Hey guys. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this guide. I am a summoner who has been playing LOL since season 6, although I admit I haven't been ranked. I am always searching for off-meta builds and builds that allow you to play champs in off-role scenarios. I have another guide for Jungle Shen, which if played right is a formidable foe.

This Yasuo build is a different take on the champ. It allows him to be played in the top lane since his biggest problem is sustaining the early lane phase. Most tanks will be able to beat you on this front, so taking Kleptomancy and Biscuit Delivery and Taste of Blood will give you extra healing to give you the same sustain as these tanks as well as giving you extra gold income. Yasuo has an expensive core build so this extra gold income is extremely useful.

Inspiration is the recommended primary tree simply for the Kleptomancy keystone. This was buffed at the beginning of season 9 so it will trigger both off of your q and off of your next auto attack, further increasing your gold income from this keystone. It will also give you health and damage pots early in the game to allow for even more healing. Use your mobility to proc this as much as possible.
For your minor runes, I take Magical Footwear for the free boots. There aren't many other desirable options, though I suppose you could also use Perfect Timing to build later into Guardian Angel. For the second rune, I take the Biscuit Delivery for the better sustain early and the gold it gives if you want to sell them. You could also choose Future's Market to allow you to buy your core earlier, but I find it more difficult to work without the sustain. For the final rune, I take Time Warp Tonic for the instant healing and extra movement speed. As an assassin top, your only advantage is your mobility, so this gives you more of that.
For your secondary tree, there are a few options. My favorite is the Domination tree, for which I take Taste of Blood and either Ravenous Hunter or Relentless Hunter. The other good option is Precision for which you would take Legend: Alacrity and Triumph or Coup de Grace. I like the former for the extra sustain it offers but the later offers more damage.

The most important thing for your lane phase as Yas is not to intentionally feed your opponent. I understand this is difficult for most Yasuo players but especially in top lane, where junglers usually don't want to focus their help, you need to play safe. Ideally, you want to gain level 2 first and use that advantage to attack your opponent when they only have 1 ability. If you do it right, you should be able to get a kill using your ignite. This early advantage is important for a Yasuo for two reasons: 1) if the enemy jungler doesn't answer you will start to snowball, and 2) if the enemy jungler does answer, you will break even while also taking pressure off of your carries in mid and bot lane.
If you don't get that advantage and early kill, you want to play safe as much as possible. However, make sure that you are procing Kleptomancy as much as possible to give you that gold advantage. This is how you can beat your opponent in a losing lane. Don't give them the chance to kill you and just keep stacking your Kleptomancy until you either get a gank or can fight for an objective. Kills are good for you, but they are not necessary for you to gain a lead. If all you do in lane is CS and get those procs, you will come out ahead.

At this point, just play like any other Yasuo. Kleptomancy will continue to give you gold and pots to help you win fights so remember to use those when you can. Remember that your mobility is your life. If you are not moving, you are not playing Yasuo right. Most importantly, DO NOT INT. This is the easiest time to int because you want to engage with your ult. As a yas you shouldn't be an engage. Wait for your team to go in, throw in a 'nado, and destroy them all. If you are behind and are building more tanky, your primary job will be cc. Try to knock people up as often as possible and hold priority targets in the air with your ult.

Thanks for reading through my guide. I know this guide is not an optimal damage build but it is not meant to be. It is a way to provide Yasuo with the extra sustain in a lane he usually struggles in, allowing you to be the perfect top lane carry. I welcome and will respond to all comments so hope this improves your Yasuo win rates in the top. Remember, DO NOT INT.