TOP 5 YASUO COUNTERS

Here’s a breakdown of the top 5 counters to Yasuo in the mid-lane, focusing on Annie, Malzahar, Sett, Fizz, and Lissandra. These champions excel at punishing Yasuo’s reliance on mobility and sustained damage while offering tools to disengage or lock him down before taking much damage. Yasuo’s early game is fragile, and his Wind Wall (W) has a long cooldown, making him vulnerable to well-timed aggression or abilities that bypass his defenses.

Annie

Annie’s straightforward burst and point-and-click stun make her a brutal counter to Yasuo. Her Q (Disintegrate) farms safely and W (Incinerate) works through Wind Wall, while her stun from Passive (Pyromania) sets up devastating trades or all-ins with R (Summon: Tibbers). Yasuo’s lack of early durability means Annie can chunk him hard or kill him outright at level 6, especially with Ignite.

Tips

• Keep your stun stacked (3-4 charges) before trading. Yasuo can’t block your W or R, so bait his Wind Wall with an auto or W, then unload your full combo when it’s down.
• Farm with Q to avoid pushing the wave too hard — Yasuo thrives when he can chase you down in a long lane. When you don’t have your passive stacked, stay away from your minions to limit his E (Sweeping Blade) mobility.
• Use your abilities to break Yasuo's passive shield and engage in a trade immediately afterward. Be cautious when his passive is about to recharge, so you don’t miss out on your burst damage potential, you can also use your e if he all-ins to break his sheild with out using an auto.
• Post-6, if he’s at 70% HP or lower, R-Q-W-Ignite will kill him before he can react. Don’t hesitate to all-in when your stun is up.

Malzahar

Malzahar counters Yasuo with oppressive wave clear and a voidling army that overwhelms his early game. His (E - Malefic Visions) pokes through Wind Wall, and his W (Void Swarm) forces Yasuo to waste time clearing minions instead of trading. The R (Nether Grasp) locks Yasuo down, letting Malzahar’s DoT (E - Malefic Visions) and voidlings shred him. Yasuo’s mobility doesn’t help when he’s silenced by your Q or suppressed.

Tips

• Use Q to poke and reset your E duration on him — it forces him to back off or burn his shield early. Position Q diagonally to bypass Wind Wall.
• Summon W voidlings when Yasuo goes for CS — they’ll chunk him if he tries to E through your wave. Keep your mana healthy only Push when necessary to sustain this pressure.
• Save R for when he commits to an all-in or gets ganked. With Liandry’s Anguish, your ult combo melts him even through his shield.
• Play safe pre-6 and ward well — Yasuo might roam if he can’t win lane. Post-6, you dictate the pace; he can’t fight your ult without QSS.

Sett

Sett’s raw power and durability make him a mid-lane bully against Yasuo. His Q (Knuckle Down) and autos hit hard, while E (Facebreaker) stuns Yasuo if he dashes into minions. W (Haymaker) punishes Yasuo’s sustained damage with a massive shield and true damage counterattack that also goes through the Wall. Sett’s tankiness and regen from Passive let him shrug off Yasuo’s poke and dominate extended trades.

Tips

• Start trades with an auto-Q-auto to proc Conqueror fast, then E to stun him against your minions. Follow with W when he tries to retaliate — the shield and damage will ruin him.
• Play always in the middle of the enemy minions so you can use your E and zone him, Yasuo can’t block your fists or W’s true damage so lvl 3 your powerspike is so much bigger.
• At 6, your R (The Show Stopper) slams him into your turret or wave for a quick kill if he’s below 60% HP. Pair it with Ignite for certainty.
• Build Bruiser Stridebreaker to stick to him. Yasuo’s squishiness crumbles under your sustained damage and CC.

Fizz

Fizz’s slippery kit and burst potential exploit Yasuo’s lack of early sustain. E (Playful/Trickster) dodges Yasuo’s Q (Steel Tempest) and Wind Wall entirely, while Q (Urchin Strike) closes the gap for trades. At 6, R (Chum the Waters) into W (Seastone Trident) and E kills Yasuo before he can react, especially if he overextends.

Tips

• Time your W to trade with Yasuo just as his passive is about to activate, allowing the ticks from your W to shatter his shield. This sets you up for future trades and creates more opportunities to engage effectively
• Use E to dodge his Q tornado and land on him with damage — it’s your key trading tool. Save it for his tornado to avoid getting locked down.
• Harass with W-empowered autos and Q early, then back off. Once he’s at 70% HP, your level 6 all-in (R-Q-E-W) will one-shot him, but take care of his windwall since it can stop your R.
• If he dashes aggressively with E, punish him with Q-W while he’s in your wave — his mobility is predictable up close.

Lissandra

Lissandra’s crowd control and poke dismantle Yasuo’s game plan. Q (Ice Shard) harasses through minions, while W (Ring of Frost) roots him when he dashes in. Her R (Frozen Tomb) locks him down for a kill or sets up ganks. Yasuo can’t out-trade her sustained CC and burst.

Tips

• Use auto-attacks to pressure his passive and cast Q early to bait out his Windwall, then trade with W when he moves forward. Position the wave closer to your tower to restrict his E mobility.
• Use E (Glacial Path) to reposition or chase after he burns Wind Wall — it lets you dictate the fight’s range.
• At 6, R on yourself if he all-ins, or on him if he’s low. Follow with Q-W for a kill — he can’t escape the CC chain without Flash.
• Lissandra offers one of the most effective gank setups in League, with her Q slowing the first target, her W providing a root, and her R delivering a stun. By signaling your jungler for a gank or working with them in skirmishes or invades, you can easily overwhelm Yasuo and the enemy jungler.

Conclusion

Annie, Lissandra, and Malzahar effectively shut down Yasuo with their point-and-click crowd control, letting you capitalize on his W cooldown before level 11. Whether you force it out or he misuses it, that 10-15 second window is your chance to score a kill or stall his scaling. Sett overpowers him by relentlessly zoning and trading, making him the simplest option if you’re comfortable picking an AD mid. Fizz rounds out the group with his evasion and burst, tearing through Yasuo’s passive with his W. Focus on dominating the lane before level 3, baiting his W at 6, and hitting him hard before 11 when his lengthy cooldowns leave him vulnerable. Close out the game fast or maintain sidelane pressure with Fizz and Sett, or lean into teamfight chain CC with the others to keep him locked down.