Airi Counters 2026: Best Counter Picks & Builds

Lu Bu

Airi’s two CC tools, Spin and the second slash of Ryuu (1-second stun), are both negated by the ultimate God of War of Lu Bu : Lu Bu instantly cleanses any CC on him, restores 20% of his missing HP and gains bonus Resistance. While empowered, every basic attack or skill 1 that hits an enemy heals him again, so Airi has a hard time winning an extended fight. Skill 1 Red Hare can dash 3 times, with the third dash knocking up, enough to stop her in the middle of her Shadow chain. Tip: hold God of War until Airi has used Ryuu, so she completely wastes her strongest skill.

Omen

Airi’s biggest advantage is the three dashes of Shadow : dive in, strike, then get out before she can be punished. The ultimate Death's Embrace of Omen wipes out that advantage: Omen charges at the first enemy hero hit and traps her in a death arena she can’t escape for 5 seconds, while also reducing her damage dealt. Skill 2 Untouchable boosts Omen’s damage reduction for 2 seconds and reflects enemy heroes’ basic attacks along with a slow, while Airi has to keep basic attacking so her passive Slash can reduce her cooldowns. Skill 1 Death's Beckon pulls Airi back in if she tries to dash away.

Keera

When Airi activates Ryuu , she gains movement speed and 30% attack speed for 8 seconds, so this is not the time to stand and trade blows. Keera handles this situation cleanly: her ultimate Fading Phantom lets Keera pass through terrain, withstand 3 basic attacks from enemy heroes and turn invisible when touching terrain, so you can slip away and wait for the attack speed buff to wear off. When the ultimate ends, skills 1 and 2 are refreshed so you can come back in and burst. Skill 2 Triangle Maze makes Keera untargetable while casting, enough to dodge Spin , and the triangle border stuns Airi if she dashes through it with Shadow .

Nakroth

Airi relies on crowd control to hold targets: Spin briefly stuns, while Ryuu slows and then stuns for 1 second. The ultimate Judgement's Blade of Nakroth makes him immune to crowd control while swinging his blade, so Airi can’t interrupt this damage chain, and the final strike even knocks her airborne. Skill 2 Death Sentence lets Nakroth vanish backward, great for escaping Ryuu’s range the moment you see Airi start her skill, then coming back with a sweeping strike. Skill 1 Jury Fury knocks the target airborne and can be recast for free within 5 seconds, helping you stop Airi between her Shadow charges.

Liliana

All of Airi’s skills deal physical damage, while the passive Fox Form gives Liliana bonus armor, magic defense and movement speed in fox form. More importantly, while casting her ultimate Foxtrot , Liliana is immune to crowd control and damage, enough to dash right through the stunning slash of Ryuu . In human form, Liliana attacks from range and her skill 2 Blinding Light explodes to stun for 0.75 seconds, stopping Airi the moment she uses Shadow to close in. Tip: poke in human form and only switch to fox form once Airi has dashed in and you need to dodge skills or burst her down.

Baldum

Airi’s ultimate Ryuu grants her 30% attack speed for 8 seconds, and the ultimate Wild Prison of Baldum steals 3 precious seconds of that window: after a brief slow, the ground collapses and traps Airi for 3 seconds, during which she can’t take any action. When the trap ends, Airi also takes physical damage and is slowed for 1.5 seconds. All of Airi’s damage is physical, so skill 2 Wild Stomp is very valuable since it both slows and reduces the physical damage its victims deal to Baldum. Skill 1 Wild Charge knocks up and slows, enough to stop her between two casts of Shadow .

Gildur

Airi needs to stay right next to her target for Ryuu and her basic attacks to work, and Gildur has plenty of ways to push her away. His ultimate Indulgence creates a magic circle that continuously deals magic damage, slows and stuns enemies inside, perfect to drop right where Airi just dashed in with Shadow . Skill 2 Extravagant stuns from range, breaking her rhythm before she can cast Ryuu . The passive Midas Touch gives Gildur a shield every time he casts a skill, and every 4th basic attack knocks the target back, helping protect the marksman from Airi’s relentless dives.