Let's see how we could adjust Yasuo to be "better"

Let's say we wanted to adjust Yasuo. We can have a unbiased view on this. I expect some backlash on this. Hopefully, everyone can comment their thoughts below.

I aim to address the issues the boards and players have raised. Thus, I broke the post into sections. Skills that are edited, an explanation to those edits, and the background thinking process I had.

In my opinion, here is how I would change Yasuo to work. Please consider this is all in respect that these are implemented together.

##Skills Edit

• Passive - Flow
• Gain bonus movement speed based on the amount of flow you have
• Q - This can critically strike and counts as an auto attack. Casting this attack increases your critical chance for its duration. Cooldown scales with AS.
• 0.12/0.25/0.5/0.75/1 multiplier for bonus critical strike on Q cast
• 3rd Q stack does not apply the critical damage multiplier.
• Excessive critical strike chance causes 50% of it to be converted to bonus critical damage on this ability.
• W - Windwall uses all flow to cast. Requires 100% flow.
• If you do not have enough flow, casting this ability will grant a shield requiring 20%.

##Background

Yasuo's biggest issue with the boards is his amount of mobility, oppression, damage, snowball potential, and his gold-efficiency. These all make his high skillcap unnecessary to reach to be decent/efficient with him. I addressed these issues in the skills but remember one important thing:

• Yasuo is a champion with a unique plot, lore, and identity. His fanbase loves that identity and he is the only samurai champion closest to many player visions of an action-packed samurai. From anime to classic eastern films, Yasuo touches a huge audience. CertainlyT's goal with Yasuo, I believe, was to make him the first melee ADC.

I aimed to preserve and get these aspects of Yasuo's identity:

• Melee ADC
• Action-packed
• Agile Swordsman identity

Champion Aspects I wanted to address:

• Movement speed
• Scaling
• Ban rate
• Babysitting (I attribute this term to skills, items, or advantages a champion gets that negates their required weaknesses)
• Mechanics

Things needed:

• Way to get on ranged enemies
• Lane survivability
• Late game pinnacle > Early to Mid pinnacles preferred for Yasuo as an ADC
• Respect identity
• Reward mechanical strength and damage with other champions, engages, and other mobility assets in mind

##Explanation

Note: In the words below, we are speaking of the version of Yasuo created in this post. Unless stated otherwise, please reference the Yasuo created here.

We removed the double critical chance from his passive. It's unnecessary as, if we want him as a melee ADC, the critical damage debuff will not let him scale well. Considering I wanted this version of Yasuo to respect "Agile" as well and consider movement speed items, I wanted to incentivize the champion into building critical strike items so his DPS is really good late game. Rather than him falling off, like an ADC, he will scale progressively into the late game. We can go into how this goes well with his Q and E.

His Q will double his critical strike chance at max rank. This critical strike will only be applied on his Q itself. If he want autoattacks that also have a 100% critical strike chance, he would require to build multiple critical items which he is rewarded for at max rank. He gets extra critical damage. Remember, he is a melee champion but also a melee ADC. He must get close and bypass the frontline somehow. If the ADCs fail to kite, with their range, or the front line fails, getting on the backline should get the enemy team punished. Yasuo should shred them. I made it so it takes at least 2 levels to see a really large impact from Yasuo, incentivizing him to level up his Q before his E. Else, he's sacrificing damage for mobility. Early on, we want Yasuo to think what he would want more for trades, farming, and scaling. Lategame, we reward him greatly if he survives. This Q also keeps his snowball potential with its massive damage scaling and his ultimate's passive bonus. Anyways, Yasuo will inevitably be forced to balance out his E and Q or level up Q to level 2 before focusing on his E most of the time. By the time Q is maxed, he would be either level 7 or level 10 but will be lacking mobility from his E. If not, he loses a lot of midgame damage.

We made flow, his passive, not automatically give him a shield. That's babysitting. We want Yasuo to be mechanically difficult. Thus, we made flow a resource he has to always think about. It makes sense too. He gathers wind and casts it out. Before, the Yasuo currently gets a shield automatically. It does not really make sense though. First off, it offers no mechanics to use and only for engage purposes. It scales in size with his level but why? There's no need for it to increase if it completely disappears with one hit. It violates his lore as well. "Follow the wind". The wind should not follow him and automatically give him a shield. He follows the wind and uses it to find his way. Thus, I made it so he can cast his W to use flow or gain the shield. This makes him think about engages. Size still increases the more he invests a level into it, but the cooldown is based on the growing flow meter. It makes flow into a resource enemies recognize, can abuse, and that he must always take into consideration to survive engages or damage.

We keep his E the same. It's really good in design in my opinion. It has a cooldown on each target he casts it on, and he needs to clear waves efficiently due to this new kit. He will be under tower a lot as players will punish his new passive and W. He also will not be able to do as much damage early on. He needs a way to get on targets as well, quickly, rather than just walking and getting poked down when allies engage since he's melee. He'll also need to level Q to deal meaningful damage early on and scale with crit if he wants midgame strength. Thus, his mobility would decrease with his E's cooldown.

His ultimate stays the same as it suspends you in the air for 1-1.5 seconds longer and you still take damage from his allies. I believe it's good. He gains armor penetration as well. Combined with his Q, lategame he'll melt anyone. Like a proper ADC.

##Notes

If Yasuo flashes, knocks up, ults, and Qs a squishy or ADC - they'll most likely be one shot with this new Q late game. I understand. He can also get on you with e. He is also relatively squishy though if he gets all that bonus critical damage. Thus, I was considering reducing his regular HP scaling so he gets 1,500 HP at level 18. Essentially, he can also be one-shot. He would want an armor item, MR item, or a good team comp to help him live.

Then again, it only takes about 3 crit items to get 80% crit. Two zeals and an IE. His Q only requires three to do bonus critical damage. He also needs boots. Flow also grows faster the more he moves. Thus, he only has two slots for defensive items and lifesteal would be a preferred choice. He may also need a LDR or armor pen item so he'd be squishy. It gets complicated and tricky. Maw, Mercurial, BORK, Frozen Mallet, Randuin's? Anyways, his choices will be very limited if he does get 100% critical strike on his regular autos, making him squishy or he will be losing that extra critical damage and 50% critical damage of his regular autoattacks if he wishes to go mid or top to be tanky. With his passive, he may not go for another armor pen item.

Yet, there is another thing. If he ults five people and gets 90% armor pen, with lethality, he may one-shot an entire backline with one Q. I believe this is a reward for getting five people knocked up simultaneously while getting your Q off on multiple targets. Shouldn't a team caught in an Orianna ultimate with her team behind her be wiped out? I believe that him one-shotting in such a scenario is acceptable then.

His Q can always miss though. So, this rewards high mechanical play. "Land your Qs".

PTA will also be an issue but that would require 3+ autos. That is a lot honestly. He could die during that duration quite easily as a melee character. Anyways, let's sum this up.

##Conclusion

There's a lot of tradeoffs and sacrifices, but this leads me to believe his Q and kit in this version is very balanced despite the damage. I believe this keeps his mechanically difficult, removes his babysitting and many issues.

What are your thoughts?