Control vision around flank routes so Yao can't find an easy angle.
• Save hard CC for Yao specifically. Don't waste stuns, knockups, or suppression on the enemy tank — Yao is the real threat.
• The moment Yao uses their mobility/escape cooldown is your kill window. Call for immediate focus fire.
• If Yao hasn't shown yet, don't hard commit. Wait for them to reveal before fully engaging.
• Spread your formation. Clumping together lets Yao hit everyone with AoE. Keep some distance between teammates.

Ban Phase:
• If your team lacks reliable ways to shut down Yao and the enemy might pick it — ban it.
• Yao's ban priority increases at higher ranks where players can maximize the champion's potential.

Pick Phase:
• Don't first-pick Yao. It invites counter-picks.
• If the enemy has already locked a known Yao counter (e.g. Hou Yi, Daji, Angela), seriously reconsider picking Yao.
• Yao shines with specific team compositions. Communicate with your team about playstyle before locking in.