Hai Yue (HAYA) releases January 2026 as a mid lane mage with unique shadow minion mechanics. This guide covers the optimal day-one build featuring Boots of Tranquility through Void Staff, essential Tribute arcana for cooldown reduction, and the critical Painful Shock-to-Ravenous Tether animation cancel combo. Learn HAYA's best lane positioning, skill leveling priorities, and three commonly overlooked counters including Han Xin, Hou Yi, and Marco Polo to dominate from your first match.
Why HAYA's First 10 Minutes Matter
HAYA's Eternal Blood passive creates up to 6 shadow minions dealing 50 (+7% magic attack) magic damage each, with enhanced minions adding 80 (+14% magic attack). At max 6 minions, you gain 30 shadow power, 30 movement speed, and 10% healing effects—transforming HAYA from vulnerable early-game mage into mobile sustain threat.
Core Strengths:
Shadow Moon ultimate: 2 seconds immunity with 30% movement speed
Normal attacks during ultimate: 40/48/56/64/72/80 (+100% physical attack +20% magic attack) with 10% slow
Sustained damage through shadow minions
Key Weaknesses:
Eternal Blood damage halved against wild monsters
Ravenous Tether breaks at 1000 distance
Requires precise positioning
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Best Lane: Mid Lane Dominance
HAYA's primary position is mid lane. Short lane distance maximizes Ravenous Tether effectiveness and provides quick rotation access.
Three Critical Advantages:
1000 distance tether covers most mid lane width for safe harassment
Proximity to jungle entrances enables quick shadow minion stacking
Short base distance minimizes farm loss during recalls
Early Rotation Pattern (Level 4+)
After unlocking Shadow Moon, clear mid wave into enemy tower, then rotate to side lanes with vision control. Shadow Moon's 400/560/720 (+53% spell attack) damage plus Painful Shock's 200/220/240/260/280/300 (+24% spell attack) creates lethal burst.
Target immobile marksmen or mages. Ravenous Tether's 2.5% slow every 0.5 seconds stacks quickly. Coordinate with jungler around major objectives.
Day-One Equipment Build
Core Sequence:
Boots of Tranquility (710g): Movement speed for positioning and roaming
Scepter of Reverberation (8-10min): Magic penetration + cooldown reduction, first power spike
Savant's Wrath (12-14min): Major magic attack boost for minion and skill damage
Insatiable Tome (16-18min): Max magic attack + cooldown reduction
Void Staff (20+min): Percentage magic penetration for late game
Against heavy CC, Shadow Moon's 2-second immunity usually suffices—prioritize damage over defense. Against multiple assassins, complete boots earlier and maintain vision control.
Optimal Arcana Configuration
Primary Setup:
Red: 10x Saint (+5.3 magical attack each) = 53 total
Green: 10x Tribute (+2.4 magical attack, +0.7% CDR each) = 24 attack, 7% CDR (reduces Ravenous Tether to 8.37s)
Blue: 10x Avarice (+1.6% magical lifesteal each) = 16% lifesteal
Magical lifesteal applies to shadow minion damage, creating unexpected sustain with 6 active minions.
Alternative for Safe Farming: 10 Red Moon, 8 Hunt, 2 Avarice, 10 Mind's Eye for mana regen and CDR.
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Skill Priority & Mechanics
Leveling Order:
Level 1: Skill 2 (Ravenous Tether)
Level 2: Skill 1 (Painful Shock)
Level 3: Skill 2
Level 4: Ultimate (Shadow Moon)
Max Skill 2 first, take ultimate at 4/8/12, then max Skill 1. This maximizes trading efficiency—Ravenous Tether extracts 30/45/60/75/90/105 magic attacks from enemies.
Shadow Moon Cooldown: 24/22/20 seconds at levels 4/8/12
Three Primary Uses:
Initiate by diving backline
Escape after committing abilities
Bait enemy ultimates before re-engaging
First 10-Minute Combo Guide
Master the animation cancel: cast Painful Shock immediately followed by Ravenous Tether, reducing total cooldown by 0.3-0.5 seconds.
Minutes 0-3: Lane Establishment
Last-hit minions with basic attacks. Use Ravenous Tether on enemy mid laner when they approach for last hits (9s cooldown = 2 casts per wave). Avoid Painful Shock for wave clear first two waves—mana cost outweighs benefit.
Reach 6 shadow minions by third wave. Eternal Blood's 20-40 (+0.5% additional health) recovery per minion kill plus Ravenous Tether recovery creates strong sustain.
Minutes 3-6: First Gank Timing
Complete Combo:
Activate Shadow Moon approaching from fog
Cast Ravenous Tether during immunity
Use Painful Shock for burst
Immediately cast Ravenous Tether again (animation cancel)
Maintain 1000 distance while minions deal damage
Use Painful Shock teleport if target escapes
Minutes 6-10: Rotation & Objectives
After each mid clear, position in fog near jungle entrances. This psychological pressure forces enemies defensive.
At 8-minute objective, use Shadow Moon to isolate enemy carry/mage. Position behind frontline, dive past theirs, establish tether.
3 Counters Players Miss
Counter #1: High-Mobility Assassins (Han Xin)
Han Xin's multiple dashes break tether range repeatedly. Delay Shadow Moon until after he commits gap closers. Use 2-second immunity to counter initial burst, then establish tether. Position near tower or teammates.
Counter #2: Long-Range Marksmen (Hou Yi, Marco Polo)
Both poke beyond 1000 tether range with vision denial. Marco Polo kites backward, breaking tether without using escapes.
Force engagements in jungle corridors where 1000 range covers full width. Coordinate with CC teammates before committing Shadow Moon.
Counter #3: Burst Mages with Instant CC
Mages with instant CC bypass Shadow Moon immunity or interrupt tether channels.
Bait primary CC before all-in. Use Painful Shock teleport to dodge skill shots. Once key abilities on cooldown, commit Shadow Moon.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Over-Committing Without Vision: Always confirm enemy positions before Shadow Moon dives. Coordinated teams layer CC after 2-second immunity expires.
Ignoring Farm for Low-Value Fights: HAYA scales with equipment timing. Only rotate for objective-based fights—tower pushes, major jungle objectives, numerical advantages.
Poor Ultimate Usage: Identify priority target before activating Shadow Moon. Isolate enemy carries/mages, not tanks. Position to access high-value targets, bypass frontline with immunity.
Performance Benchmarks
10-Minute Targets:
Gold: 3,500-4,000
Experience: Level 8-9
Shadow Minion Uptime: 60%+ at 6 minions
Kill Participation: 50%+ within two lanes
Track damage to heroes—HAYA should rank top 3 due to sustained minion damage. Monitor average Ravenous Tether duration: 4-5 seconds optimal, 1-2 seconds indicates positioning errors.
Advanced Techniques
Map Pressure Without Vision: After clearing mid, position in fog between mid and side lanes for 5-10 seconds. Creates uncertainty for both enemy side laners, forcing defensive play without committing to actual gank.
Split-Push Timing: Shadow minions deal full damage to structures. Split-push opposite side from spawning objective, forcing enemy choice between defending tower or contesting objective.
Team Communication: Ping Shadow Moon cooldown before fights. Ping intended target before activating ultimate so teammates layer CC after immunity expires.
FAQ
What's the best lane for HAYA? Mid lane. Short distance maximizes Ravenous Tether's 1000 range and provides quick rotation access to both sides.
How do you execute the animation cancel combo? Cast Painful Shock immediately followed by Ravenous Tether. Reduces total cooldown by 0.3-0.5 seconds.
Which heroes counter HAYA that players miss? Han Xin (breaks tether with dashes), Hou Yi/Marco Polo (outrange abilities), burst mages with instant CC (bypass immunity).
What equipment first? Boots of Tranquility (710g) → Scepter of Reverberation (8-10min) → Savant's Wrath (12-14min) → Insatiable Tome (16-18min) → Void Staff (20+min).
Best arcana setup? 10x Saint (red), 10x Tribute (green), 10x Avarice (blue). Provides 53 magic attack, 7% CDR, 16% lifesteal.
When should HAYA start ganking? Level 4 after unlocking Shadow Moon, around 3-4 minutes. Gank overextended side lanes after clearing mid wave.
Master HAYA from day one with these builds and combos. Top up on BitTopup for competitive token rates, fast delivery, and secure transactions—focus on gameplay, not grinding resources.