Yasuo Tips & Tricks Guide

ƒoes·1/7/2016, 12:08:47 AM·8 votes·3,442 views

#Table of Contents:

Table of Contents
Introduction
Max Order

Maxing (Q) Steel Tempest
- Pros
- Cons
- Advanced Info
Maxing (E) Sweeping Blade
- Pros
- Cons
- Advanced Info

Build Paths

Classic
- Pros
- Cons
Well-Rounded
- Pros
- Cons
Innovative
- Pros
- Cons

Masteries

Warlord's Bloodlust
- Pros
- Cons
Fervor of Battle
- Pros
- Cons
Thunderlord's Decree
- Pros
- Cons

Ability & Movement Tricks

Tricks for (Q) Steel Tempest
Tricks for (W) Wind Wall
Tricks for (E) Sweeping Blade
Tricks for (R) Last Breath
Juking

How I Run Yasuo

Option 1:
Pre-Game
- Summoner Spells
- Runes
  - Final Rune Stats
- Mastery Page
  - Ferocity Tree
  - Cunning Tree
  - Final Mastery Point Sum
Starting Items
Build Order
- Statikk Shiv*
- Infinity Edge
- Death's Dance
  - Information regarding build path
- Bloodthirster
  - Information regarding build path
- Final Defensive Items
- Boots
  - Information regarding built path
Option 2:
Pre-Game
- Summoner Spells
- Runes
  - Final Rune Stats
- Mastery Page
  - Ferocity Tree
  - Cunning Tree
  - Final Mastery Point Sum
Starting Items
Build Order
- Statikk Shiv*
- Infinity Edge
- Death's Dance
  - Information regarding build path
- Bloodthirster
  - Information regarding build path
- Final Defensive Items
- Boots
  - Information regarding built path

Sources

Other Links

Closing

Guide Information
Currently Working On

#Introduction: Yasuo is a highly controversial champion that has caused many arguments throughout the Boards. I'm here to clear up some disputes regarding the current state of Yasuo, the max order(s), and the most popular build(s). Note that this guide can also be used to counter Yasuo. You also do not need to do what I tell you; this is merely a suggestion guide. Also please note that I am writing this for the good of the community; to cause less complaining and arguing about Yasuo's current state.

#Max Order: Yasuo has a very differentiating maxing order that depends on the player's preferences. Some prefer to max Q first because of its flat damage added on top of your total attack damage. Others prefer to max E first because of its CD lowering as well as more damage per level. Here's some pros and cons of each:

Maxing (Q) Steel Tempest: Pros:

Farm from a safer distance
Can do lots more damage than maxing E first if your runes and masteries grant you a lot of bonus AD
Good for maxing if starting with Cull item (Cull is an ambitious item - somewhat like a very nerfed Sword of the Occult* that grants more gold if you kill an enemy unit or champion)*

Cons:

Less damage per level than maxing E first
Less mobility
No cooldown lowering on levelup*(scales off of your attack speed, up to 66% cooldown reduction)*
Damage is not always consistent until 100% Critical Strike Chance

Advanced Info: Note: The segment below is directly derived from Yasuo's Wiki page. Some original info from the Wiki page is left out as it is not entirely useful in context to this post.

The cooldown and cast time of Steel Tempest is reduced by 「 0.6% for every 1% bonus attack speed 」, down to a maximum 66% reduction.

[The scaling on his Q is:] 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 (+ 100% AD)

Way of the Wanderer's (passive) critical strike damage penalty with Steel Tempest is 25% instead of 10%, and applies only to the AD portion of the damage.

With 100% critical damage (base), the bonus damage equates to simply 50% AD (200% × 0.75); with 150% critical damage (Base + Infinity Edge), the bonus damage equates to 87.5% AD (250% × 0.75).

Critically striking with Steel Tempest is calculated individually for every enemy hit.

The cooldown of Steel Tempest is unaffected by cooldown reduction.

Yasuo's 3.2% attack speed per level is factored into Steel Tempest's cooldown reduction and cast time reduction. At level 18, Yasuo has a total of 54% bonus attack speed from leveling alone which reduces Steel Tempest's cooldown by 31.6% (and he requires only 56% attack speed from items, runes and masteries to reach the cap). Steel Tempest's cooldown is effectively reduced by 1.86% per level.

Maxing (E) Sweeping Blade: Pros:

Reduced cooldown per level up to 0.1 seconds cooldown
More damage per level (50% bonus damage per stack)
Improved mobility (a dash on a 0.1 second cooldown)
Consistent damage
Good early game damage and mobility
Can be used to chase or run away (via enemy minion waves)
Reliable kill secure from its damage consistency
Generates Flow (second part of passive - shield)

Cons:

Scales off of AP, which Yasuo doesn't normally build
Damage falls off late game, but Q damage (100 (+ 100% AD) w/ crits) makes up for it
Can only be cast on enemy/neutral units (minions, monsters, & champions) every 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 seconds

Advanced Info: Note: The segment below is directly derived from Yasuo's Wiki page. Some original info from the Wiki page is left out as it is not entirely useful in context to this post.

Sweeping Blade will generate ~7% of Yasuo's maximum flow innately as Flow-generation is based on distance traveled.

Uniquely, all forms of movement-inhibiting crowd control (airborne, snares, stuns, suppression, etc.) will interrupt Sweeping Blade when they hit him - rather than waiting for him to complete the dash. This is contrary to all other dashes, which are only interrupted by airborne-type crowd control effects.

The cooldown of Sweeping Blade is unaffected by cooldown reduction.

Many Yasuo mains prefer to max (E) Sweeping Blade first, then max his Q second. The damage-per-level on E is not that higher than Q's damage-per-level, but it's more damage and should be considered. Your max order should be: E>Q>R>W. (E>Q>W)

#Build Paths: Many builds for Yasuo are good in their own way, but to shorten this guide, I will be writing about the most popular 3 starting items and give them each pros and cons. These names are not official names, but merely names I have given to them myself to make it easier to remember. Items are also in build order. Note: The segment below is derived from Redmercy's Best Season 6 Yasuo Build - League of Legends video.

Classic: Statikk Shiv + Infinity Edge Pros:

Highest damage of the three
Hard snowball
Cheapest of all three builds
Good damage in team fights
The two items work hand-in-hand to synergize well
Bonus critical strike damage from Infinity Edge (Yasuo has 90% Crit Damage reduction - building the IE won't give you 100% crit damage if you do the math correctly)
100% critical strike chance with just two items

Cons:

Minimal mistakes can be very punishing
Super squishy - you won't have very many defense stats
Requires a little more knowledge on Yasuo than average to use properly; if you can't snowball well, this build may not be the best option for you.

Well-Rounded: Statikk Shiv + Trinity Force Pros:

Average total cost build
Offers tankiness, but not a whole lot
100% critical strike chance
General stat improvement; focuses on rounding out stats more than the Statikk Shiv into Infinity Edge build
Sheen procs with Q
Still offers Statikk Shiv passive Shiv Lightning

Cons:

Higher price for less damage in comparison to Statikk Shiv into Infinity Edge build
Not the greatest option for snowballing
Some stats are wasted (mana stat doesn't apply to Yasuo as he does not use mana)

Innovative: Trinity Force + Phantom Dancer Pros:

Good dueling/split pushing
Offers more tankiness than other two builds (not health-wise, but you receive 12% less damage from the champion that last attacked you)
Item synergy
Good damage
Teamfight disruption due to the Phantom Dancer passive Lament.

Cons:

Overall damage is lower in comparison to the other two builds (the loss of Statikk Shiv may affect your overall damage output)
Statikk Shiv wave clear is lost
No improved critical strike damage (loss of Infinity Edge passive)

Please note that these may not all be the best options - everyone has their own opinion.

#Masteries: Masteries are a key component to your success in lane as Yasuo. There are 9 options for keystone masteries, but I will be listing the few that are widely used for Yasuo.

The three that we are looking at are Warlord's Bloodlust (Ferocity tree), Fervor of Battle (Ferocity tree), and Thunderlord's Decree (Cunning tree).

Warlord's Bloodlust: Ferocity Tree

Pros:

Offers built-in "lifesteal" at level 1 (given that you have runes that grant critical strike chance)
Healing every basic attack once you reach 100% critical strike chance
Lifesteal from items (like Bloodthirster) stack on top of the mastery's healing
Synergizes well with Death's Dance passive (heals 12% of physical damage dealt)
Extremely short cooldown (2 seconds)
Ferocity tree has 18 points in it, granting overall more damage consistently
20% bonus attack speed granted for 4 seconds
Better survivability throughout all stages of the game

Cons:

Loss of tankiness/utility as you can't put many of those points into other trees
Recent nerfs to this mastery make it less viable in comparison to some other options

Fervor of Battle: Ferocity Tree

Pros:

Bonus physical damage which can be multiplied with critical strike chance (more crit damage)
Casting abilities increases stacks - since Yasuo's Q and E are on short cooldowns, stacking is super easy
Because Yasuo's Q is treated as a basic attack, Fervor of Battle's bonus damage applies to it

Cons:

AA's and Q only proc the bonus damage
Requires you to stay in combat to do more escalating damage
Damage is not as good as other options
Loss of tankiness/utility as you can't put many of those points into other trees
Recent nerfs to this mastery make it not as viable

Thunderlord's Decree: Cunning Tree

Pros:

Extremely good burst damage (10 per level plus 30% of your Bonus Attack Damage, and 10% of your Ability Power)
Requires you to do damage to an enemy champion three times, but Yasuo's short cooldowns make this a lot easier
Does magic damage so it may be hard to build against (players will see you building AD and build armor instead of magic resistance - because TD does magic damage, the armor is completely ignored when proc'd)
Better than most other options (in the current meta at the time of writing this) due to other options being nerfed

Cons:

Long cooldown (20 seconds)
Requires you to be in combat in order to proc - this means being super aggressive
No sustain early-game until you get lifesteal items (unless you have runes that grant lifesteal)

#Ability & Movement Tricks: There's many different ways to play Yasuo, and thus, there's many different strategies to winning or achieving a goal. Personally, I don't think it would be very practical to try to explain how to play Yasuo, but I can try my best to explain a few tricks.

Tricks for (Q) Steel Tempest: I'm just going to put this out there. While I very much like this ability as it synergizes well with all of Yasuo's other abilities, there's really not enough that it does by itself to be considered a trick. Read Tricks for (E) Sweeping Blade for info on a few synergies this ability has with Yasuo's E.
Tricks for (W) Wind Wall: Wind walling at the last moment possible is extremely useful, especially when the projectile launched at you is a stun or some ability that can easily be followed up on by the rest of the enemy team. It can be an excellent tool to use when in team fights, duels, and simply recalling. Because it blocks projectiles, and most champions have at least one projectile in their kit, this ability proves to be great in almost any situation. Know that once you cast this ability, you will not be able to reposition it, and because of it's long cooldown, you should always use it wisely.
Tricks for (E) Sweeping Blade: This ability is arguably the most useful ability in Yasuo's kit. The extreme mobility it allows offers a great amount of play-making potential as you can easily confuse the enemy champion(s) by dashing behind them and quickly reposition yourself for optimum damage. While it doesn't offer the kind of damage your Q does late-game, it offers insane utility throughout all stages of the game. The 0.1 second statikk (pun intended) cooldown is relatively forgiving, but always try to keep tabs on who's marked and who isn't so you can plan your escapes or initiates better. This ability synergizes with Steel Tempest; if you cast Q during your dash, your dash will end with an Area of Effect ability that does equal damage to Steel Tempest. Keep in mind that this ability will always make you dash a fixed distance, so be a little careful when using it so you don't throw yourself into the wrong place.
Tricks for (R) Last Breath: This ability isn't the most consistent of Yasuo's kit, but it certainly offers a great deal of pressure into team fights. This ability suspends targets who are airborne, which results in extending the knock-up duration if timed correctly. It is optimal that you try to use this ability on targets who are just about to hit the ground so their airborne duration is extended by one second. Teams who have lots of knock-ups synergize fantastically with this ability as you can get several targets suspended in the air. This ability will only work on targets who are already airborne - remember that it will make Yasuo blink to the nearest visible airborn enemy to the cursor, effectively giving you better control to who you want to ult and who you don't. This ability also makes Yasuo ignore 50% of his targets' bonus armor, so it can be extremely effective against tanky champions like Malphite who build armor. It will also immediately grant maximum Flow, which gives you a shield to help defend you against the next incoming source of damage.
Juking: Yasuo's kit is extremely reliable when it comes to juking. Usually you aren't misplaced when trying to dash, and it's pretty clear where you'll go once you begin a dash. The only real risk of failing to juke is when you don't have a minion wave to dash through, or you think too fast and don't take a very brief moment (I'd say less than half a second) to consider where you'll go next.

#How I Run Yasuo:

Option 1:

Pre-Game:

Run Flash & Ignite (not in any particular order), no matter what role (except Jungle)
Critical Strike Chance Runes:
2x Quints of Attack Damage, 1x Quint of Attack Speed
9x Marks of Critical Chance
9x Seal of Scaling Armor
3x Glyph of Attack Damage
6x Glyph of Critical Chance
- Final Rune Stats should be:
  - +5.4 Attack Damage
  - +27 Armor at level 18
  - +4.5% Attack Speed
  - +10% Critical Strike Chance
Thunderlord's Decree Mastery Page:
For the Ferocity Tree:
- 5/5 Fury
- Double Edged Sword
- 5/5 Vampirism
- Bounty Hunter
For the Cunning Tree:
- 5/5 Wanderer
- Assassin
- 5/5 Merciless
- Dangerous Game
- 5/5 Precision
- Thunderlord's Decree
Final Mastery Point Sum: 12/18/0

Starting Items: (self-explanatory, right?)

Build Order: (Prioritize your items this way: BF Sword > Cloak of Agility > Pickaxe) (This and Bloodthirster can be swapped out depending on how the game is going; build Death's Dance first if the game is more teamfight-oriented, however you should build these both if you are doing decent or better.) (This and Death's Dance can be swapped out depending on how the game is going; build Death's Dance first if the game is more teamfight-oriented, however you should build these both if you are doing decent or better.) (Build any one of these, but only once; decide only depending on how the game is going and what the enemy's team is primarily - AD or AP)

Boots should always be built, at least somewhere where you can afford them. Prioritize buying Beserker's Greaves with Alacrity, but building other boots in case you are struggling against the enemy team defense-wise is also recommended.

Option 2:

Pre-Game:

Run Flash & Ignite (not in any particular order), no matter what role (except Jungle)
Critical Strike Chance Runes:
2x Quints of Attack Damage, 1x Quint of Attack Speed
9x Marks of Critical Chance
9x Seal of Scaling Armor
3x Glyph of Attack Damage
6x Glyph of Critical Chance
- Final Rune Stats should be:
  - +5.4 Attack Damage
  - +27 Armor at level 18
  - +4.5% Attack Speed
  - +10% Critical Strike Chance
Warlord’s Bloodlust Mastery Page:
For the Ferocity Tree:
- 5/5 Fury
- Double Edged Sword
- 5/5 Vampirism
- Bounty Hunter
- 5/5 Battering Blows
- Warlord’s Bloodlust
For the Cunning Tree:
- 5/5 Wanderer
- Assassin
- 5/5 Merciless
- Dangerous Game
Final Mastery Point Sum: 18/12/0

Starting Items: (self-explanatory, right?)

#Sources: This guide is a collection of many different sources belonging to different authors. Go give them a thumbs up for being awesome!

Yasuo's Wiki Page Redmercy's Best Season 6 Yasuo Build - League of Legends video Trinimmortal's The Only Yasuo Guide You'll Ever Need video ...and some of my personal knowledge from experience, learned from maining Yasuo himself.

Other Links: Here's some other links that you can use to learn Yasuo, but were not used to write this guide. These are simply alternative learning routes! Redmercy's How Strong is Yasuo Right Now? - How to Play Guide video

#Closing: My name is crasherX8, and I hope you enjoyed this extensive Yasuo guide!

https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEdva9BUHPIs2SkGk/giphy.gif

#Guide Information: This guide has been written in Patch 5.24 (League of Legends 5.24.15_12_11_17_53) (last updated League of Legends Patch League of Legends 6.8.16_04_20_16_49 (see Before & During the Game)) - some information may be outdated after a major patch in the future as the game is ever-changing and buffs, nerfs, removals and additions to the game may change this guide entirely. If this becomes the case, I will continue to update the guide for returning users - remember to check for updates!

Currently working on:

Formatting Cleanup
Backing up data (I do this every edit)
Additional Information

I will be checking the comments every couple days - feel free to ask questions!

Yasuo Tips & Tricks Guide

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