There is a lot of talk about how you should simply counter-pick to prevent certain "OP" champs from dominating the game. But most people never give any actual advice or information.

So I am challenging such people (or anyone else) to answer the following, substantive questions, rather than just alluding to how there is an obvious counter-pick to everything.

Bonus points for giving reasons for your answers:

1a. What champ(s) should you counter-pick for Akali?
1b. What items should you build to counter Akali, specifically beyond the obvious anti-stealth items?

2a. What champ(s) should you counter-pick for Jax?
2b. What items should you build to counter Jax?

3a. What champ(s) should you counter-pick for Shaco?
3b. What items should you build to counter Shaco?

I would ask the same about Rammus, but honestly I believe he is countered with map awareness.

Please, enlighten us.

By picking draft and banning said characters... nuff said, ALSO I think there should be a counter-pick to poppy.. shes is pOPpy

1a. NOT LEE SIN. He's not a counterpick. Akali dies quickly to CC. Blitzcrank is probably the best single hero for shutting her down. CC in general is just good in MOBA games, Dominion is no exception.
1b. Anti-stealth items, magic resist. Nothing out of the ordinary. The key is just stopping her from attacking

2a. Heroes with CC excel against Jax as well. Ryze should be able to 1v1 Jax unless there's creeps giving Jax dodges.
2b. Nothing special, teamwork is more important for beating Jax than items are. Jax is a hero that will win 1v1's regularly, Play around that fact.

3a. You should just ban Shaco. Currently he's just way too good in Dominion. If you're playing blind pick you're screwed sorry =\
3b. Oracle's are your best bet to handle boxes, Shaco is always going to be a pain in the ass though.

2b. Sword of the Divine works wonders and has actually made a few Jax players claim hacks before.

There are no counterpicks to Akali and Jax. You have to shut them down with CC (the more the better) and have the right item that counters their defense (Lightbringer for Akali, Sword of the Divine for Jax). In both cases they are best dealt with using a powerful ranged AD carry equipped with the right item backed by a champion with strong CC. Don't attempt to 1v1 them after they have acquired a Gunblade.

It's unfortunate, but it's true.

Shaco is best dealt with using Caitlyn with an Oracle's Extract. Other AD carries would as well, but Cait can shoot down the boxes with much greater safety. Caitlyn is also a great counterpick to Heimer (one of the few who can outrange his turrets).

Rammus is countered by Kassadin. Both move around the map at equal speed, and Kassadin will eventually send Rammus back to base or kill him. Nothing in Rammus's skillset allows him to lock up a kill on Kassadin.

the only counter pick to a common ban i know is rammus'

he is countered pretty hard by ezreal

ofc ezreal is hard countered by akali so...

Lee Sin counters all the stealth champs to an extent, and Akali particularly hard. Akali drops a shroud, you hit tempest in the middle of it and boom, she's visible to everyone. At this point, she's like dealing with any squishy, just focus her down and stun her if you think it's worth it.

I'm not entirely sure who counters Jax, but for some reason my Kassadin seems to work well against him. I actually don't have any first hand experience as Jax so I can't tell you why this is, just that it's what I've found.

Rammus can sorta counter the stealth champs, if you've got good reflexes. I had a game where we fought both Shaco and Akali earlier, and I managed to fudge the bans so I got Rammus. Basically I'd taunt Akali as soon as I could get sight of her, and my team would focus her while she was forced to attack me. Shaco was a bit trickier, but I'd do more or less the same thing, trying to get him before he could use Deceive. Then he started trying to backcap, but we beat that strat just by having some people roam.

1a,3a: Urgot. Poke with long range, if they come in close then just eat their face. Q + Auto Attacks = death. You have a shield, and you lower their damage. If they stealth, guess where they are with your Q. Keep in mind that you don't need vision to auto-lock a Q on someone who has been hit with E.

2a: You generally have to bring 2 people to fight Jax properly, as he excels at 1v1 situations. Urgot does okay against Jax, but his ult works really well for shutting Jax down long enough for someone else to kill him. Teemo can do okay against bad Jaxs (my friend insists Jax completely destroys Teemo every time, personal experience says otherwise) you just have to be smart about your shrooms, w, hextech, and exhaust. If you blind him, do it after he leaps, and take that time to do as much damage as possible or to gain as much distance as possible.

1b,3b (if AP): Odyns Veil, or a health item. A little bit of defense goes a long way vs both Shaco and Akali. Vision items, including oracles, are also a huge help.

2b: Sword of the Divine is okay on some champions, but is generally a bad item. DFG, Thornmail, Sunfire (kind of), Hextech, and Odyns all help. Specifically, any item that does damage without risking a dodge proc works well. Obviously these aren't the best items for all champions, but they all have their place.

3b (if AD): Thornmail, Oracles.

EDIT: And as you said, Rammus is countered by map awareness. If you want a specific champ to help vs a Rammus, pick Teemo. Keep their speed shrine, your speed shrine, and the bushes above storm buff shroomed at all times (their speed buff can be hard to keep up depending on how the game is going, you might want to consider putting it in a place where it won't get stepped on).

EDIT2: Items listed are suggested items that help a bit individually versus the champions listed. They are not builds.

What about AP Shaco? :]

you guys haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg yet