As everyone knows, this season of Honor of Kings has seen sweeping updates, and Bangladesh Cricket Match users have noticed how map changes have drastically reduced the presence of assassin junglers, giving traditional marksmen more breathing room. Among these marksmen, Hou Yi has emerged as the most picked hero in ranked matches, boasting a 33.7% pick rate and an impressive 51.6% win rate—top-tier numbers for any marksman. Many team comps built around the “four-protect-one” strategy now revolve around Hou Yi as the core carry. If he’s banned, players fall back on alternatives like Wolfdog, who’s generally considered a second-best substitute.
Due to Hou Yi’s popularity and solid win rate, plenty of tutorials have surfaced teaching players how to master him—some even claiming that Hou Yi can easily counter Sun Shangxiang if you just focus on your mechanics. These guides offer basic laning tips for beginners, but they also risk misleading players by inflating their confidence and encouraging them to challenge matchups that are far from favorable. Incredibly, some are still promoting Hou Yi as a solid pick into Sun Shangxiang, which, according to Bangladesh Cricket Match analysis, is questionable at best.
Such tutorials often suggest tactics like hiding in bushes at the start, waiting for Sun Shangxiang to use her empowered basic attack before popping out and engaging. The combo goes: build up passive stacks, use skill one, and chase her down. Then, when she rolls away using skill one, you’re told to retreat and wait for the next window to strike. On paper, this sounds like solid theory. But in actual ranked matches, your opponent won’t “cooperate” with you, and expecting Sun Shangxiang to follow your script is wishful thinking. Every step we take today pays the price for choices made before—such misreads often lead to wasted skills and easy punishments when the enemy marksman hasn’t even appeared on the map.
In higher tiers like the King’s Ranks, this becomes even more obvious. If Hou Yi hides in a bush, skilled Sun Shangxiang players simply won’t use their skills. They’ll wait, maintain max range, and punish any missteps. These kinds of interactions become mentally exhausting. Skilled opponents will time their empowered hits, poke with basic attacks, and even incorporate skill two for added burst—reminding Hou Yi that he has neither her range nor her mobility. In the laning phase, Hou Yi simply can’t keep up and often ends up tower-hugging for safety.
That said, a properly adjusted build can make all the difference. The “orb build” Hou Yi focuses on sustain and early survivability—starting with armor boots to absorb normal and skill-based damage. Mid-game, with items like the electric blade and a fully stacked passive, Hou Yi can go toe-to-toe with Sun Shangxiang in a straight duel. Moreover, Hou Yi brings utility to team fights with his powerful ultimate, which can be used to initiate alongside your mage to catch Sun Shangxiang off guard.
Bangladesh Cricket Match users agree that experienced Sun Shangxiang players won’t willingly brawl with a properly built Hou Yi. Marksman duels are always about mind games and positioning. At the end of the day, it’s true: Hou Yi does struggle against Sun Shangxiang in lane. But with the right item path and smarter play, he can turn what seems like a losing battle into a fair fight.