Master Yi Build Guide : [S11] Jungle & Top Master Yi - Master of Destruction

Updates

7.12.13
Published guide
Fixed minor errors
8.26.13
Edited guide based on some of the comments in discussion section
8.27.13
Updating guide according to rework
11.27.13
Updated information for Season 4
12.21.13
Added new Master Yi banner
Added more explanations for each section
6.4.14
Updated minor item changes
7.23.14
Changed the guide from jungle to top lane
3.11.15
Updated information for Season 5
5.23.16
Updated information for Season 6
10.8.17
Updated information for Season 7
Added a new jungle build
11.8.17
Updated information for Season 8
3.25.18
Updated information for patch 8.6
4.8.18
Updated information for patch 8.7
7.5.18
Updated information for patch 8.13
11.21.20
Updated information for Season 11

Introduction

Hi! I'm Crusading Angel. This is my first guide for one of my most favorite champions! MASTER YI WOOOO! I apologize if it doesn't seem as pretty as other guides. This is my first guide. However, I have played probably at least 100 or 200 games if not more on him since season 1. So I know a bit about him ;). I'll tell you my story on why I played him so much at the end if you're interested. Also if you would like an in-depth explanation please continue reading. I recently just completed a Tryndamere guide. Please check it out here if you have some time!

Note: This guide is constantly being revised. Revisions will continue on as I gain more feedback.

Pros and Cons

Pros:
+Cheap to buy and easy to play
+Amazing at farming
+High mobility and attack speed with certain builds
+Can heal a lot with meditate (longer sustain)
+Does an INSANE AMOUNT of damage.

Cons:
-No CC and vulnerable to other's CC
-Very mana hungry, needs blue throughout the game
-Squishy
-Usually first to be targeted

Runes

Precision

Lethal Tempo
My jungle build is focused on attack speed and on-hit damage, this rune will scale well with this build. Furtheremore, it will help speed up your autoattacks which will therefore help reset your quicker. This will allow you to 1. do more damage from your q, and 2. allow your to reset to use to escape an enemy, to chase, or to dodge. might also be a good idea instead of Lethal Tempo if you see yourself getting into sustained fights. For example, may be helpful when you're constantly forced to fight top lane.

Triumph
Honestly the only rune that is worth it in this line.

Legend: Alacrity
Again this is an attack speed jungle build. Use this rune to help add some more attack speed.

Coup de Grace
Generally you should be ganking low health champions, so this rune is ideal for jungle yi. Go for yi top or if there are just a lot of tanks on the opposing team.

Domination

Sudden Impact
This helps your do more damage. The effect of this rune lasts buffs your lethality and magic pene for 5 seconds. Hence it will buff a some damage post . maybe a good alternative rune to use for damage as well.

Relentless Hunter
This is probably the best choice for jungle yi. It gives you more movement speed which will help with ganks and to get to jungle camps. is also another good choice for the lifesteal.

Summoner Spells

Generally I will always take and top. Why you ask? I choose flash because of its many different uses. You can use it as an escape. You can use it to perhaps flash into baron or dragon and steal it. You can use it to chase an enemy. There are so many uses for this summoner spell that it would be a waste not to take it! Next up I choose teleport because it helps you get back to top quicker. It also allows you to join team fights a lot easier. is the obvious choice when jungling.

Very Viable

Smite-

A must for when you're jungling as Master Yi.

Teleport-

A great spell to use if you want to get back to turret, to farm, or to help out a teammate etc.

Flash-

This skill is great for chasing, running through walls, initiating, etc.

Ghost-

This is always ideal for when you need to escape, chase, or gank. Stack it with and and basically you can catch up to anyone. Even Usain Bolt!

Viable

Ignite-

This spell is great for getting that extra damage out while you're attacking champs. However, I prefer to take teleport when going top instead of .

Exhaust-

Great to slow down champions and reduce their attack power.

Heal-

can do the same, but you get to spam it. Although it has been made better through one of the latest patches, this spell is unneeded for Yi. Flash still works much better in my opinion.

Not Viable

Barrier-

Just use . This is more viable for ADCs in bottom lane.

Clarity-

No longer available in SR.

Cleanse-

An iffy spell, but kind of useless if Yi can just run away from CC.

Abilities

Double Strike (Passive)

After landing 3 basic attacks, Master Yi's next attack within 4 seconds strikes twice, dealing 50% AD bonus physical damage which applies on-hit effects and can critically strike.

If Double Strike’s first hit kills a unit, the second strike now searches for a new target within 300 range (prioritizes killing blows).

Extra damage for Yi. Not really recommended to time for the 4th hit to use to harass/poke.

Tips:

1. Time the 4th basic attack and hit the enemy champion for the extra damage (to harass) if you can do it.

Alpha Strike (Q)

Master Yi becomes untargetable and marks to up to 4 nearby enemies before dealing 25 / 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 (+1.0 per attack damage) physical damage to them. This ability deals 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 / 175 bonus damage to monsters. If there are no unmarked enemies in range, Master Yi may strike the same enemies again, dealing 25% of the ability's damage instantly.

This skill can critically strike, dealing 60% of Master Yi's attack damage as bonus physical damage.

Basic attacks lower Alpha Strike's cooldown by 1 second.

This is the skill you will be constantly spamming with on Yi. Max this first for the extra damage. You will use it to harass, last hit, kill, jungle, and etc. Always use this when there are 3 minions and one champion or 2 minion and 2 champions (and so on...) so that you can 100% hit the champion when harassing. Max this first.

Tips:

1. Use when someone uses a skillshot in order to gain invulnerability to dodge that skillshot.

2. Use this skill on minions or monsters as an escape mechanism. (Like a mini-).

Meditate (W)

Master Yi channels for 4 seconds, restoring 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 (+25% of ability power) health per second. This amount is increased by 1% per 1% of health that Master Yi is missing. While channeling, Master Yi gains 60 / 62.5 / 65 / 67.5 / 70% damage reduction. This amount is halved against turrets.

Channeling Meditate pauses the durations of Wuju Style and Highlander and grants 1 stack of Double Strike per second.

This ability will you help you with your sustain early game. With the points in the meditation mastery you will have a little more mana to spam your W if you're laning. Max this last.

Tips:

1. Use it for sustain early game.

2. Use this late game as a shield and to heal.

3. Note: the lower your HP the more you heal.

Wuju Style (E)

Master Yi's basic attacks deal 18 / 26 / 34 / 42 / 50 (+0.35 per bonus attack damage) bonus true damage for 5 seconds.

The passive gives you bonus attack damage per each skill level. The active gives you extra true hit damage. Max this second for the addition damage.

Tips:

1. Max this after . Use it right as you go into a team fight.

Highlander (R)

Passive: Champion kills and assists reduce the cooldowns of Master Yi's other abilities by 70%.

Active: For 7 seconds, Master Yi gains 35 / 45 / 55% bonus movement speed and 30 / 55 / 80% attack speed and becomes immune to any slows. Master Yi also ignores unit collision for the duration of this effect. While active, kills and assists extend the duration by 7 seconds.

's ultimate. The active gives you increased movement speed and attack speed while making you immune to slows. The passive helps reset your abilities when you get champion kills. Max this ASAP.

Tips:

1. Get a kill/assist while highlander is active in order to refresh your skills for use again.

Jungle Build

++
Emberknife+Refillable Potion+Warding Totem

Take since you're playing a basic attack focused champ. Get for the sustain.

Kraken Slayer

You want to get this item to deal extra on hit damage. The item also provides attack damage, attack speed, and crit which is important on Master Yi. Potentially replace with for your mythic item.

Guinsoo's Rageblade

I find this to be a very high risk high reward item. I pretty much always build this item when I'm ahead. However, I tend to go a different item for when I'm behind, based on the situation.

Blade of the Ruined King

Because Yi doesn't have any CC, this item helps a lot when it slows the enemy through its' passive. It's a great item when you want to engage/disengage. I find this as one of the other must have items for Yi. The life steal gives you nice sustain, the attack speed helps with more basic attacks, while the passive helps shred tanks.

Berserker's Greaves

Then you want to finish your boots. I often finish after I get my or after my . Get
on heavy AP or CC teams. Get on heavy AD teams.

Stormrazor

Basically get the for the damage and then finish the item. I chose this item because it adds damage, which is lacking in this build, as well as MORE attack speed, and critical strike chance. Although it's not an on-hit item, all of its stats are useful to Yi.

Guardian Angel

I like to get this late game for the extra survivability. Death timers are very long late game. I tend to sell this after the passive goes on cool down for a . The removal of crowd control from the active really helps with not getting blown up when you enter team fights. Replace this item with the ones's mentioned in the Situational Items section based on the the current situation in game.

Top Build

++
Health Potion+Long Sword+Warding Totem

Take and at the beginning. I like to get long sword to build into my for longer sustain. You might want to alternatively get and .

Immortal Shieldbow

I think this is a good mythic item for top lane Yi. It's an item that allows Yi to be a lot more tanky. This is necessary top lane because there are lots of bruisers/tanky champs up top. The shield passive will allow for more trickplays and allow you to continue to trade. The stats are all around great for Master Yi. I especially like the lifesteal and attack speed for the first item because it will give you longer sustain for which you can farm more.

Phantom Dancer

This item is much better to use when 1v1 with opponents. The passive allows you to have increased attack speed after 5 basic attacks. You also get movement speed. This item replaces which was removed.

OR

Blade of the Ruined King

Because Yi doesn't have any CC, this item helps a lot when it slows the enemy through its' passive. It's a great item when you want to engage/disengage/or roam. After extensive testing, I think that this is a great item for ganking too. You may want to switch this out with

Berserker's Greaves

Then you want to finish your boots. I often finish after I get my or after my . Get
on heavy AP or CC teams. Get on heavy AD teams.

Infinity Edge

Basically get the for the damage and then finish the item. I chose this item because it has high damage along with critical strike. After the Yi update/rework higher critical strike on Yi is very OP. Infinity edge is easier to work in this build because you already have the , so it will help double the crit chance.

Black Cleaver

I'm really a big fan of this item for many reasons. The first is that it has 25 ability haste. Great for having your skills reset. The second reason is because it provides some extra damage and health. Lastly the item can shred up to 24% armor max, very easy to do on Yi. This item is all around a great fit for Yi. You may alternatively want to switch this out for or .

Guardian Angel

I like to get this late game for the extra survivability. Death timers are very long late game. I tend to sell this after the passive goes on cool down for a . The removal of crowd control from the active really helps with not getting blown up when you enter team fights. Replace this item with the ones's mentioned in the Situational Items section based on the the current situation in game.

Situational Items

Attack Damage (Offensive items)

Immortal Shieldbow

A decent item on Master Yi, but this is more of a tanky item. I like to go glass cannon on my build for max damage and then run away ASAP as soon as I get the kill thanks to the movement speed. This item is more of a sustain/tanky item with the shield and lifesteal.

Black Cleaver

I don't have this item specifically it my main jungling build. It's however specifically in my top build. It's basically a must have for top lane because you are very likely to be facing a bruiser/tank top. You may want to build it earlier than what I have listed on my top build to help you in lane.

Guinsoo's Rageblade

I totally love this item on jungle yi. It's a great item to build for on-hit champions. I tend to forego this item if I'm behind as it's a high risk/high reward item. .

Ravenous Hydra

The stats and price are very similar to . The only difference is a shield. While Hydra has a passive for pushing and an active for more damage. I generally don't use this but it's worth a try. might be a good alternative to get for the extra health.

Infinity Edge

I haven't really taken a look at this item much after they reverted the item. It does a lot of damage, might be a cheaper alternative.

Mercurial Scimitar

It removes debuffs, while supplying attack damage at the same time. Definitely buy this if you're playing against a heavy crowd control team. Also it gives more magical resistance which is good against heavy AP teams.

Death's Dance

I don't personally use this item much, but it does help you with your survivability. You deal a lot of damage so the passive should heal you for a lot. The 50 attack damage, 40 armor, and 15 ability haste is no slouch either. I build this less in season 11 because these builds tend to be glasscannon builds. While armor and its' passive is nice, I lose lots of damage.

Titanic Hydra

This item is very similar to . I'd usually for ravenous just because I try to play yi as a strong 1v1 champ and not as a tankier yi. This item has more health, but you lose the lifesteal and the damage. You may want to build this if your team is all squishies.

Lord Dominik's Regards

You definitely want to get this for the armor penetration. Teams tend to start building more armor and health on tanks in late game. This and your will shred tanks. You might want to switch this item out for depending on the situation.

Mortal Reminder

This item is very similar to the one listed above. The one major difference is that it's great against healing/regen champs and items. Bring this to counter ,, ,, or , just to name a few.

Maw of Malmortius

A great offensive and defensive item. The magic resistance is great for AP heavy teams. At the same time the passive can sometimes come in handy. The shield will give Yi some extra time to put some damage in. Plus the 15 ability haste is nice. A very viable item.

Youmuu's Ghostblade

I don't use this item very much any more. Before the reworked, it use to be my must have first item. However, I found it less useful since Riot has changed it to more of a lethality item. Don't get me wrong though, it's still a great item. It's great for ganks and for escaping due to the movement speed bonuses.

Attack Speed

Phantom Dancer

This item is much better to use when 1v1 with opponents. The passive allows you to have increased attack speed after 5 basic attacks. You also get movement speed.

Wit's End

I can't say I really use this item much. At the end of the day I only use this on my on-hit build or when my team or the other team is heavy AP.

Armor or Magic Resistance (Defensive items)

Dead Man's Plate

I've seen other people using this item and I decided to try it for myself. I'm a very big fan of this item. The passive is great. The passive provides extra movement speed and also provides extra damage and potentially a slow. The extra health and armor also gives you some nice tankiness too.

Randuin's Omen

A great item against a mobile team. It slows the person down and their attack speed while additionally adding armor and health. It's especially a good item against a heavy AD team or a fed ADC. Overall a great item for extra tankiness.

Spirit Visage

Another optional defensive item. Good against AP heavy teams. It gives +40 Magic Resist, along with 10 ability haste, and +450 health. All of which are pretty helpful for Yi. The +25% healing regen is also a very good item that helps with your meditation.

Frozen Heart

This item is very similar to . This item is gives a lot of armor, ability haste, and the attack speed reduction is great against fed ADCs. Personally I find that I prefer to build over this item.

Laning

Early Game:

Head to your lane or help your jungler leash.

Yi usually goes top or jungle. The name of the game is to out sustain your opponent when going top. The early and your allows you to stay in lane a lot longer.

Begin farming and harassing with your basic attack and . Use whenever you need to heal. In order to harass your opponent, use when you know you can hit them. Wait until there are 3 minions and 1 champion closest to you in order to 100% hit them. Try not to waste too much mana on last hitting using alpha strike. Use basic hits to get some/most of your creep score early game.

If you can sustain and harass your lane enough, you can probably get a kill, or have them recall, if they recall you can continue to farm in order to outfarm them. Push your minions into their turret and the proceed to recall.

Your post-6 combo is pretty simple. Go ->->auto attacks->. Generally highlander and wuju style are activated consecutively (as quick as possible). Pre-6 is the same combo except without . I don't like to use alpha strike to engage. I like to save alpha strike for last just in cases a champ flashes away. Do use alpha strike first if you think you can secure the kill though.

Mid Game:

At this point in the game, the first turret should have been taken down. People will begin to roam. Continue farming. If you have pushed your lane well enough and you've taken down your opponent's turret begin to help out other lanes by roaming. Possibly make an attempt at rift herald if the opponent's top turret is down.

Late Game:

By now more turrets should have went down. Team fights become more prominent. 's role is to clean up remaining champions. Let a tank or off-tank engage. Never ever engage in a team fight unless you know you can take out all of the champions. Basically use the combo listed above to take out as many champions as you can without dying.

Also help your team take baron and dragon. Yi can do a lot of damage late game. (In fact if you finish this build you can probably solo baron.)

Also you may need to sometimes back door on Yi. Backdooring is pretty simple, it's basically sneaking into another lane to take a turret when the opposing team is distracted somewhere else by a team fight, baron, or dragon. Yi is ideal for this because he can take a turret down in seconds and still be able to escape. There has been several occasions where I have won close games as Master Yi through backdooring.

Jungling

This is a guide for people who may want to try and play Master Yi in jungle. I've included a simple jungle section on what you should do on Yi.

Your role as a jungler is to:

Farm and level in the jungle.
Secure dragon/rift herald/baron.
Gank over-extended lanes.
Cover lanes whenever your teammate needs to recall.

This means that you should cover the enemy champion from taking your teams turret. Also, if the enemy champion is not there I suggest last hitting minions for some money. This means that you should let minions do 90% of the damage and last hit the last 10%. (This allows you to get some gold, hold down the turret, and benefits you because otherwise the minions would take all the gold anyways). People generally get mad at this because they think you're pushing their lane, but in general if you just last hit, you're not really stealing any cs. Because otherwise your minions would just kill the enemy minions.

Jungle Route:

Simply follow the steps listed below. Preferably go smite less blue buff first. Ask your teammates to help you.

1. Blue Buff: Go smiteless blue with help from your teammates. Or use smite.

2. Gromp/Wolves: At this point smite is still on cool down. Finish Gromp/wolves smiteless.

3. Red Buff: Use smite on Red buff if you have it. If you get to level 3 add a point into meditate and heal your health. I like to go red buff last because it will stay up longer post-3 allowing for easier ganks for a longer period of time.

4. Rift Scuttler: At this time the scuttler is probably up. With the season 8 changes, the scuttler gives a lot more exp and gold. Plus it does no damage to you. You definitely want to secure this if you can before the other jungler takes it.

I rarely deviate from this path. Generally I gank after getting blue and red buff because red buff will really make your ganks easier. After that I usually continue ganking until the buffs run out.

After ganking, it generally doesn't matter which neutral monsters you go for, just try and kill them in a line as to minimized the time walking as much as possible.

Summary

Things to Know:

1. You need to get as much farm as you can on Yi. Even while jungling or ganking. Master Yi is dependent on farm to do well.
2. Always activate and before engaging.
3. Stay in lane as long as possible in order to get more farm. However, don't overstay so much that the opposing player outmatches you because they recalled and bought better items. (If you're laning)
4. This is always the combo you should use. If a skill is in cool down, move on to the next thing in the combo. ->-autoattacks->.

My Story:

Here's my story on why I've played Yi so much. It all begin with my dusty old laptop. It had one of those trackpads with a button for right clicking and a button for left clicking. My left clicking button broke. Since it broke I couldn't really do skill shots. So being the low level noob I was I picked one that didn't need any skillshots (Master Yi duh)to play. 3 years later, I've played 200+ games as Yi. I finally felt very confident with Master Yi. Hence I decided to write a guide here on Mobafire. As of 2018, my guide has finally gained 1 MILLION views. I'd like to thank everyone for your support and feedback!

The End

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to post in the guide discussion below! Otherwise, please up vote my guide! If you find any problems with my guide please tell me why you had any problems with the guide before you decide to down vote it! I usually check this guide every day to fix grammar/spelling errors and to update minor details. Thank you for reading my guide!

[S11] Jungle & Top Master Yi - Master of Destruction

[S11] Jungle & Top Master Yi - Master of Destruction

Choose Champion Build:

Recommended Items

Runes: On-Hit Early

Spells:

Flash

Smite

Items