What Joy is bad at
- Landing every beat on Meow, Rhythm of Joy! for full damage and the shield is difficult under pressure.
- Has no hard crowd control of her own, so she can't lock down a target that out-ranges her dashes.
- Squishy enough that a single landed stun or suppression ends the fight before she can escape.
- Leonin Crystal's short 2-second lifespan means mistimed positioning wastes the whole combo's mobility.
Every counter below works by pressing one of these.
Hard counters to Joy
Pick one of these and the matchup is decided before the fight starts.
CyclopsMageHardStar Power Lockdown's sphere chases Joy down wherever her dash chain goes and immobilizes her for up to two seconds, locking her out of the rhythm before she can chain to safety.
EudoraMageHardEudora's stunning burst combo threatens to one-shot Joy's low HP pool from range, and the stun cancels her rhythm chain before she can dash away.
HarleyAssassin · MageHardHarley's blink-teleport combo matches Joy's mobility hit for hit, and his burst damage kills her faster than she can chain dashes to safety.
KajaSupport · FighterHardKaja's ultimate suppresses Joy completely — an effect that ignores resilience and can't be removed — taking her mobility fully out of the fight.
OdetteMageHardOdette's ultimate deals a huge burst of magic damage in a wide circle with almost no way to dodge once cast, killing Joy's thin HP pool before her chained dashes carry her clear.
Soft counters
Favourable, but Joy can still play around them.
MoskovMarksmanSoftSpear of Misery and the global Spear of Destruction both hit from far outside Joy's effective dash range, letting him poke her down before she can close the distance to start her combo.
FredrinnFighter · TankSoftCrystalline Armor stores the damage Joy pours into him and converts it straight back into HP, and Energy Eruption's one-second taunt drags her out of her dash chain the moment she over-extends.
BrunoMarksmanSoftVolley Shot's Powerball slows Joy from range before her dash chain closes the gap, and Flying Tackle's stun cuts the rhythm short the moment she does.
FaramisSupport · MageSoftCult Altar's Specter state clears his team's debuffs and briefly resurrects them, so the burst Joy spends her whole dash chain landing simply gets undone.
DiggieSupportSoftAuto Alarm Bomb chases Joy down and slows her out of her rhythm, and Reverse Time yanks her back to where she was marked, undoing the whole dash chain.
Items to build against Joy
You cannot always change your pick. You can always change your fourth slot.
Do not pick these into Joy
Heroes whose own counter list names Joy — these matchups go the other way. A red dot marks a hard counter.
Why Joy works
Common questions
Who counters Joy in Mobile Legends?
Cyclops, Moskov, Eudora, Fredrinn, Harley all beat Joy. Cyclops is the hardest counter: Star Power Lockdown's sphere chases Joy down wherever her dash chain goes and immobilizes her for up to two seconds, locking her out of the rhythm before she can chain to safety.
What items should I build against Joy?
Ice Queen Wand: Stacking slow shuts down the dash chain her entire kit depends on. Radiant Armor: Its rising magic damage reduction is built for the repeated ticks of her rhythm chain. Tough Boots: Reduces the stun or slow duration she needs help from teammates to punish.
What is Joy's biggest weakness?
Landing every beat on Meow, Rhythm of Joy! for full damage and the shield is difficult under pressure.