Civilized, unbiased discussion of Yi!
Fellow summoners,
It has come to my attention - from a fairly long time ago - that Master Yi players are often scorned for using a "faceroll," mash q champion. If that's not it, it's "Yi OP," "NERF PLOX," and so on.
Before I put in my two cents, I want to first admit that my opinions and observations are subjective. I am but a fresh Gold 5 player with about 1600 MMR. So, by all means, I am very open to learn and discuss ideas with you all, especially those above me in the ranks. In no way am I asserting that my thoughts on the matter are either correct or superior. Rather, they're things i've personally learned along the way. I could be wrong; and I am open to criticsm.
Okay, with the disclaimer out of the way, here I go:
I have had nasty times playing against Master Yi's. I hated them and I hated the players who used them. At elo's around my level - and what it used to be in the 900-1300 ish - he seemed extremely effortless and broken. This has led me to believe that Yi players should be banned from League indefinitely :P
But, my curiosity got the best of me.
"I KNOW" I says to myself. "I'LL LEARN HIM AND FREELO MY WAY UP!"
Lo and behold, I found that he is more difficult than I imagined with my barely-silver mentality. But, nonetheless, stubborn as I am, I kept practicing him.
At the humble elo of gold 5, this is what I concluded.
-
Truth be told, he was a generally easy, low skill floor champion.
-
This did NOT however mean that he is low skill cap.
- I noticed - based on personal experience and streamers/vids, e.g., Cowsep - that the higher elo you go, the more difficult it became to be useful in team fights.
- Yi is not really a mash-q champion after the nerf on his q, such that it no longer resets on a kill.
- His Alpha Strike must be timed more and more precisely in direct relation to higher elo - especially his first Q in a teamfight. Spamming and breaking the Q button on the keyboard can get you some results, but it will ultimately limit outplay potential and presence in fights.
-
This affects more so the early game than late, but relevant in both cases: Yi is crippled heavily without AS runes (again, particularly in the early game). Without any runes at all, jungling with Yi is possible but by no means ideal (when compared to other junglers that would fare better without runes).
-
With good enough knowledge of the game and reaction speed, alongside finesse with the champion itself, he can prove to be extremely dangerous. Without it, while doing substantial damage is possible, his maximum potential cannot be utilized to get those triple -> pentakills, let alone have carry potential.
-
Timing his q and w perfectly is a feat that is, I think, underestimated and underappreciated.
- Surely, he's not the kind of champ that requires exceptional knowledge of mechanics or positioning (such as Lee Sin or Vayne, respectively). To be fair, he may be a higher risk, higher reward in that aspect, because the margin for error is so low. The tiniest of errors made with Yi can render him virtually useless.
-
He does require a certain kind of skill. Mentioned above, using him properly requires not just a solid understanding of Yi himself, but also all other champions and their abilities. Granted, this applies to every summoner and champion, I've deduced for myself that this kind of knowledge is much more pivotal and impactful for Yi than it would for many other champions.
-
Trigger warning. Despite what I've seen people say on the matter, he is quite easy, if not vulnerable, to shut down and counter pick for teamfights.
The conclusive point to sum it all up would be to say that Yi is an easy champ to pick up and play, but on the other hand, mastering - well, Master Yi is an overlooked feat that actually puts his skill cap fairly high. To reiterate, this is really due to his minimal margin for error.
He is more versatile than I personally imagined, as he can dodge virtually any ability (Ori, Jinx, Karthus, Cait, Zed - to an extent, Azir ults, yasuo tornados, etc.,) deal tons of damage, and be a late game monster.
After getting to know Yi and still practicing him every now and again, I am at peace to know that I may have lost those games against enemy Yi's to a champ that isn't so faceroll after all. He's a little faceroll, admittedly. But, I personally found that he notably requires a bit more thought and is more intricate than first perceived.
Succinctly put: Low skill floor, relatively high skill cap. Easy to play, tough to master.
All thoughts and opinions are appreciated! I am always looking for pointers.
Again, I am by no means a high elo player. A lot of the things I learned and mentioned here are based off of streamers and videos, along with personal reflections and replay analyses.
******Personally, I do not think he is broken, unbalanced, or in need of a nerf. His high susceptibility to instant death makes up for his high damage output like most assassins/carries. At lower elo's (silver and below), it's easy to see him through the lens of a raging noob - me being the prime example. ******
Through the said lens, the fact that Yi is completely faceroll and dubbing him as a no-skill, broken, OP champion proved to be a fallacy when tried for myself.
What do you think of Yi, in an unbiased opinion?