Mobile Legends Joy guide: Best build, skills, emblem & combos

Joy is a high-mobility assassin in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and the first Leonin hero in the game. What makes her truly unique is her rhythm-based skill set—chaining her abilities to the beat not only amplifies her damage but also unlocks her full potential in fights. Though she has a steep learning curve, players who take the time to master her mechanics will find Joy to be one of the most rewarding and unpredictable heroes on the battlefield. In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to play Joy effectively—from her skills and emblems to the best builds, battle spells, and combo tips to help you make the most of the Flash of Miracle.

Joy’s Skills Overview in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Passive – Humph, Joy’s Angry!

Every time Joy hits a non-minion enemy or her Leonin Crystal with a skill, she becomes “Angry,” gaining a burst of movement speed that gradually decays. Her basic attacks also deal bonus Magic Damage, giving her strong trade potential.
• This effect has an individual cooldown per target, so focus on repositioning between hits.
• Don’t ignore basic attacks—they synergize with her passive and help boost her damage between skills.
• The bonus speed makes her one of the few assassins who can both engage and kite with ease in a fight.

Skill 1 – Look, Leonin Crystal!

Joy summons a Leonin Crystal at the target location, dealing Magic Damage and slowing enemies around it. The crystal lasts a few seconds and acts as a targetable anchor for her second skill, letting her dash off it.
• Use this first before dashing—it slows enemies, making it easier to chain your combo.
• Even if you don’t hit an enemy, you can still use it to initiate your Meow, Rhythm of Joy! dash sequence.
• It reveals enemies hiding in bushes, giving her valuable vision control.
• Smart placement of the crystal can also give you a double dash escape or mobility tool.

Skill 2 – Meow, Rhythm of Joy!

This is Joy’s signature ability—she dashes in a target direction, dealing Magic Damage to all enemies in her path. If she hits an enemy or the Leonin Crystal, she can recast the skill up to five times in quick succession. Casting the skill in rhythm with the beat grants additional damage and a Magic Shield.
• Always max this skill first—it’s the core of her burst combo and mobility.
• Timing is everything. The game provides audio and visual cues (including a rhythm bar and icons near her health bar) to help you dash with perfect timing.
• Dashing on-beat boosts both your damage and survivability. Missing the beat reduces effectiveness, so use earphones or focus on visual indicators.
• Joy can dash over walls using this skill, adding great mobility for chasing or escaping.

Ultimate – Ha, Electrifying Beats!

After building up Beat Energy by dashing to the rhythm, Joy can activate her ultimate to deal multiple waves of Magic Damage in an area around her. During this time, she also gains extra Physical and Magic Defense, bonus Movement Speed, and—if every dash was timed perfectly—additional Spell Vamp.
• To activate this skill, you must land five rhythmic Meow, Rhythm of Joy! dashes.
• The better your rhythm, the stronger the ultimate. Hit all five beats perfectly to unlock Spell Vamp and crowd control immunity.
• It also cleanses all debuffs and grants slow immunity on cast, giving her a huge advantage when diving in or escaping.
• If enemies try to escape during the ult, cast Look, Leonin Crystal! behind them to slow and finish them off.

Joy’s entire kit revolves around rhythm and timing. Mastering her dash sequence and knowing when to engage or retreat is key to unlocking her full damage and mobility potential. While difficult to learn, she offers huge outplay potential in the hands of a skilled player.

How To Play Joy In Mobile Legends

Best Battle Spells for Joy

Joy is a high-risk, high-reward hero who needs the right battle spell to survive and thrive in fights. If you’re playing her in the EXP lane or midlane, Vengeance is a top-tier option. Since Joy is naturally squishy and tends to dive into the middle of fights to build rhythm, Vengeance gives her the sustain and damage reflection needed to survive enemy burst while dishing out magic damage. It also buys her valuable time to complete her Meow, Rhythm of Joy! combo and activate her ultimate safely.

If you’re playing Joy in the jungle, Retribution is essential for clearing camps and securing objectives. Upgrading to Ice Retribution adds even more value, giving her the ability to slow down enemy heroes—perfect for chasing down targets or escaping when your dashes are off-beat. It synergizes well with her playstyle, especially during failed engages or clutch teamfight escapes. Choose your spell based on your lane, but both options give Joy the tools she needs to dance through battle.

Best Emblem Setup for Joy

To maximize Joy’s burst potential and sustain her rhythm-based gameplay, the Mage Emblem is the best fit. It boosts her Magic Power, Magic Penetration, and Cooldown Reduction, all of which are crucial for keeping her skills active and chaining combos effectively throughout the fight.

For your first-tier talent, go with Thrill to gain increased adaptive attack. This small boost in early-game power helps Joy clear jungle camps faster or trade more efficiently in lane during early skirmishes.

In the second tier, your choice depends on your role:
• If you’re playing jungle, pick Seasoned Hunter. It boosts your damage against jungle monsters and helps you secure objectives faster, which is vital for building momentum.
• If you’re in the EXP lane or midlane, take Bargain Hunter. This talent speeds up item progression, allowing you to hit power spikes earlier and become a threat faster.

For your core talent, Temporal Reign is the top pick. It reduces the cooldown of your other skills after casting your ultimate, letting you use Look, Leonin Crystal! and Meow, Rhythm of Joy! more often during or right after your ult. This gives Joy better uptime, extended combos, and more outplay potential—especially in longer teamfights.

Overall, this emblem setup gives Joy the cooldowns, power, and item acceleration she needs to stay fast, fluid, and deadly.

Best Item Build for Joy in Mobile Legends

Joy thrives on burst damage, magic penetration, and survivability—especially since she needs to dive into the heart of fights to unleash her combos. Whether you’re playing her in the jungle or lane, the right item path can make or break your effectiveness.

Recommended Jungle Build for Joy:
• Arcane Boots (Ice Retribution) – Boosts Magic Penetration and provides a slow effect, helping you stick to targets during your dash sequence.
• Genius Wand – Excellent early-game item that reduces enemy Magic Defense, allowing Joy to burst squishies and contribute in teamfights early.
• Holy Crystal – A core damage item that greatly amplifies her burst potential with high Magic Power scaling.
• Blood Wings – Provides a massive Magic Power spike and a bonus shield, giving Joy more sustain during all-ins and teamfight dives.
• Divine Glaive – Shreds through tanky heroes and Magic Defense stacks, ensuring her damage still hits hard in the late game.
• Winter Crown – Adds a layer of safety with its Freeze active. It can be used mid-ultimate since it doesn’t cancel Ha, Electrifying Beats, making it a clutch tool for both defense and offense.

Recommended EXP Lane Build for Joy:
• Arcane Boots – Offers early Magic Penetration to help with trades and wave clear.
• Concentrated Energy – Gives Magic Lifesteal and HP, helping her sustain in lane and stay active in skirmishes.
• Divine Glaive – Useful for piercing through frontline defenses, especially when laning against tanks or bruisers.
• Holy Crystal – Enhances burst potential, making her more threatening when diving into the backline.
• Wishing Lantern – Boosts both damage and mobility, keeping Joy fast and efficient in teamfights.
• Glowing Wand – Adds sustained burn damage and is especially effective against high HP or regenerating heroes.

This build approach focuses on amplifying Joy’s burst damage while giving her enough sustain or defensive tools to survive in extended fights. Whether you’re playing her aggressively in the jungle or as a flexible laner, these items help you dominate early and stay relevant into the late game.

Easy Combos to Learn with Joy

Joy’s gameplay is all about rhythm and timing, and mastering her basic combos early will set the foundation for dominating both lane and teamfights. In the laning phase, a simple yet effective combo starts by hiding in a bush and casting Look, Leonin Crystal! when your target approaches. The slow makes it easier to land your first dash with Meow, Rhythm of Joy!—from there, chain your five dashes to the beat. If the enemy is low, finish them off with Execute right after the combo.

Once you hit level four and unlock Ha, Electrifying Beats!, make sure to land all five dashes on-beat for maximum damage. You can also bait enemies by hiding a Leonin Crystal in a bush—dash to the crystal for your first stack, then immediately shift your second dash toward a hero. This stealthy opener often catches opponents off guard, and with just four more dashes, you can quickly activate your ultimate and secure the kill before they react.

As a jungler, focus on quick camp clears to reach level 4 as fast as possible. Then rotate to lanes with vulnerable or low-HP targets and engage with your full combo. Coordinate with teammates to burst down priority targets and snowball early leads into total map control.

And most importantly—turn up your volume. Joy’s combo relies heavily on audio cues, and hearing the beat clearly helps you time your dashes without constantly watching the screen. Mastering her rhythm is the key to unlocking her full damage and mobility potential.

Conclusion

Joy is one of the most unique and mechanically challenging heroes in Mobile Legends, but in the hands of a skilled player, she can be a game-changing force. With her rhythm-based dash mechanics, burst-heavy combos, and strong mobility, Joy excels at picking off squishy targets and dancing through teamfights with style. By mastering her timing, using the right emblem setup, choosing the best items, and executing her combos to the beat, you can maximize her potential and carry your team to victory. Whether you’re playing her in the jungle, EXP lane, or mid, this guide gives you everything you need to dominate with Joy, the Flash of Miracle.