Think about Yi for a sec.

trash sion·Mar 13, 2016·10 votes·961 views

Yi's builds are always changing.

Shoutout to someone on boards who criticized my Yi build in preseason:

"The only assassin you've played against him is Master Yi and for some stupid reason you're building Guinsoo's both times?? How can you really not see the fault there."

Is it just me, or does Yi seem to switch core items every couple months? There was the original standard AD Yi, then AP Yi for a while, a rework, then AD Crit Yi, then with release of Devourer he used a sort of Onhit/AD/Crit build, then with the Guinsoo's rework he became a Hybrid Onhit champ, and now he's a Hybrid Onhit Offtank Fighter-Assassin. He seems to have had the most changes to his core build over the years.

12 Comments

Taric the GayMar 13, 20165 votes

"Think about Yi for a sec"

Can't. Too busy thinking about Ezreal.

<3 Ezreal <3

Sire HippingtonMar 13, 20164 votes

Well, first yi was obviously how he was ment to be in the beginning, then more and more poeple noticed that ap yi is not only a thing, but actually rather broken, when that got gutted and the rework rolled out, with more focus on ad/crit/as, and some huge on-hit synergie with the new passive. However, by that time, on-hit itemisation was horrible aside from BotrK, so he got that and a critbuilt. With devourer doubling down on his already huge on-hit synergie, it was kinda obvious that he goes for that, especially as his raw ad scaleings aren't that great so warriors is an inferior option. Now with fervor and guinsoo's, where is enough on-hit to fuel his hyper synergie, allowing him to deal absurd damage with 2-3 items thus alloewing him to pick up tanky items, which any melee likes to do as they have to get right into harms way to do something. So mostly, the changes to his built mostly result from his absurd synergie with on-hit and the changes to on-hit items. If Kogmaws Rework would have been released befor preseason, he would have gone through a similar change of corebuilts over the years, though he's actually in a similar spot: Standart IE/PD/BT/LW adc buit, ap built, trinity/botrk built, and now the Guinsoo's/hurricane built Thats what extreme synergie with a stat/mechanic does in cunjunktion with itemisation changes.

DrNovaMar 13, 20162 votes

His kit by default seems made to abuse things.

japan hate accMar 13, 20162 votes

Maybe that's why he's becoming so ridiculous. By the time people have begun to figure out what item he's abusing, he's moved on to another one.

CarelessWandererMar 13, 20162 votes

yi is broken nuff said

SeenanMar 13, 20161 votes

..What're you getting at though?

trash sionMar 13, 20161 votes

Just pointing out that it's kind of interesting how much his build has changed over the years.

FortisDominusMar 13, 20161 votes

in other words he starts off balanced, but each patch just makes him more and more broken LOL

MunchCrunchLunchMar 13, 20161 votes

the only build of yi that allows him to build tanky and still do ridiculous damage is devoure rageblade yi. rageblade gives almost 70% attack speed. and over 100 on hit damage.

flibitydooMar 13, 20161 votes

he's a melee carry which means much (probably all) of his power comes from items.

Obviously items are constantly changing, and as such even if Yi doesn't get directly changed, itemization changes lead to shifts in his item build

TheOvermindMar 14, 20161 votes

well the closest thing to yi that comes to my mind as a melee carry is Tryndamere , and his build hasnt changed that much over the years ( one way or tthe other u build crit and wavclear on trynda) , what does that show for yi? who has changed his core items so many times over the years?

GhastlyGhoulManMar 14, 20161 votes

[{quoted}](name=Azuk the Jungler,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=FsrKQl2T,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-03-13T18:44:43.645+0000)

Think about Yi for a sec

Most painful second of my life.