Top 4 Decks To Counter The Kai’sa Demacia Craze

Introduction

Hey there, Raphterra here! One week after the release of the Forces From Beyond expansion, Kai’sa is the new champion that solidified her spot in the meta. Kai’sa Demacia is currently the most-played archetype of the expansion, with three versions of the deck combining for a staggering 18.4% playrate in the past three days.

It has always been a viable strategy to climb the ranked ladder with lists that counter the most popular decks. In this article, I look into the stats and share 5 decks that are favored against Kai’sa Demacia.

If you prefer playing the best decks instead of countering them, check out my feature article on Kai’sa Akshan, the deck I used to climb to Rank 1 Masters this season!

Azir Irelia

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Azir Irelia created by Raphterra • last updated 8 months ago

Standard

Combo

Regions

16

24

Types

6

21

10

3

0

Rarities

6

3

9

22

Mana Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Champions (6)

3

Azir

3

3

Irelia

3

landmarks (3)

2

Emperor’s Dais

3

followers (21)

1

Dunekeeper

2

1

Shadow Apprentice

3

1

Sparring Student

3

1

Treasure Seeker

2

2

Greenglade Duo

3

2

Ribbon Dancer

3

3

Domination

3

5

Blossoming Blade

2

Spells (10)

1

Rite of Calling

1

1

Shaped Stone

2

2

Twin Disciplines

3

4

Homecoming

1

5

Defiant Dance

3

Starting off this list is an invigorated classic combo deck, Azir Irelia. The addition of Domination from Evelynn‘s package proved to be a very decent upgrade to the deck. Domination found a home in Azir Irelia as she has excellent synergy with Sand Soldiers and Blades.

The stats show that this archetype is favored against all versions of Kai’sa Demacia: 59% against Mono Kai’sa, 56.2% against Akshan Kai’sa, and 52.6% against Sivir Kai’sa. One of the ways to beat Kai’sa Demacia is to kill them faster than they can kill you. This is something that Azir Irelia can do very well if they get the proper setup in the early game. Defiant Dance and Homecoming helps the deck stop Kai’sa‘s combo turns from Turn 5 onwards.

From my experience of playing my version of Akshan Kai’sa, this matchup feels a lot closer than the stats indicate. Azir Irelia may have a hard time time dealing with Fearsome and Overwhelm units like Merciless Hunter and Void Blaster. Akshan can also level up quickly by blocking into Sand Soldiers or Blades. Nonetheless, this is just my personal bias from my playing experience. The stats still indicate that Azir Irelia is a good counter deck against the Void army.

Annie Jhin

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Annie Jhin created by Raphterra • last updated 8 months ago

Standard

Aggro

Burn

Regions

19

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Types

6

28

6

0

0

Rarities

6

0

3

31

Mana Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Champions (6)

1

Annie

3

4

Jhin

3

followers (28)

1

Crackshot Corsair

3

1

Legion Rearguard

3

1

Legion Saboteur

3

2

Boomcrew Rookie

3

2

Imperial Demolitionist

3

2

Solari Sunhawk

3

2

The Stagehand

3

2

Tusk Speaker

3

3

Arachnoid Sentry

1

3

Doombeast

3

Spells (6)

3

Noxian Fervor

3

6

Decimate

3

Annie Jhin might be the most consistent counter to all versions of Kai’sa Demacia: 60.8% against Mono Kai’sa, 60% against Kai’sa Akshan, and 54.7% against Kai’sa Sivir. This burn deck also does very well against other decks in the meta; the deck list above has an overall winrate of 55.4% in the past three days.

Super fast burn and aggro strategies have always been effective counters to combo decks. Annie Jhin‘s explosive early turns can advantage of Kai’sa Demacia’s tendency to slowly setup their board. If necessary, Solari Sunhawk and The Stagehand can defensively stop Kai’sa from attacking.

If you are planning to play Annie Jhin, remember that Kai’sa still has ways to win against you. Petricite Broadwing is one of the most powerful early units in the game. This card can single-handedly help decks stabilize in the early game. Radiant Guardian can also become a win card in the mid-game especially when paired with Concerted Strike.

Gwen Elise Noxus

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Gwen Elise created by Raphterra • last updated 8 months ago

Standard

Aggro

Burn

Regions

14

26

Types

6

26

8

0

0

Rarities

6

0

11

23

Mana Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Champions (6)

2

Elise

3

4

Gwen

3

followers (26)

1

Boisterous Host

3

1

Precious Pet

3

1

Stygian Onlooker

3

2

Arachnoid Horror

3

2

House Spider

3

2

Imperial Demolitionist

2

2

Phantom Butler

3

3

Doombeast

3

3

Frenzied Skitterer

3

Spells (8)

3

Noxian Fervor

3

3

Stalking Shadows

2

6

Decimate

3

Elise Gwen is another burn aggro deck that has been displaying good results against Kai’sa Demacia: 60% against Mono Kai’sa, 58.1% against Kai’sa Akshan, and 59.9% against Kai’sa Sivir. This deck stands out because it does just as well against Kai’sa Sivir as it does against the other two versions of Kai’sa Demacia.

Similar to Annie Jhin, Elise Gwen takes advantage of the early game in the matchup against Kai’sa Demacia. The popular combo deck can struggle blocking early against Frenzied Skitterer combos with multiple Fearsome units. That being said, Elise Gwen “only” has a 51% overall winrate when taking into account other decks in the meta. You may receive lackluster results if you aren’t facing many Kai’sa Demacia players in your rank.

Yasuo Katarina

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Yasuo Katarina created by Raphterra • last updated 8 months ago

Standard

Control

Combo

Regions

18

22

Types

6

13

18

3

0

Rarities

6

5

17

12

Mana Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Champions (6)

3

Katarina

3

4

Yasuo

3

landmarks (3)

5

Windswept Hillock

3

followers (13)

2

Fae Bladetwirler

3

2

House Spider

2

2

Spell Slinger

1

3

Arachnoid Sentry

3

3

Thorn of the Rose

2

6

Sai’nen Thousand-Tailed

2

Spells (18)

1

Ionian Tellstones

1

1

Ravenous Flock

3

2

Nopeify!

1

2

Steel Tempest

1

2

Twin Disciplines

3

3

Might

1

4

Concussive Palm

3

4

Deny

2

4

Strategic Execution

2

4

Whispered Words

1

Yasuo Katarina is officially meta! The addition of the new support card, Windswept Hillock, has been very impactful for this archetype. Yasuo Katarina fares well against Mono Kai’sa (58.9%) and Kai’sa Akshan (54.4%), but isn’t doing too well when matched up against Kai’sa Sivir (45.9%). The deck list above does decently against other decks in the meta with an overall winrate of 53.1%.

While the three previous decks beat Kai’sa Demacia by going faster than them, Yasuo Katarina has a different gameplan. This deck stops Kai’sa in her tracks with multiple stun tools. Setting up Level 2 Katarina with Windswept Hillock is almost always a secured win with this deck.

Yasuo decks are heavily favored against Mono Kai’sa since those versions rely solely on a single unit. Kai’sa Sivir does better against Yasuo because this version plays closer to a go-wide midrange deck that doesn’t rely on a single unit to win. If you’re looking to play Yasuo, I wouldn’t be too worried since Kai’sa Sivir is the least popular version of Kai’sa Demacia.

Bonus Deck: Lux Illaoi

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Lux Illaoi created by Raphterra • last updated 8 months ago

Standard

Control

Midrange

Regions

19

21

Types

6

16

18

0

0

Rarities

6

3

12

19

Mana Cost

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7+

Champions (6)

4

Illaoi

3

5

Lux

3

followers (16)

1

Fleetfeather Tracker

2

1

Watchful Idol

3

2

Brightsteel Protector

2

2

Hired Gun

1

2

Petricite Broadwing

3

3

The Sea’s Voice

3

3

Vanguard Sergeant

2

Spells (18)

2

Answered Prayer

2

2

Sharpsight

2

2

Single Combat

2

3

Royal Decree

1

3

Tentacle Smash

3

5

Concerted Strike

2

5

Eye of Nagakabouros

3

6

Riptide Sermon

3

I’m including a bonus deck to this list, Lux Illaoi! The sample size of this deck is still small, but it displays an overall winrate of 58.5%. It also has favored matchups into Mono Kai’sa (57.1%) and Kai’sa Akshan (54.5%). Similar to Yasuo Katarina, this deck doesn’t do too well against Kai’sa Sivir (47.6%).

This deck has multiple ways to remove Kai’sa before she attacks: Lux, Concerted Strike, and Tentacle Smash. Riptide Sermon is a great tempo control tool that works even better if you have Lux on board. These removals combined with board pressure from Illaoi and the Tentacle package has been performing well for the few pilots trying out the deck! Time will tell if this deck can maintain it’s great stats moving forward.

Closing Words

Kai’sa Demacia would probably be one of the prime candidates for a possible nerf in the next balance patch. Until then, players will probably still keep playing the deck because it’s just very fun to play! You can definitely take advantage by using decks that are favored into it!

However, keep in mind that you should only use these statistics as a reference. Different players play decks differently. From playing Kai’sa extensively, I feel that these matchups are a lot closer in the hands of a good player.

In the next days, I will definitely be trying to find more decks that counter Kai’sa Demacia. Rest assured, I will be sure to share the information with you when I find something new!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on YouTube, Discord, or Twitter!