Yone is a scaling hypercarry who becomes unkillable at 2-3 items. He's weak early but once he gets Immortal Shieldbow + IE, he 1v9s. The key to beating him is abusing his weak laning phase and ending before he scales.
His E lets him dive you, deal damage, and snap back to safety. It's basically a free engage with no risk. His W shields him and his R knocks up your entire team. If you let him scale, you lose.
Best Yone Counters
1. Renekton (Top/Mid Lane)
Renekton hard counters Yone. His early game is way stronger. He can W to stun Yone during his E and burst him before he can snap back. He also builds armor, so Yone's damage doesn't hurt.
Why it works: Strong early game. W stuns him during E. You win all-ins.
How to play it: Trade with W when he walks up. If he E's in, W → Q → E and he's dead before he can snap back. Build Prowler's Claw → Black Cleaver → Death's Dance.
2. Akali (Mid Lane)
Akali beats Yone at all stages. Her Q poke chunks him. Her W makes her untargetable so he can't hit her. Her E lets her follow him when he E's back. She also outscales him.
Why it works: Q poke beats him. W dodges his abilities. E follows his E.
How to play it: Q spam to poke. When he E's in, W to dodge. When he snaps back, E to follow and kill him. Build Riftmaker → Shadowflame → Zhonya's Hourglass.
3. Annie (Mid Lane)
Annie one-shots Yone before he can react. Her passive stun locks him down. Her R + W + Q combo deletes him. He can't E back if he's dead.
Why it works: One-shot combo. Stun locks him. He dies before he can react.
How to play it: Stack passive to 3 stacks. When he walks up, Flash + R + W + Q. He's dead. Build Luden's Tempest → Shadowflame → Rabadon's Deathcap.
4. Pantheon (Mid Lane)
Pantheon's Q poke chunks Yone. His W stun locks him down. His E blocks Yone's Q and R. He wins all-ins at all stages.
Why it works: Q poke beats him. W stun locks him. E blocks his damage.
How to play it: Q spam from range. When he E's in, W → Q → E and he can't trade back. Build Eclipse → Black Cleaver → Sterak's Gage.
5. Malphite (Top/Mid Lane)
Malphite doesn't care about Yone's damage. He builds full armor and Yone can't kill him. His R one-shots Yone in teamfights. He also outscales in teamfights.
Why it works: Full armor negates his damage. R one-shots him. You outscale in teamfights.
How to play it: Farm with Q. Don't try to fight him. Rush Sunfire Aegis. At 6, R → E → Q and he's dead. Build full tank.
How to Beat Yone in Lane
Abuse his weak early game. Yone is weak levels 1-5. Bully him and deny CS.
Punish his E. When he E's in, he has to snap back. Burst him before he can escape.
Don't let him scale. Yone needs 2-3 items to be useful. End the game before he gets there.
Build armor. Yone does physical damage. One armor item and his damage is cut in half.
Dodge his Q3. His third Q knocks you up. If you dodge it, he can't engage.
How to Beat Yone in Teamfights
Focus him before he stacks. Yone's Q stacks on autos. If you let him stack, he'll knock up your entire team.
Kite backwards. Yone has to walk forward to hit you. If you kite backwards, he can't reach your backline.
Burst him. Yone is squishy. If you burst him before he can lifesteal, he dies.
CC him. Yone has no escapes except E. If you CC him, he's dead.
Items That Counter Yone
- Thornmail — reflects damage and applies grievous wounds
- Randuin's Omen — reduces crit damage and slows him
- Frozen Heart — reduces his attack speed
- Plated Steelcaps — reduces auto attack damage
- Zhonya's Hourglass — dodges his R
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counters Yone the hardest?
Renekton. His early game is way stronger, he can W to stun Yone during E and burst him before he snaps back, and he builds armor.
How do I beat Yone in lane?
Abuse his weak early game (levels 1-5). Bully him, deny CS, don't let him scale. Punish his E by bursting him before he snaps back. Build armor.
What items counter Yone?
Thornmail (reflects damage + grievous), Randuin's Omen (reduces crit damage), Frozen Heart (reduces attack speed), Plated Steelcaps (reduces auto damage), Zhonya's (dodges R).
Does Akali counter Yone?
Yeah. Her Q poke chunks him, her W makes her untargetable, her E follows his E. She outscales him too.
How does Yone's E work?
He dashes forward, deals damage, and snaps back after 5 seconds. He takes 25% reduced damage while in E. Burst him before he snaps back.
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