12 Best Heroes To Counter Joy In Mobile Legends

Joy is a fast-paced assassin in Mobile Legends known for her rhythmic dashes, magic burst, and immunity to crowd control during her ultimate. While she can be incredibly hard to catch and even harder to kill when played well, Joy does have weaknesses—especially against heroes who can interrupt her rhythm, burst her down quickly, or control the battlefield from a distance. In this article, we’ll break down the 12 best heroes to counter Joy, whether through suppression, silence, burst damage, or smart positioning to stop her combos before they start.

#12: Akai

Akai is a strong counter to Joy because of his ability to completely disrupt her combos with Heavy Spin. While Joy relies on perfectly timed dashes to build rhythm and activate her ultimate, Akai can use his ultimate to push her away mid-combo, ruining her momentum and rendering her damage useless. His tankiness also makes it hard for Joy to burst him down, and his crowd control can easily trap her for his team to finish off. Akai’s ability to interrupt her rhythm makes him a solid pick whenever you’re up against a well-timed Joy.

#11: Barats

Barats is an effective counter to Joy thanks to his natural tankiness, scaling durability, and suppression ability. His ultimate, Detona’s Welcome, can completely stop Joy mid-combo—even during her ultimate—making it one of the few reliable ways to interrupt her rhythm and burst attempts. As Barats grows in size, he becomes harder for Joy to take down with her magic-based damage, and his AoE slow from So-Called Teamwork helps keep her grounded. With high durability and skill disruption, Barats forces Joy into awkward engagements where she can’t land her full combo.

#10: Diggie

Diggie is a great counter to Joy because of his ability to shut down crowd control-dependent heroes and punish dive-heavy playstyles. While Joy relies on rhythm dashes and immunity during her ultimate, Diggie’s Reverse Time can pull her back mid-dash if timed correctly, disrupting her combo flow. More importantly, Time Journey provides CC immunity to his entire team, helping allies survive Joy’s burst if she dives in. His vision from Auto Alarm Bombs also helps spot Joy before she engages. Diggie’s utility and anti-dive tools make him a smart pick to counter her mobility and surprise factor.

#9: Wanwan

Wanwan is a strong counter to Joy due to her mobility, range, and built-in cleanse. With her passive dashes, Wanwan can easily reposition during Joy’s dash sequences, making it hard for Joy to land consistent hits. Her Needles in Flowers allows her to remove slows and debuffs, including Joy’s slow from Look, Leonin Crystal!, giving her a clean escape or counterplay option. If Joy fails to burst her quickly, Wanwan can activate Crossbow of Tang and turn the fight around. Wanwan’s agility and reactive toolkit make her a frustrating and evasive matchup for Joy in both lane and teamfights.

#8: Franco

Franco is a nightmare for Joy thanks to his point-and-click suppression. With Bloody Hunt, Franco can stop Joy mid-dash or even during her ultimate—one of the few ways to completely shut her down while she’s rhythmically dashing. Since her combo relies on hitting every dash without interruption, Franco’s suppression ruins her momentum and makes her easy to burst down. His Iron Hook can also catch her if she mispositions during a dash, punishing aggressive plays. With just one good ult, Franco can end Joy’s combo before it even begins.

#7: Kaja

Kaja is a strong counter to Joy thanks to his instant suppression and high burst damage. With Divine Judgment, Kaja can completely interrupt Joy mid-combo or even during her ultimate, cutting off her rhythm and exposing her to an easy takedown. Joy’s mobility and CC immunity don’t protect her from suppression, making Kaja one of the most reliable heroes to shut her down instantly. Plus, his magic damage scales well, allowing him to burst her down quickly before she can recover. In both skirmishes and full teamfights, Kaja’s lockdown makes him a consistent threat to Joy.

#6: Saber

Saber is a deadly counter to Joy thanks to his ability to burst her down before she can even start her combo. With Triple Sweep, Saber can instantly lock her in place and eliminate her with high single-target damage. Since Joy is squishy and relies on perfect timing and movement to survive, Saber’s fast, targeted engage gives her little to no room to react. He doesn’t need to chase her through dashes or worry about rhythm—just one clean ult is often enough to take her out. Saber’s simplicity and burst make him a hard-hitting answer to Joy’s mobility-based kit.

#5: Chou

Chou is a great counter to Joy because of his mobility, timing-based crowd control, and suppression from The Way of Dragon. He can interrupt her dash sequence at any point with Jeet Kune Do or knock her out of rhythm with a well-placed kick. Since Joy needs to chain her dashes flawlessly to deal damage, Chou’s ability to isolate and suppress her mid-combo completely ruins her flow. Plus, his durability and escape tools make it hard for Joy to lock him down in return. Chou’s reactive playstyle and precision control give him a clear edge against her in both lane and teamfights.

#4: Khufra

Khufra is one of the best tanks to counter Joy because his kit directly shuts down mobility-based heroes. His Bouncing Ball disables Joy’s ability to dash freely, instantly interrupting her rhythm and preventing her from chaining Meow, Rhythm of Joy! properly. If she attempts to engage, Khufra can respond with Tyrant’s Revenge and Tyrant’s Rage, locking her down and giving his team time to burst her before she can activate her ultimate. With strong crowd control and anti-dash mechanics, Khufra forces Joy into awkward fights where she can’t fully utilize her combo.

#3: Esmeralda

Esmeralda is a solid counter to Joy due to her strong sustain, shield absorption, and tankiness. While Joy relies on rhythm-based burst damage, Esmeralda can absorb a significant portion of it with Frostmoon Shield, turning Joy’s magic burst into fuel for her own durability. In extended fights, Esmeralda’s Stardust Dance and Falling Starmoon allow her to outlast Joy, especially if Joy fails to secure an early kill. Unlike squishier targets, Esmeralda doesn’t go down easily and can even chase Joy down with her mobility. Her resilience and ability to punish failed combos make her a difficult matchup for Joy in both lane and teamfights.

#2: Phoveus

Phoveus is a natural counter to Joy thanks to his passive and ultimate, both of which punish frequent dashes. Every time Joy uses Meow, Rhythm of Joy!, Phoveus’ Demonic Intuition allows him to instantly reduce cooldowns and trigger follow-ups. His ultimate, Demonic Force, lets him blink directly to her each time she dashes, making it nearly impossible for Joy to escape or fully execute her combo without being punished. The more she dashes, the more dangerous Phoveus becomes. His anti-mobility design makes him a nightmare for Joy, especially in prolonged teamfights where she’s most active.

#1: Minsitthar

Minsitthar is arguably the hardest counter to Joy in Mobile Legends. His ultimate, King’s Calling, completely disables all dash and blink abilities within its area—including Joy’s core skill, Meow, Rhythm of Joy!. This means the moment Minsitthar drops his ult, Joy loses her mobility, rhythm combo, and ability to activate her ultimate, rendering her almost useless in fights. On top of that, his Spear of Glory can pull her in and lock her down, setting her up for a quick elimination. Minsitthar’s ability to shut down Joy’s entire playstyle makes him the ultimate answer to her fast-paced assassin kit.

Conclusion

Joy may be a fast and flashy assassin, but the right heroes can stop her rhythm in its tracks. Whether it’s suppression from heroes like Kaja and Franco, anti-dash abilities from Khufra and Phoveus, or complete mobility lockdown from Minsitthar, each pick on this list offers a reliable way to shut down her momentum. The key to beating Joy is timing—disrupt her combo, deny her rhythm, and burst her before she can reset. With the right counter and a bit of coordination, you can turn Joy’s biggest strengths into weaknesses and keep her from taking over the game.