How to beat Yone

Common role: Mid / Top

The best counter to Yone in Top is Diana: 63.4% win rate over 63 ranked games on patch 26.17.

A hybrid-damage skirmisher who dashes in with his spirit and knocks up with Q3.

What makes Yone dangerous

Yone builds up his Q into a knock-up dash (Q3), can enter and retreat with his ultimate and his spirit form (E), and mixes physical and magic damage so single-resistance itemization doesn't fully stop him. He scales hard into the mid and late game.

How to play against Yone

• 1Respect his Q3 (the third Q that dashes and knocks up) — when his Q is stacked, don't stand in a straight line in front of him.
• 2His E (Soul Unbound) returns him to where he cast it and only deals a portion of the damage taken there. Chase him past the return point or CC him before E ends to punish it.
• 3Trade when his Q is not stacked and his E is on cooldown — that's when he has no escape and no knock-up.
• 4His ultimate is a wide dash-through knock-up; sidestep to the flank so he can't line it up on your whole team.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Weak and immobile while his Q isn't stacked and E is down.
• ✓Squishy early — no defensive stats until items.
• ✓E has a hard punish window if you follow up.
• ✓Relies on landing Q3/ult to engage; dodge them and he's stuck.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Yone's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Way of the Hunter

  Yone deals magic damage with every second Attack. In addition, his critical strike chance is increased.

• Q
  Mortal Steel

  Thrusts forward, damaging all enemies in a line.On hit, grants a stack of Gathering Storm for a few seconds. At 2 stacks, Mortal Steel dashes Yone forward with a gust of wind knocking enemies Airborne.

  Strong: builds to a dash-and-knock-up on the third cast. Weak: telegraphed when stacked — don't stand in a line in front of him with Q charged.

• W
  Spirit Cleave

  Cleaves forward, damaging all enemies in a cone. Grants a shield to Yone, the value is increased by the number of champions hit by the swipe.Spirit Cleave's cooldown and cast time scale with attack speed.

• E
  Soul Unbound

  Yone's spirit leaves his body behind, gaining Move Speed. When this ability ends, Yone's spirit is forced back to his body and he repeats a portion of the damage he dealt as a spirit.

  Strong: enters spirit form to reposition, returning to the cast point. Weak: only a fraction of damage taken follows him back — burst him past the return point or CC him before E ends.

• R
  Fate Sealed

  Yone blinks behind the last champion in a line with a slash so powerful it pulls all enemies hit towards him.

  Strong: a wide dash-through knock-up that catches groups. Weak: a fixed line — sidestep to the flank so he can't line up your whole team.

Itemization

Because Yone is hybrid, mixed defenses beat him: pair armor and magic resist rather than stacking one. Attack-speed slows (Randuin's, Frozen Heart) blunt his on-hit crit side; a Zhonya's baits out his all-in.

This guide covers Yone's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.