Master Yi's early duel is weak before his Alpha Strike (Q) reset comes online, so Ambessa closes with Lacerate (E), interrupts him with the Sundering Slam (Q) knock-up, and grinds him down with sustained damage during his cooldowns.

Before level 5, Shyvana has no crowd control to interrupt Ambessa's dashes. Ambessa can use Drakehound's Step (P) to avoid Flame Breath (E), then control the extended fight with Lacerate (E)'s slow into Cunning Sweep (Q).

Before completing his form Kayn's jungle duel is weak, so Ambessa pressures him every cooldown with the Lacerate (E) dash and Sundering Slam (Q) CC, delaying his form timing.

Nunu's solo duel damage is low, and Ambessa slips his Absolute Zero (R) channel with the Lacerate (E) dash, taking the 1v1 with melee sustained damage.

Olaf ignores all CC with Ragnarok (R), nullifying Ambessa's Sundering Slam (Q) knock-up, and overwhelms the sustained duel with Reckless Swing (E) true damage and Undertow (Q) axe resets.

Warwick outlasts trades with Jaws of the Beast (Q) lifesteal and Eternal Hunger (P) sustain, then fully locks Ambessa down with the Infinite Duress (R) suppression to turn it around.

Xin Zhao's Three Talon Strike (Q) third-hit knock-up and Determination (P) healing make him a strong early duelist. Crescent Guard (R) knocks Ambessa away and breaks Drakehound's Step (P)'s dash chain.

Darius negates Ambessa's dash escape with the Apprehend (E) pull, and takes the sustained duel with 5-stack Hemorrhage (P) damage and the Noxian Guillotine (R) execute.