How to COUNTER Esmeralda

shinee.

Hey guys. In this guide we will talk about ways to counter Esmeralda, a hero that is considered most dangerous right now. She is probably most played hero at this moment and lots of players still don't know how to manage a game vs her.. All the information that i collected for this thread are from my personal experience and with the help of a Global friend of mine.

COUNTERS :



ASSASSINS -> These are the main counter for Esmeralda, as she's not able to spam her skills. They have mobility so it can be easy to dodge her ultimate. Some of the examples I can give here are : Gusion, Helcurt or Hayabusa. We all know the burst damage that Gusion have.. xd


KIMMY -> Slow effect from buff + turtle + sprint = Untouchable Kimmy xd
Some of you might still not know about the bonuses buff or turtle give, so :
► BUFF : (for marksman) : Increase 10% physical attack . Slow the target by 20% for 2 seconds using basic attack
► TURTLE : Extra true damage equal to 6% of enemy max HP and slows their movement speed by 60% . Lasts 1.5 sec and has a 2sec cooldown.


AURORA -> She can cancel Esmeralda's ultimate and Instakill her xd  She has stun and high damage on her ultimate, also 4 stacks on her passive, that will also give her stun effect on her next skill.


KHUFRA -> He can easily counter any blink skills with his 2nd skill . Esmeralda's ultimate is similar to a blink skill and Khufra can stop her from using it with his jumping around skill .


LOLITA -> She has that awesome 2nd skill that can block many skills (just like Cyclops ultimate or Lesley's). If you hold the shield when Esmeralda wants to use ultimate, Loli will block it.


ANTI-HEAL ITEMS :

So these are must have items against Esmeralda. When the passive of Necklace of Durance is activated, Esmeralda's shield will decrease a lot . Both items are life drain items and they are a must have against Esmeralda.


CROWD CONTROL (CC : stun, slow, root, knock up) -> Yep, CC. That's something we've all been saing lately...This is one of most dangerous counter for any hero, not just Esmeralda..
A good example here would be Chou...knocking Esmeralda around giving his team enough time to kill her.  Or even Akai/ Lolita.


PURIFY


This is a recommended skill vs lots of CC composition teams. Lately i've been using it a lot, especially on Marksman when i'm facing a high CC enemy team...


IMMUNITY TO CC HEROES -> Martis, Diggie, Guinevere, Kagura, Grock (his wall + ultimate)
Here are some other Heroes that can counter her :
▪ MOSKOV - with his 2nd skill
▪ SABER - with his ultimate
▪ FRANCO - with his 1st skill + ultimate
▪ MARTIS - skill 1 + skill 2
▪ KAJA - with his ultimate


Now, here's some good tips when you play against Esmeralda.


► DON'T, i really mean, DON'T buy Athena's shield item against her. You might be tempted by the magic resist it gives, but remember, it also gives you a shield and Esme will absord it. All of your shield becomes hers. So, that item is a big NO NO.
► In higher rank, it's more likely to have more that 1 CC hero in the team, so Esmeralda might use Purify. All you have to do then is to wait untill her Purify spell is wasted...and only after that catch her with CC skills..
► Another good spell against her is EXECUTE - it ignores all shield of the enemy and directly hits the main HP.


The best TIP against Esmeralda, However, is this :




Hehe. Just kidding. Or actually not...
Anyway, if you guys have any pointers, or you want to change/ add something to this thread, feel free to comment bellow. Let's learn how to counter Esmeralda together

Added a test video made by AlyAoi and me, so you guys can see how to stop Esmeralda from hiting her ultimate, using heroes from this guide :

As a bonus, here's a cute Esmeralda :

Halbikx

Some things to know when playing against Esmeralda:
-Use long range and high burst heroes like Granger and Kimmy. They can harass Esme in a good distance and she can't do any damage to them since they are so far away. Remember, Esmeralda's two biggest weaknesses are high burst and range. No enemies nearby = no shield
-CC. Literally goes for any hero but this is especially important for Esmeralda. The best counters like Chou, Guinevere, Franco and Kaja can render Esmeralda useless while she is stunned. If she can't spam her first skill and second skill, then there won't be any shield to protect her.
-Don't use Aegis. Seriously, the most stupid thing I've seen anyone do against Esmeralda is using Aegis to protect themselves. Esmeralda's passive ignores shields, and her first skill sucks the shield to become hers. So, in a way, you're actually making her stronger.
-Early suppression. Esmeralda's early game is very important, if she cannot get the buff, has a lack of farm or keeps dying, then she is literally useless throughout the game. Heroes like Valir, Grock and Gusion can keep her in check. Make sure to keep ganking her so that she has no chance of farming. Depending on your DPS, don't gank on her as a whole team. If your gank party has no CC, then it's better to let a 1v1 or 1v2 happen, since she will have more shield when more people are around. The same goes for the latter, chain CC her so that she can't receive shield, and pounce on her as much as you can.

That's it. I play Esmeralda myself and these are the best tips / things to do or not to do when playing against Esmeralda.

IZxCOLD

Chou is the best counter for esmeralda, she goes in and gets kicked or gets forced to use the purify after that the tanks can engage her as well

Kathey

I think Selena would also be a nice Esmeralda counter if her second skill doesn’t miss.

BD007

Thanks for sharing this. Lots of player does not know how to counter esma and they always say esma is op. This guide will help them a lot.

shinee.

I don't need you to teach me. And this is legit info. Thank you for bashing my post like you always do with everything.
Lolita can counter Esmeralda. If you use her 2nd ability - shield when Esme is about to use ultimate, it will cancel it. I'm a Lolita main ex global so i think i know what i'm talking about. And i faced enough Esmeralda's since whe was released.
Did you even read what i said about Kimmy? If she has blue buff...turtle buff..and so on..Nah you didn't.
Everything in there was tested. Not just in real time matches but also in a 1v1 custom with a friend.
Since when do you know i make troll posts? All I do is helping others this is why I also make guides. But you managed to ruin my post with that comment. I test everything i share with others, i don't speak just to not fall asleep. Thank you again

SEE YOU

Charles

Nicely done and I really have to agree with Assassins bursting out Esmeralda and of course an annoying kiting Kimmy. As a Gusion main I can agree with Esmeralda being bursted out by Gusion, what are you talking about? @zanboracks

ozgunlu

With Kimmy, you can make Esmeralda crazy :)))
Lolita Shield can absorb Esmeralda's Ult. Also you can use 1st and 3rd skill to stun her. But dont use shield against Esmeralda's Basic Attack.
Stunner heroes can kill Esmeralda easily.
She is not too OP.
We always allow enemy team to pick Esmeralda. And we choose 2 tank (Grock and Lolita or Khufra), then 99% we win.

Cuz Esmeralda nothing against Khufra, Grock or Lolita
Thank you for guide.
I hope, epic and legend players are not afraid from Esmeralda anymore.