Hello, everyone! I am currently a biomedical student with a passion for playing league of legends! I am a peak diamond level jungler on the NA sever and have been playing for two seasons! I know master Yi gets a bad reputation but in all honesty he's a great champion to main and has an in-depth skill ceiling that a lot of players simply don't consider.
Master Yi in particular is an amazing champion to main because of his high carry potential. He can evade cc, burst damage, and turret shots. Mitigate damage and clear jungle camps very quickly! Most importantly he is the HARDEST gold scaling jungler in the game, which means if you know how to get a lead on Yi, it becomes near impossible for the enemy team to counter act you!
On my YouTube channel I have plenty of videos that not only tell you how to play Yi but to get your jungling skills to a diamond level! If you need additional help and would like to fast track your road to diamond, check out my Patreon where I've made several informal videos to help you achieve your goals! Or if you want to ask me something directly or hang out with some fellow Yi mains join my discord!
A clip of 1 on 1 coaching from my Patreon
Runes Guide
Rune Tree Description
HOB is still the best rune page for all builds, LT is ok as well. Generally, though, you should be taking HOB against squishier team comps, for example if the enemy team had 3 or more squishy opponents like lux, Ezreal & Tristana. With HOB you'll be able to do more burst damage, so this is why this is very effective against squishy team comps.
Lethal tempo is much better against tankier or bruiser team comps. This is due to the fact that 3 sped up autos are usually not enough to get them in kill range and fights are more drawn out. Also consider taking ghost with lethal tempo it still has insane synergy and is great for ganks!
Inspiration as a secondary rune page is now viable for Yi, it especially works well with the lethal tempo page, but this can also be taken with HOB as well. Viable rune options are below.
Cosmic Insight- Allows Yi to use his abilities faster leading to faster clears, better ganks, and objective clear times.
Approach Velocity- Although Yi has no natural cc in his kit, he does have very powerful gank potential once he gets red buff. Therefore, this rune makes ganks even more effective and lethal.
Future's Market- This rune is very powerful on Yi and allows him to hit powerspikes before he is supposed to. This means getting faster clears, more damage on ganks and invades and having more power overall at a faster rate. If you take this rune remember to only use it on worthwhile purchases, for example you shouldn't go into debt for a control ward due to the -50 gold deducted. Instead buy items that give you stat advantages.
Magical Footwear- This is a decent rune on yi, it gives him a free 300 gold worth of stats for doing nothing. However, this could also an annoyance if you are used to rushing tier 2 boots early for snowball potential.
All Viable Runes
Best Runes Overall
ON-HIT RUNES(OPTIONAL)
On-Hit/Tank Runes (Optional)
Best Runes Overall
Master Yi is all about getting as much gold as possible so you hit your powerspikes faster and carry the game. These runes give you an immense amount of gold value to help you do that. It will only take one or two kills for you to start taking over the game with these runes. You can take these runes with any build
Also, if your diamond+ HOB is better overall because higher level opponents will not allow you to auto you a lot of times without getting cced or kited. If you are below that your opponents will likely make more errors hence why lethal tempo is better overall in brackets below diamond.
For the secondary page you can go precision alacrity and triumph if your not comfortable using the inspiration rune tree. Also These runes can be used for lethality Yi as well.
On-Hit/Tank Runes (Optional)- This rune page gives you more resistance to cc abilities and provides Yi with A LOT more sustain. Lethal tempo is a good alternative rune to take with this however conqueror and HOB can be taken too. Additionally, overgrowth can be taken.
On-Hit Runes (Optional)- So far into the season lethal tempo is less viable on Yi. However, this build is still very viable against teams that have lots of tanks or bruisers.
You can take this with every build in this guide (except lethality & crit builds) and have great success, due to Master Yi's Synergy with attack speed.
Magical footwear and cosmic insight help Yi reach his power spikes faster, additionally future's market can also be taken for this reason. Also bone plating can be taken secondary if you are up against a burst type jungler like kha zix. Furthermore, relentless hunter can also be taken instead of ultimate hunter, and zombie ward instead of eyeball collection. Coup de grace can be taken as well. All of these different runes mentioned are completely viable however some may find more success with different optimizations in runes due to their unique playstyle. Approach velocity can also be taken as you can utilize it for ganks when you have red buff passive and blue smite.
General Rune Tips
-You can switch tenacity with alacrity depending on how much CC the enemy team has. NEVER GO CONQEROR (unless your going tank Yi)! Ignite and Flash are the best abilities to take currently.
-If you are taking Tank Yi you can either go HOB or LT/CONQ with extra tenacity. Furthermore 2 armor runes can be taken if the team comp is heavy AD.
-Also remember that you can switch alacrity and tenacity depending on how much undodgeable cc the enemy team has.
-Zombie ward is also a viable choice in runes over eyeball collection if you have the domination rune page.
Summoner Spells
All Summs
Flash is the best summoner skill to take in most scenarios, however, ignite and are viable options as well. If you are not sure what to take or you like playing safe early game flash is always your best option. Taking flash allows you to do fast unavoidable combos and escape perilous situations.
Ignite can be used if your playstyle involves invading the enemy jungle or early skirmishes. You do lose some survivability, however very few enemy junglers can 1v1 you with this summoner skill.
With the new Lethal Tempo changes ghost has become a viable summoner ability for Yi, this ability helps Yi to stick onto opponents and gank lanes more efficiently. I would not recommend taking this rune if you are against strong early game junglers like Kha Zix or reksai as you will need flash or ignite to escape or duel them to the death.
Best Abilities to Level Up
Skill Path
Master Yi
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Your Q provides the most utility and damage for you so, you want to max out that ability first. You can take meditate earlier in place of alpha strike if you feel you might be invaded or you are against an early game jungler like Elise or Rek Sai. Also, if you are afraid of burst damage consider taking two points in meditate early.
Itemization Guide
All builds below come from Diamond or higher Yi mains!
Starting Items
All Boot Options
All ON-HIT YI BUILDS
All Tank Builds
Duskblade Yi
Duskblade Yi
This build was developed by arguably the best Yi player in the world, formerly known as Report Yi(https://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=report%20yii)(the account has decayed but he was a challenger Yi otp with a 70%+wr). This build path has been changed patch by patch and is now very good into squishy team comps.
When to take it- You take this build when there is 4+ champions that can easily be killed. An example of some champs that can be easily killed with this build are ap supports(zyra,lux,sona,yuumi,nami), every adc except for vayne due to her stealth ability with her R. Generally you do not want to take it against squishy champs that can survive your burst damage and kill you, like tryndamere.
Pros
-The most snowball build that Yi has, if you get a lead with this build there is little to no chance that the enemy team can come back.
-Stealth allows you dodge CC abilities that would usually shut Yi down
Cons
-You can easily be killed with this build since you build no sustain at all
-Feast or famine. If you get behind with this build you are essentially very useless as you cannot one shot anyone, and you have no sustain at all.
-Zhonas can completely shut down your one shot potential entirely
ON HIT YI
The most staple build for Yi, and the one riot favors. You can go this build in most games and have good success.
Pros-
-This is a staple build that is closest to the S10 playstyle of Master Yi
-This build can be built in nearly every scenario with good success
-Even if you behind this build scales very well with yi, so there is always a chance of a comeback
-Once you have 3 to 4 items you are nearly unbeatable in 1v1’s unless the enemy is super ahead
-You are very hard to build against because you deal every type of damage(AP,AD,True)
Cons-
-You are a glass cannon until you build deaths dance
-This build takes the longest amount of time to scale up
-Even though you can do lots of damage it isn't the best build to go against high dps squishy targets
Report Yi's Bruiser Build
Sometimes more tankiness is needed to survive the onslaught of damage. Hence why I recommend taking this build. It provides you sustain and damage, and allows you to make the most out of lethal tempo. This build works very well with HOB & LT. The two builds are described below.
The build shown was made by Report Yi(https://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=hebad), a challenger level Yi OTP. You take wits end or deaths dance first depending on their team (if they have more ad go dd, if they have more ap go wits) If they have no ad damage try going for a spirit visage or maw after going wits end. inIf they have an equal amount of both ap and ad try going gargoyles stoneplate as a last item.
Pros-
-This is a staple build that is closest to the S10 playstyle of Master Yi
-This build can be built in nearly every scenario with good success
-Even if you behind this build scales very well with yi, so there is always a chance of a comeback
-Once you have 3 to 4 items you are nearly unbeatable in 1v1’s unless the enemy is super ahead
-You are very hard to build against because you deal every type of damage(AP,AD,True)
Cons-
-You are a glass cannon until you build resistance items
-This build takes the longest amount of time to scale up
-Even though you can do lots of damage it isn't the best build to go against high dps squishy targets.
ON HIT YI VS FULL AP
Description-I consistently have sucsess dealing with full AP Team Comps with this build This is due to the fact that you're building noonquiver which is great for clear speed and then building maw right after Wits end which will give you a lot of sustain. It prevents burst damage and allows you to deal damage all the same.The only drawback is that it is only effective against AP teams. Also Rageblade is an optional choice if you need more damage.
Pros-
-Highly effective into full ap comps
-High survivability
-Can outduel any ap champ
Cons-
-Lacks damage output of kraken slayer
-Only good into ap comps
Sunfire Yi Build
No, I'm not inting. This build is now good with the recent rework. Report Yi also developed this build and work very well and provides tenacity and reliance as well. Take this in situations where you require more resilience than the regular on-hit builds.
Pros
- High tenacity
- Magic resistance, lifesteal and armor are provided
Cons
-Takes a long time to hit power spikes
-Lacks damage in comparison to the kraken build
Mawyu's Yi Build
This build was shown to me by a Master's Yi EUW Main(https://euw.op.gg/summoner/userName=Mawyu). This build provides tankiness with Titanic Hydra and gargoyle's plating as well as extra damage with the on-hit synergy between rageblade and titanic hydra. It is excellent choice against AD teams, or can be taken instead of the usual on-hit build!
Also this Yi player speedruns Yi's clears! I highly suggest you check him out!
His Twitch Stream and Yi Clears- https://www.twitch.tv/mawyu
Galeforce YI
This build is great against mobile enemies and does great damage overall. Consider taking it as an alternative to other on-hit builds when applicable.
Pros-
1.) High damage output
2.) Alot more mechanical outplay is possible with Flash and galeforce
3.) Getting Galeforce is a HUGE powerspike and great for ganks
4.) Enemies usually don't expect yi to have this, therefore it will be hard for them to play around it
5.) Able to dodge skillshot CC
6.) Great against mobile squishy opponents
Cons-
1.) Lack of invisibility passive from duskblade
2.) Very vulnerable to burst damage
3.) Less snowball potential then the duskblade build
Matchups, Counters, and Synergies
This site has the best statistics on matchups not only for master Yi, but for any jungle champion- https://lolalytics.com/lol/masteryi/build/,also you can look at the synergies and counters I listed above. Generally though, master yi does poorly against early game champs like elise, rek sai and nunu because they are most powerful at his wis weakest state.When your playing against these early game champs, keep your jungle warded for invades and ping laners if they are overextended or likely to be ganked. Also be wary of champions who tend to build thornmail items, they tend to WANT you to attack them in teamfights.
The danger of the threats goes from highest to lowest in terms of danger.
Extreme
Major
Even
Minor
Tiny
The helpfulness of the synergy goes from most helpful to least helpful.
Ideal
Strong
Ok
Low
Extreme Counter
Major Counter
Even Matchups
Minor Threats
Tiny Threats
Ideal Synergy
Strong Synergies
OK Synergies
Low Synergies
Rek'Sai
Champion
If she knows what she's doing she can be an extremely hard matchup for yi, champions like reksai that heavily prioritize early game over late game usually are very dangerous for yi. In order to counteract this monster, try warding your jungle constantly and take an early point in meditate just in case. If you manage the counter gank her it will heavily stifle her ability to stampede the early game. Basically, for the first 15 minutes of the game your objective is to SURVIVE. Best of luck soldier o7!
Zac
Champion
The problem isn't Zac himself, but his early gank potential which makes him so formidable, make sure you look to countergank him or counter jungle, punishing him for any gank he looks for. I would not recommend invading him unless he is very low to begin with.
Shaco
Champion
An abomination to everything that is good in this world. I personally permaban him. Why? Because he's incredibly annoying to play against. If you do decide to fight him buy lots of control wards, your going to need them.
Elise
Champion
Hard to duel early unless you catch her by surprise. Watch out for invades early with wards. Make sure to always dodge her cocoon or you lose the 1v1.
Trundle
Champion
Very hard to duel until late game. Try to avoid him and look for other opportunities on the map until you get a decent lead.
Ekko
Champion
Very easy to invade pre 6 or whenever his ult is down. Make sure to counter gank him to delay his powerspikes. Make sure to meditate through his q-auto-q combo. If they are REALLY good they press w and then they use r to prevent you from alpha strike dodging it so you end up stunned with it and take a big burst of damage, better to stay out of his w as whole than to dodge it. He only becomes hard to deal with when he picks up early kills, if he does get wits end, and possibly spirit visage if he gets extremely fed.
Kha'Zix
Champion
This is a skill match up for the most part. Khazix pre 6 is essentially a cockroach to you, as long as you get the first hit in and meditate his aa-q combo, he shouldn't be threat. Make sure to hold your q until he tries to leap away. Post 6 he actually becomes a threat, try to avoid him unless you know you can easily kill him. Look to out scale him and catch him when is ult is on cd. If he gets a lead over you or early invades you however, you get annihilated. Make sure to track him carefully in the jungle and be very careful when you lose prio as he can look for invades. Take ignite if your confident you can invade him, flash if you want to avoid fighting him.
Xin Zhao
Champion
Can beat you early game if you don't have ignite, try to avoid 1v1s until later and try to prioritize counterganks.
Warwick
Champion
Can be a tricky matchup due to his healing, i'd recommend taking ignite in this match up. He most likely beats you post 6 if he land his ult.
Vi
Champion
She's a hard carry from early to mid game, so make sure to avoid fighting her through early levels, try to countergank her too as she is vulnerable when she has to deal with multiple foes. As long as you dodge her q with your q you should be ok when fighting her later on. You outscale her HARD so just make it through the early and mid game while denying her ganks and you should be fine.
Nocturne
Champion
Has a strong early game, so try to out farm him and track his pathing to predict threats and warn your laners with pings. In 1v1 you can dodge his ult with q by striking another target with q, also try not waste q immediately against him since he can just spellshield and fear you, instead use your q to reduce the fear time.
Udyr
Champion
Try to avoid fighting him as he is faster than your ult with his e+chemtank. Also save your e and r till after his stun if you do end up in a 1v1. Path defensively and do not invade him.
Skarner
Champion
He can 1v1 early and midgame, but you eventually outscale him. Make sure to pay your taxes and get qss. Also make sure to stack tenacity runes and items. Make sure to ping his location to stop him from getting picks on your laners.
Jax
Champion
This is a difficult matchup, but you do outscale him. when he uses e against you make sure not alpha or use your e until he uses his stun instead use your w to bait his e then alpha after 1.2 seconds of his e and you should win the 1v1.
Wukong
Champion
You wont see this pick a lot in jungle but he is hard to fight at most points in the game. Generally just try to avoid him post 6 due to his ult. Pre 6 he can be beaten as long as his passive isn't stacked. Deaths Dance is a good buy against this champ
Volibear
Champion
He is a menace early game, but as long as you countergank and farm you should outscale him. It can be rough if he invades you early.
Olaf
Champion
Super dangerous from early to midgame. Try to dodge his q's and don't stand near walls when fighting him as he can reset his cooldowns. Try to accomplish more on the map to keep up with him early.
Nunu & Willump
Champion
Yi in a 1v1 can beat nunu easily in all stages of the game. The key to winning this matchup is looking for invades and counter jungling. If you try to afk farm vs this champion he almost always wins due to his early gank potential. I'd recommend taking ignite tracking him on his first clear and invading him before he can impact the game.
Kindred
Champion
The only reason she's not in tiny tier is because of her ult. Whenever its on cooldown she's the equivalent of a fresh plate of mutton to you. Make sure to hold your Q until she leaps and there is no counterplay for her. If she does have ult auto her until you have q and decimate her. If you don't have q up just meditate on the edge of her ult to wait it out. Also make sure to invade her pre 6 if possible.
Hecarim
Champion
Proactively waiting to countergank is better than reactively doing it, this is most true when your in this matchup. Make sure to dodge his E with your Q and you usually win the 1v1. Get deaths dance if he gets ahead. Also try to get vision deep in the river for your teammates or whatever lane he is prioritizing.
Talon
Champion
He can be a threat if he gets early leads, if he ults you just meditate then jack him up. Make sure to countergank him as he usually doesn't have enough power to take on multiple opponents early.
Poppy
Champion
She can easily fold you earlier into the game so beware. And for the love of everything that is good DONT STAND NEXT TO WALLS.
Rammus
Champion
Not much of a threat as people make him out to be. You could even invade him also just make sure to wait out his w. Buy wits end, mercs and qss if he gets a lead.
Jarvan IV
Champion
As long as you hold your q to dodge/follow his lunge attack you should win the 1v1 make sure to countergank him as he can easily get a lead in his lanes due to his cc and mobility. Make sure to use your q wisely when invading him.
Nidalee
Champion
This matchup really depends on who has the better macro. She has insane early game and invade pressure but if she doesn't utilize it then you almost always win. If you catch her by surprise early you autowin the 1v1. If you are below diamond consider this an easier matchup but never let your guard down.
Rengar
Champion
This matchup really depends on how good the rengar is. Make sure to ward and meditate his burst. A good rengar will hold his abilities when ulting you to bait your w, so make sure to watch his animations carefully. You should be able to beat him easily if you get a lead, just be sure to ward your jungle for early invades.
Ivern
Champion
Not a threat to you directly, giving you freedom to move around the map. Very hard to jungle track him due to his many clears.When counter jungling don't bother to leave 1 camp remaining as he can instantly proc his passive. Ganking is the only way he can impact the game, so counterganking is very impactful. He's kind of tricky to invade due to the fact that he's ranged. Also try going for his krug camps as he often ignores it.
Lee Sin
Champion
Since lee players use their wards generously invading them early is very efficient. Make sure to countergank. In 1v1s just meditate his his q combo. Make sure to hold your w until he uses his full combo.
Graves
Champion
As long as your going on hit and he doesn't have a huge lead you should be able to beat him in all stages of the game. The only way he can get a significant lead is to gank or dive other lanes, so make sure you contest him whenever he's looking to make plays.
Fiddlesticks
Champion
Invade Invade Invade, take this poor scarecrow's lunch money and bully him out of the jungle at any opportunity you get. You beat him at all point in the game in a 1v1. Its even easier if you take ignite. He shouldn't make it to late game in one piece if you are jungle tracking him and invading.
Kayn
Champion
Very easy to harass on his first clear, i would always recommend going ignite in this matchup. Also prioritize invading him if possible.
Viego
Champion
You can easily outfarm, outscale, and outduel him at all points in the game. Look for invades and abuse him in the Jungle if you get a significant lead.
Evelynn
Champion
This matchup is decided pre 6 but as long as you abuse her weak early game by invading she shouldn't be a threat.
Amumu
Champion
Very weak to invades early, very easy to 1v1 at all points in the game. Counterganking and invading is your best bet to taking down this champ.
Sejuani
Champion
Try to invade her early as she has no tanky items to protect her. Also try to sidestep her flail instead of using q to dodge it. You might want to go qss if she only focuses you during teamfights. She can really only win this matchup by having better macro than you.
Shyvana
Champion
You are literally shyvana, but better in every way. You outfarm and scale her naturally so just make sure to countergank and keep dragon warded.
Dr. Mundo
Champion
Very weak to early invades, build an early wits end to decimate him. Ignite is also very helpful to counteract his healing. Try to attack the backline first unless Mundo lacks his passive or is clearly overstepping his boundaries due to his tanky nature.
Lillia
Champion
You can beat her 1v1 at all points in the game, as long as she doesn't have all of her q stacks up. She's very weak to early invades, and is very easy to deal with if your going lethality yi or wits end. In 1v1s make sure to get the jump on her and use q to dodge her q to stop her form kiting you out. It is possible to dodge her ult with q but it is very hard. Taking exhaust in this matchup is a viable option.
Qiyana
Champion
Very weak to invade, stay away from bushes or walls when fighting her. Make sure to countergank her and invade her when you get any sort of lead, it should be a very easy matchup if you deny her kills.
Gragas
Champion
invading pre lvl 3 with red buff can be very successful because he doesn't take his e yet. Wits end is a great buy vs this champ. Overall it shouldn't be too hard for you as you outscale him completely into the late game.
Sion
Champion
You outscale him and are generally stronger in the mid game too, just make sure your counterganking him and invading if you get a lead.(don't invade if he's going tank)
Diana
Champion
Invading her is pretty easy, and wits end is enough to 1v1 her into the mid and late game.
Zed
Champion
You can beat him at all points of the game, just make sure w his full combo if he doesn't start with his ult. You should be invading him constantly, because he can actually be a threat if he manages to get past the early game unscathed.
Gwen
Champion
You both have the same purpose: to powerfarm and scale, but you do it better. Make sure to buy wits end or maw against her if she gets ahead.
Mordekaiser
Champion
Very weak to invades early, as well as terrible ganks pre 6 makes for an easy champion to abuse. Wits end is a must buy here.
Rumble
Champion
Can be invaded early, very weak ganks pre 6. Does a surprising amount of dmg early however so watch for his overheat bar to time your attack.
Pantheon
Champion
very strong early but he is merely a former husk of what he used to be. Jungle track and ping laners, as long as you make it past the early game you hard outscale him.
Taric
Champion
Very rare that you will ever see a taric jungle but if you do, its probably lightrocket2. His lvl 3 is surprisingly strong so try to avoid him at this stage. After this its very easy to fight/invade him if you dodge his stun.
Taliyah
Champion
Easy Money, no really. Whenever I'm up against her I consider her as 300 gold bonus for invading. The only move she possibly has thwarting your plans is her w, after you dodge that with your q its freelo.
Karthus
Champion
I was actually considering putting karthus in synergy due to how easy this matchup is. If they have the audacity to lock in Karthus vs Yi they're either a smurf or completely clueless. Regardless it shouldn't be a problem for you. 3 out of 4 abilities in your kit are a natural counter to all of his abilities, so whenever you have the chance invade him. You should be living in his jungle rent free.
Darius
Champion
You are stronger than darius jg at all points in the game, invade him whenever you get the chance.
Twitch
Champion
Invade early, abuse him at all stages of the game, he should not be able to exist in the same game as you.
Amumu
Champion
Due to the amount of cc and frontline he provides, he is one of, if not the best pick to have as a support on your team.
Alistar
Champion
Very good for cc, picks and teamfights. Also he is usually very easy to gank when on your team.
Galio
Champion
One of the best picks to have on your team with yi, mid or support, he provides loads of cc, that even a newbie to the champ can hit consistently.
Malphite
Champion
Very good solely due the amount of cc you get from his ult, its usually enough to win you the game if coordinated well in a teamfight.
Shen
Champion
One of, if not the best synergy with yi due to his ult, frontline, and cc
Lulu
Champion
The stats her ult provide are priceless, I'd recommend going on-hit to make use of this supports power.
Ornn
Champion
Has an op synergy with yi due his ability to upgrade items, and provide tons of cc and frontline
Renata Glasc
Champion
Great for attack speed, survivability, and cc.
Thresh
Champion
Any tank/frontline support is really good for yi because it allows him to deal damage without getting burst down.
Nautilus
Champion
Heavy CC, Frontline, and pick/gank potential. What more can a humble Yi main ask for?
Blitzcrank
Champion
Even if he cant land hooks he provides a lot of frontline.
Anivia
Champion
Stuns and damage, what more could you ask for?
Pantheon
Champion
A solid laner to gank, due to his point and click cc
Yuumi
Champion
Can be extremely strong if you have frontline on your team and your going on-hit.
Senna
Champion
Her shroud and cc, make looking for picks and hiding from cc abilities very easy.
Camille
Champion
S+ lane to gank throughout the laning phase, and if she's is ahead she provides some frontline for you in teamfights.
Swain
Champion
Has a good amount of cc for gank setups and picks
Rell
Champion
Great support to have on your team due to easy ganks, picks and teamfight. This is due to her ridiculous amount of CC
Zyra
Champion
Very good for ganks in the laning phase, makes up for her lack of frontline with crazy dmg into the late game.
Morgana
Champion
She has to hit your q's to be a valuable support to yi.
Lux
Champion
This can be a good support for Yi if the lands her cc abilities, other picks like naut and amumu support are more reliable though.
Pyke
Champion
Can be a fantastic support for yi if they know how to land their abilities, but very lacking if they don't.
Annie
Champion
The stun is really nice for yi to get his dmg in fast in picks and skirmishes. Also she cant miss it.
Taric
Champion
Used to be a great synergy with Yi but now is subpar due to the nerfs the only Value he has comes from his heals and ult, as it to unreliable to rely on his stuns.
Zilean
Champion
The ultimate can be priceless if the zilean isn't selfish.
Braum
Champion
Due to Yi's reworked Q, braum's passive can now instantly stun people with one isolated Q.
Brand
Champion
Very little cc, and is a high priority target like you which makes it much harder to teamfight or look for picks.
Bard
Champion
Unless he is very skilled, it is a subpar pick as support for yi due to his low cc and frontline.
Soraka
Champion
The healing is nice, but you don't really need that in the midst of a fight, CC and frontline are much more valuable for you. Furthermore this makes it much harder to gank botlane due to a lack of cc. She can be good in some situations but more likely than not she ends up being a liability that gets killed very easily.
Xerath
Champion
Unless he gets super far ahead he doesn't provide much for you. He will probably die or retreat in the midst of battle leaving you exposed in many teamfights.
Vel'Koz
Champion
Unless he gets super far ahead he doesn't provide much for you. He will probably die or retreat in the midst of battle leaving you exposed in many teamfights. This is due to his fragile nature.
Karma
Champion
She provides a decent number of buffs but nothing that really matters, like frontline or heavy cc.
Pro Player's Advice
Jng Champ Select:
• Consider which side you want to pressure (Bot or top)
• Which lanes are easier but also most important to gank
• Who has the faster jungler clear of you and enemy jungler?
• Can you do early dragons?
Earlygame:
• Check if enemy botlane leashed (can track jungler early)
• Do you win 1v1 vs enemy jungler lvl 2-3-4-5-6
• Track enemy jungler based on start location and vision control
• Chose side to pressure and place pinks / vision toward this side
• Be effective with your time, get good back timings, DON'T WASTE TIME
• Play around the pressure you create, adapt to the situation of the game, (example Pressure top pre 6, pressure bot post 6) ~
• PINKS PINKS PINKS
• Target prioritization, Who should I use summoners / ulti for Clear -> pressure -> Vision
Midgame/Endgame ->
• Always be time efficient
• What is your job in teamfight and how do you want to play the teamfight? (Are you an engage? should you peel? who is your target etc)
• Keep buying pinks and keep manipulation pressure to gain deeper vision
• Keep tab on your team ALWAYS to secure being at the right place at the right time!
Tips From the Best
I have gotten advice from the best Yi players in the world (Sinerias,Report Yi,Danijrm)and have condensed that information into some important tips and direct quotes to help you carry your ranked games!
Report Yi
1.)My Question- How do you maintain nearly perfect CS while still going for ganks in your games?
Report Yi Answered-”Counter jungle and farm camps before you gank. What I mean is farm till you see an opportunity to gank, don't just wait in the bush for the perfect time to go in when you could be farming”
2.)“If you can out farm the enemy jungler in low elo you will climb higher than them even if you're not ganking a lot.You can get diamond just by out farming and playing safe”
3.)”Always keep track of enemy jungler and where they start so you can anticipate what crab they're going and where they'll gank.”
4.)”Don't fight for crab if you have no priority on lanes after you finish your full clear. Just recall or run to top unless your laners can rotate.”
5.)“You have to play a lot of games to know the limits of your champion”
6.)“practice it, and it'll become natural”
Danijrm
1.)Farm endlessly, you should have 8 cs every game
2.) Your teammates lives don't matter, you are almost always the wincon as Master Yi
3.) Spend hours perfecting your pathing, the game can be won in three minutes with correct pathing and clearing
4.) Look for opportunities on the map always
5.)Look for turret dives
6.) Don't ever take zombie ward like wuju senshi
7.)Always take tenacity, no matter what
8.)Come from behind when ganking
9.)Don't take flash when you are learning Yi it promotes bad habits
10.) Don't trust anyone
11.) Let your team make plays for you, then capitalize on those plays
12.) Never feel bad or ashamed when you make a bad play, it happens to the best of us
13.) “Karma is a useless support” -Danijrm
Sinerias
1.)My Question- How do you have a good mentality after a huge loss streak?
Sinerias answered-“Take a day off when you lose too much, and during those breaks don't think about league at all, go outside and enjoy life”
2.) Optimize your first clear
3.) Ward the opposite side of your jungle to prevent early invades and ward/back at 0:58 seconds
4.) To climb quickly you must invest all your effort into one champion
5.) Use outplayed to see how you died and to not repeat the same mistake again
6.) Dodge up to 2 times per day
7.) “I look like Taric IRL, also I bench over 300 kilos” - Sinerias
Jungle Priorities
These are the priorities in the jungler you should be considering at all times. For example, if you are not ganking you should counter jungle and if you cant counter jungle, you should be doing objectives, and if you cant do objectives you should be farming,(yes in that order). The information below explains why.
1.)Ganking/Countergank(450-1000 gold)
This is the best option to pull off do it and dont stop unless it is not available
These are the conditions that increase a gank being successful.
-Low Hp
-No Summs
-CC/DMG
-Overextended
-No Mana
-Enemy has used key cc/mobility abilities recently
-Enemy jungle is not in proximity of the lane
Early Invading (before first Clear)
-Allow champs with cc to go first
-Try not to invade during your first clear, as it is very risky
-Only invade if you have CC
2.) Counter Jungle(100gold + 100gold and info)
You deny enemy gold and gain info about their whereabouts or pathing.
These are the conditions that increase counter jungling success rate.
-Enemy Laners Location
-Jungle Location
-Priority On Lanes
If one of these factors are present consider an invade, if none are present move on to the third option
3.) Farming (100gold)
This is the least viable of the three options and should only be done if there are no other options.
The myths aren't true, you can't just farm to win.
Objectives
Try not go for the first two drakes if there are other, more lucrative options available. Instead try to get the first rift herald if the first two options aren't available.Only take objectives if you have priority on lanes, or are stronger than than the enemy jungle or know where he is. Objective worth heavily varies now later in the game due to bounties, make sure to consider this in your decision making.
In this video I go into depth on how to apply Jungle fundamentals and priorities into your games.
1.)Always Look for impact on the map before you farm!
2.)Path according to what you want or your priorities, if its a neutral game path according to reset timers
3.)Your current average CS per min with master Yi Should be around 7-8, ideally it should be 8 in all scenarios
4.)When you are stronger try to stifle the enemy jungle and contest him when you are pathing in the same direction
5.)The jg item does 10dmg per second, 4 to 5 ticks, equals 40-50 dmg, keep this in mind when clearing.
6.)controlling the enemy jungle, and keeping your team safe is your responsibility as the jungle
7.)check cs, buffs, of enemy jg when they show on the map
8.)DON'T USE SMITE BEFORE SCUTTLE
9.)reset to match tempo, and use your gold advantage
10.)Buy control wards after every back, if possible
11.)Roam with your team if your ult is up, or if the success rate of a gank is high
12.)Farm when your ult is down unless there is a guaranteed chance of getting a kill
13.)Use your oracle lens in neutral grounds!
14.)Play for yourself as Master yi or play to put more gold in your pocket, if your teammates knew how to carry they wouldn't be in that elo.
15.)Recall every time you can afford a small item. So you can come back and make an impact on the map.
16.)Ping before you ganks and when you contest neutral objectives(scuttle,dragon,rift)
17.)Path toward gankable lanes
18.)Try to have your camera focused on other aspects of the game, it shouldn't be on your champion 90% of the time
19.)Have leadership as a Jungle
20.)Check your lane states every 5-10 seconds, look for opportunities!!!
21.) You can't win every game. Sometimes there will just be feeders or people who rage quit or AFK. A rule a former pro player gave me really helped conceptualize this topic. It's called the 30/30/40 rule. It goes like this:30% of games you will win no matter what, 30% of games you will lose no matter what, and in 40% of games the outcome is determined by you. The way to climb is to maximize how much of that 40% you win.
22.) Always take breaks, I recommend taking a day break if you lose two times in a row. Having a good mental space is key for improving in this game
23.)Respect Lane and Jungle Priority!
24.)HOLD YOUR Q. Only use it when you need to kill someone,disengage, or dodge a cc ability.Never use it to engage.
25.)Download Outplayed from Overwolf, It's free and it records when you die in your ranked game. Use this tool to learn from your deaths and not repeat it in the future.
26.)OPTIMIZE YOUR FIRST CLEAR AND YOU'LL MAKE IT TO GOLD OR HIGHER! If you do this you'll be able to make it out on the map alot faster than your enemy and have a lot more influence on the map as well!
27.)DON'T BE THE FIRST ONE TO ENGAGE AS YI! Unless you're playing tank yi, don't be the first one to engage, wait for your team to start fighting and as soon as you see a guaranteed kill go for it! One of the biggest reasons Yi mains lose games is because they are the first to engage. Remember to always be behind your teammates and wait for a good opportunity to engage.
28.)Communicate with your teammates through pings! it's effective vision if you are able to track the enemy jungler. Even if you're not 100% sure he's there, you can safely assume or at least communicate that he could be somewhere.
29.)Focus on at least playing 2-3 Meta champions in ONE role!!!
30.) Make your plan on how you will contest scuttle BEFORE 3:15. Will you counter gank, trade scuttles, invade?
31.) Exploit the enemy Jungler if you beat them 1v1
32.) Maintain Tempo, never be indecisive
33.) Watch your own VODs to see your mistakes
34.) “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”- Sun Tzu
Pathing
The Safe Clear
This clear prevents any early game invades from occurring. You perform this clear the same as the full clear, however instead of buying a refillable potion, you buy a control ward and a red potion. As soon as the game starts you ward the blue location with a regular yellow ward then ward the pink location with a control ward. This works best against early game aggressors like shaco,elise and rek'sai who want to abuse yi’s weak early game. The only drawback to this clear is that you don't get the refillable potion health which might be needed for ganks and counter jungling.This clear works for both full clear variations (Red & Blue).
5 Camp Clear
Red -> Raptors -> Blue -> Gromp -> wolves -> scuttle/gank either side (Time-2:57)
Pathing Example-https://youtu.be/Dplo_PGWnu4?t=74
This is a viable clear if you want to be flexible in how you path. It will give you access to all 3 lanes by 3:15 if performed correctly. If you struggle with clearing at or under 3:15 use this pathing. It can also be used if you have multiple gankable lanes but you don't want to commit to full clearing in a linear fashion. The only downside is that you will not be level 4 by the time you leave the jg to gank, and you are missing out on gold & experience from krugs.
5 Camp Clear- Blue Side Variation
Blue -> Gromp ->Wolves ->Raptors ->Red -> Scuttle/Gank (Time 3min)
THis pathing is less viable due to the full clear meta arising, but its still useful in some situations.This Pathing is best for a focus on the lane opposite to blue, for example if you start on the blue side and bot lane seems very gankable consider this option.Also it is effective into invading junglers like reksai, because you get your most important camps as fast as possible.
The Full Clear-Red Side(Currently The Best Clear)
Red -> Krugs -> Raptors -> Wolves -> Blue & Gromp -> Scuttle/Gank (Time-3:15)
Pathing Example-https://youtu.be/0MKyejOOrEs
(I usually use this clear in almost all my games, especially now that the jungle camp timers have changed)
This is the most staple clear that most Yi Players are familiar with. It provides the most gold and experience without risking anything. The only disadvantage to this clear is that you don't have as much flexibility to go where you please. Make sure to change between the clears depending on what lane is the most gankable.
The Full Clear-Blue Side
Blue -> Gromp -> Wolves ->Red -> Raptors -> Gank/Scuttle/Krugs (Time- 3:30)
Pathing Example-https://youtu.be/8cYjOdQ5mgs
I would only use this clear if you know the enemy jungle is not pathing up the same way you are and the only gankable lane is on the opposite side of your blue. I say this due to the increase in time that it takes to finish this clear, you don't want to path the same way as the enemy with this clear or you run the risk of not being on time for counterganks. However this clear is more viable now due to scuttle changes.
The Wolves Clear
Wolves->Blue->Gromp->Red->Krugs->Scuttle/Gank Mid or Bot->Raptors
Pathing example-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yVFrS3bPiA
This clear was made by Wuju Senshi, arguably the best Yi in NA. The best part about this clear is that you need no leash, therefore you don't reveal your location to the enemy jungle. Also you can clear your camps in a way that allows you to farm continuously without recalling up to lvl 5 if a gank is not available.You can do this by going to raptors(7) and immediately going back to wolves or gromp.
Early Game Domination Route
Red->Gank Top->Krugs->Raptors->Gank/scuttle
For those people who hate early game farming as master yi and want to gank as soon as possible, this is the clear for you. This approach works because Yi hits a big power spike at lvl 2 with red buff. He is surprisingly able to gank lanes effectively within this short time period. This approach can only work if you're on the red team, additionally it only has a high success rate with toplane. If you pull this off, you'll gain a big advantage early game and get your toplane ahead, however if you fail to secure the kill you will be massively behind, and the enemy jungle could invade your jungle. It's a very coinflip approach and I wouldn't recommend it, but some yi players find huge success with it. It honestly depends on your playstyle.
The best runes to take for this are exhaust & ignite, however flash works as well.
Extra tips for your First Clear
-The Red side Full-Clear should be taken in most scenarios, due to its efficiency, however the other two are viable as well. Scuttle is less of a priority this patch, so make sure to full clear whenever you can. Also make sure to ward the opposite buff to keep the enemy from invading your camps early. You should always be done with your clear by 3:15 no matter what path you take! Furthermore, if you can clear leashless by 3:15, DO IT. This will hide your location from the enemy jungle which is great for yi due to his weak early game.
-Remember to always path around your wincon ,if you need help deciphering what your most gankable lane is check out this site- https://app.mobalytics.gg/lol/summoner-search -If you click on live companion while your game is loading it will tell you who your best players are on both teams and show the most gankable lanes.Practice these routes and path accordingly!
Climbing is not going to be an easy task, you will feel quite uncomfortable trying to implement these changes into your playstyle, but if you continue to work hard and focus on things one at a time you will improve. So keep positive and strive to make constant progress. You got this!
-Sincerely, Da Mastah
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