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Let's Talk About (The Core Concepts Of) Yorick...

TerraRising·3/19/2015, 3:43:33 PM·19 votes·11,294 views

If it's not clear by now, I'm a huge fan of Yorick, the Grave Digger. Spamming ghouls and being a tough to kill tank is a lot of fun. It's also clear that Narrative (Jaredan specifically) only wants to talk about “core concepts” of a champion and not story ideas or examples.

However, I'm also not one to shy away from games, not matter the rules, so I'll give it a shot. I'm probably going to fail at some point in keeping it to just “core concepts” since a great deal of my thoughts require that I give examples. However, if a Rioter wants examples or me to elaborate on points further, I can certainly try.

Yorick, at his base, is a grave digger and mortician. Similar to ditch diggers, this is as blue collar a job as you can get, an aspect of League's lore and world that isn't dealt with nearly as much as it could be. As the “Grave Digger” of Runeterra, Yorick's job on the Shadow Isles is to clean up the messes left behind by the other champions, whether that's Elise looking for a snack or Karthus preparing for his next concert.

Yorick does his job, rests in the manner that ghouls rest on Runeterra, then does it all again the next day.

In other words, Yorick has more in common with Helmet Bro than any of the “best and brightest” champions commonly seen on Runeterra.

(I'm going to stop here at the moment since talking further would likely lead to me giving story ideas. If anyone from Narrative would like me to elaborate on certain things, however, I'm willing to play.)

75 Comments

RiotBioluminescence3/20/2015, 6:59:41 PM16 votes

I like the themes of him being the long-suffering, humble, honor-through-hard-work sort of guy. The one who's seen so much that little surprises him any more. Reminds me of the old security guard in the Avengers deleted scene, even if the comparison is a bit off.

It's as if - the most incredible things could (and have) happened in front of him, but he mostly ignores it in favor of doing his job. It's not that he's unintelligent, it's just that he's got a job that never ends, and if he doesn't do it, no-one else will. Maybe he can epitomize quiet strength and extreme persistence.

RiotRiot ShadowStorm3/20/2015, 7:38:09 AM5 votes

I think Yorick is a really interesting case. On paper, the "tireless grave digger" doesn't sound very interesting to me - but you seem pretty drawn to it! Is it that "blue collar" lifestyle (or, unlifestyle I guess) that is interesting? Or are there other themes that really draw you to Yorick?

BastionKross3/21/2015, 3:47:24 AM5 votes

Yorick Mori has pride. Pride in his lineage, pride in his duty, and pride in himself. There is no finer gravedigger to be found in all the lands. His job is to put the body in the ground, and the soul into the beyond. He is a master of his craft, and he fills a position very unappreciated but very vital. Yorick takes pride that he does the job his family has done for generations, and does it right. He may not have much, but his pride in his duty is all that he needs. And if you get in the way of his duty, he'll put you in the ground as well.

Lord Graves III3/20/2015, 7:31:12 PM1 votes

What I like about Yorick is the idea of a beefy full contact lich who summons an undead horde, then has them hold his enemies down while he takes the boots/shovel to them.