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

TerraRising·Mar 19, 2015·19 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

RiotBioluminescenceMar 20, 201516 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.

CupcakeTrapMar 20, 20158 votes

{quoted}

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.

That's pretty much what I went with in a recent Factions update. Yorick is the POV character in the third scene of The Harrowing; the section is marked with Yorick's splash art, if you want to skim down. (He also makes a brief appearance in the first scene.) I think the "blue collar" or "workman" elements are pretty strong, and a nice contrast to other Champions, who are often rather aristocratic. He also draws a bit of pathos from his Sisyphean task. Actually, he's got it worse than Sisyphus in a way: at least Sisyphus knew where the boulder was at any given time. I wouldn't say that Yorick has a "heart of gold", exactly, and his grudging misanthropy goes pretty deep, but he's not really that bad of a guy, and he's still got a heart, at least figuratively.

In addition to "quiet strength and extreme persistence", I'd add that he also has a certain pride in his craft. He does good work. It matters to him that he does good work, and not just because he thinks it might be part of his "quota". He does good work because Yorick Mori does good work. He's no softie, and his outward resentment toward the dead (who incessantly beg him for peace) is generally quite heartfelt. But I think sometimes there's an intersection of his pride and his grudging sympathy for these poor saps that resolves into something like kindness. He's jaded, sure, but he does feel kind of badly for the restless dead, and every now and then, he gets some satisfaction from doing them a final service, and doing it right, after everyone else has forgotten about them.

Since there's been some fanfic apprehension, let me add what I think should go without saying: I'm very grateful that Riot encourages the community to create community lore, and I can scarcely fathom the temerity that would be required for a League community member to try to sue Riot for reading or using community lore. It's rather presumptuous for me to even say this, but for the sake of clarity: if Riot wants to use elements from this post, the linked story, or anything I've written League-wise, I would have no objection whatsoever. To get preposterous as well as presumptuous, I'd even add (I think quite needlessly) that I release any legal right to object to any such use, other than perhaps verbatim copy-pasting without attribution. I don't think this is going to happen, but for the sake of illustration, if you and Jaredan decided to write a story about Yorick going to Nyroth and digging up some lost souls, including some direct quotes from this piece, my reaction would be giddy delight, not litigiousness (that I'd in any event hopefully be sanctioned and fined for wasting a court's time with). Really, this should all go entirely without saying: we post stuff on these forums precisely because we want to contribute to the effort. It's not just that we're okay with Riot using our ideas: we're posting our ideas because we want Riot to use them. If I post some silly fanfic and it gives a Riot author an idea, I want them to use it. Permission is deeply implied in the understood nature of the relationship.

That said, I'll just link it rather than quoting from it here, in case any Rioters start having conniptions about legal liability. (Though seriously, talk to your legal team. If they're not idiots, and I have it on good authority that they're not, they should be able to put you at ease and demolish this needless barrier to Riot-community engagement. IP law is broken, but it's not that broken.)

TerraRisingMar 20, 20151 votes

{quoted}

That's pretty much what I went with in a recent Factions update. Yorick is the POV character in the third scene of The Harrowing. (He also makes a brief appearance in the first scene.) I think the "blue collar" or "workman" elements are pretty strong, and a nice contrast to other Champions, who are often rather aristocratic. He also draws a bit of pathos from his Sisyphean task. Actually, he's got it worse than Sisyphus in a way: at least Sisyphus knew where the boulder was at any given time. I wouldn't say that Yorick has a "heart of gold", exactly, and his grudging misanthropy goes pretty deep, but he's not really that bad of a guy, and he's still got a heart, at least figuratively.

Without giving story ideas, I had a similar thought about Yorick's role within the Shadow Isles.

CupcakeTrapMar 20, 20156 votes

{quoted}

Without giving story ideas, I had a similar thought about Yorick's role within the Shadow Isles.

Not to derail this thread into a fanfic debate, but…whatever ethical or legal concerns Narrative has about reading specific story ideas, I'm pretty sure they're conclusively resolved by the author saying "I am putting this forward in the hopes of you using it, and I freely release all ideas contained herein to you." That's an express statement of what's pretty strongly implied by context. Besides, I've yet to see anyone point to an authoritative judicial opinion that stands for the (ludicrous) proposition that any type of IP right attaches to a general story concept.

That said, it's not like there are that many novel story ideas in that link anyway. It's "Yorick digs graves for dead people". The main purpose is to illustrate some ideas about his personality.

I'm very, very reluctant to do anything to increase Rioter or community anxiety about "legal problems". We have enough problems getting communication going; we don't need to add onto them by building up an unfounded sense of paranoia about the flow of ideas.

tl;dr: If any Rioters honestly believe that they can't read fanfic or use specific story ideas as a way to get at a character's essential personality, they need to go talk to their legal team and get some clarification, because that sort of belief is a major (and needless) impediment to community interaction. Imagine if Meddler felt he couldn't read specific ideas for Champion changes, or IronStylus couldn't look at fan art.

TerraRisingMar 20, 20151 votes

{quoted} Snip

Well, you have derailed this thread. Good job on that.

Simply put, The people within Narrative (Jaredan, Loping Cinder, Ant In Oz, et al.) have set rules for themselves on what content they can and will read. Not only that, but I'm trying, very carefully, to play by those rules as well. Your repeated insistence on convincing Jaredan otherwise is disrespectful to both Narrative and myself.

If you want to post your own thoughts on their ludicrous reasoning, it should have been done in your own thread, not through hijacking someone else's unrelated thread.

CupcakeTrapMar 21, 20153 votes

{quoted}

Well, you have derailed this thread. Good job on that.

Simply put, The people within Narrative (Jaredan, Loping Cinder, Ant In Oz, et al.) have set rules for themselves on what content they can and will read. Not only that, but I'm trying, very carefully, to play by those rules as well. Your repeated insistence on convincing Jaredan otherwise is disrespectful to both Narrative and myself.

If you want to post your own thoughts on their ludicrous reasoning, it should have been done in your own thread, not through hijacking someone else's unrelated thread.

I don't think it's completely clear what "the rules" are, and I think we should be very careful about codifying for ourselves a set of "the rules" that will prevent us from communicating openly. You're right: perhaps the longer discussion does belong in a separate thread. But, respectfully, you're the one who raised the "taboo" in the first place in this thread. I felt a need to respond. I think there's a real danger that community members will read casual references to "the rules" and begin silencing themselves. The costs of such self-policing can be very high indeed.

My understanding of "the rules" against discussing "story ideas" is that, if Narrative is working on a specific story, they don't want to start collaborating on that specific story with the community, because then its authorship becomes blurry. Instead, they want to hear about the basic elements of the characters, or the themes you'd like to explore. A story idea, or a "fanfic", or a bit of sample dialogue, may be helpful in illustrating these basic elements; it's often much more natural to use specifics than to talk in broad abstractions. They can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't read anything that they've said as a command to not use specific examples: it's just that they can't use story ideas, and the story ideas themselves are not useful to them (but they may still contribute useful material).

Your understanding, if I'm interpreting your comments correctly, is that there's a ban on mentioning story ideas even in general terms, like, "I think it'd be cool to see Mundo and Warwick fight. Maybe on top of a skyscraper in Zaun," because after reading that, a Rioter is forever prevented from writing a story about Mundo and Warwick fighting on top of a skyscraper in Zaun. I do not think that's the case, and I certainly don't think that means that they must go and scrap all draft stories they're working on that involve Mundo and Warwick fighting on top of a skyscraper in Zaun. There's certainly no legal reason for that.

I imagine you were just trying to be cautious, but there's a real danger to throwing in so many "gosh, I'm probably breaking the rules, but, maybe, can I sort of vaguely suggest that I'd like stories about, you know, Yorick and his past? Sorry! I may have said too much. Forgive me." comments, because they might give others the impression that we're not allowed to talk about stories on the Story and Art board.

Also, I'd point out that in this very thread, Bioluminesence and I are talking about fairly specific story scenarios. The goal is not to start writing a story together, but rather to explore a character (Yorick) by discussing some scenarios he might find himself in, or how he conducts himself. I don't believe that Narrative has any problem with that, and I can't imagine why they would, so I'm loath to begin spreading it as gospel that this is somehow forbidden.

TerraRisingMar 21, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I don't think it's completely clear what "the rules" are, and I think we should be very careful about codifying for ourselves a set of "the rules" that will prevent us from communicating openly. You're right: perhaps the longer discussion does belong in a separate thread. But, respectfully, you're the one who raised the "taboo" in the first place in this thread. I felt a need to respond. I think there's a real danger that community members will read casual references to "the rules" and begin silencing themselves. The costs of such self-policing can be very high indeed.

I'm sorry, but that determination should be made in your own thread, even if there are Rioters (non-narrative ones to be sure) posting their thoughts and questions.

Yes, I did raise the "taboo" a lot. However, I started the thread, so I think I should be allowed to remind myself (and others) that I'm trying to limit my thoughts to constraints previously mentioned. I'm playing it a little safe as I try to play by these "rules," as I understand them through conversations with Narrative personnel, and for you to usurp that attempt is disrespectful at the very least.

My understanding of "the rules" against discussing "story ideas" is that, if Narrative is working on a specific story, they don't want to start collaborating on that specific story with the community, because then its authorship becomes blurry. Instead, they want to hear about the basic elements of the characters, or the themes you'd like to explore. A story idea, or a "fanfic", or a bit of sample dialogue, may be helpful in illustrating these basic elements; it's often much more natural to use specifics than to talk in broad abstractions. They can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't read anything that they've said as a command to not use specific examples: it's just that they can't use story ideas, and the story ideas themselves are not useful to them (but they may still contribute useful material).

That's your understanding, and that's fine, but that should have been done in your own thread and not in this one. From what I've been told, the very examples you think may be okay may actually be. I don't know for certain, hence why I'm doing this the way I am.

Your understanding, if I'm interpreting your comments correctly, is that there's a ban on mentioning story ideas even in general terms, like, "I think it'd be cool to see Mundo and Warwick fight. Maybe on top of a skyscraper in Zaun," because after reading that, a Rioter is forever prevented from writing a story about Mundo and Warwick fighting on top of a skyscraper in Zaun. I do not think that's the case, and I certainly don't think that means that they must go and scrap all draft stories they're working on that involve Mundo and Warwick fighting on top of a skyscraper in Zaun. There's certainly no legal reason for that.

Neither of us know, for certain, if a "What if Mundo fought Warwick" post would be verboten by Narrative (other than to have someone say "load up a game and find out). The difference is, I don't want to risk mentioning it until I know what those lines are and you're willing to.

You're also so focused on the "legal reasons" thing that you seem to have forgotten that Jaredan also said it makes him "personally sick to his stomach to use other people's material." He has a high level of personal pride in coming up with his own stories and I'm also trying to respect that while also giving him and the rest of the team something about Yorick to focus on.

I imagine you were just trying to be cautious, but there's a real danger to throwing in so many "gosh, I'm probably breaking the rules, but, maybe, can I sort of vaguely suggest that I'd like stories about, you know, Yorick and his past? Sorry! I may have said too much. Forgive me." comments, because they might give others the impression that we're not allowed to talk about stories on the Story and Art board.

Again, you're free to make that determination, but should you have done so on this thread? You are correct in that I am trying to play a little cautious with Narrative's rules. That's because I don't know what they actually are or what limits they're comfortable with.

Also, I'd point out that in this very thread, Bioluminesence and I are talking about fairly specific story scenarios. The goal is not to start writing a story together, but rather to explore a character (Yorick) by discussing some scenarios he might find himself in, or how he conducts himself. I don't believe that Narrative has any problem with that, and I can't imagine why they would, so I'm loath to begin spreading it as gospel that this is somehow forbidden.

All due respect to Bioluminescence, she's not part of Narrative. I'm truly glad she's posting here and giving some attention to this thread, but I'm trying to reach out to some very overly cautious people about my favorite champion and I am loathe to see that effort destroyed by someone willing to challenge their notions for their, frankly, selfish reasons.

CupcakeTrapMar 21, 20153 votes

{quoted}

All due respect to Bioluminescence, she's not part of Narrative. I'm truly glad she's posting here and giving some attention to this thread, but I'm trying to reach out to some very overly cautious people about my favorite champion and I am loathe to see that effort destroyed by someone willing to challenge their notions for their, frankly, selfish reasons.

And now you're accusing me not only of being incorrect but of having "selfish reasons" for wanting us to be able to talk with Riot's story-writers about stories. I really wasn't expecting this kind of behavior from you. I disagreed with your positions, but I never doubted your motivations.

Out of respect for your request, I'll refrain from further discussion of the particulars of what I think Rioters think is okay or not okay. I say we leave it to them, and trust them to speak up as needed. They're grown-ups. They can do that. Suffice it to say that I think you're incorrect. I don't think you have "selfish reasons"—I think you're just very anxious to the point of error.

I'm not really interested in getting in some kind of personal brawl with you over this. You're not my enemy. But if we're going to speak plainly, then I'll put it this way: you're afraid of scaring Rioters, and so you defensively buffer your posts with apologetic remarks about "the rules". In the process, I think you're scaring the community, spreading the idea that we can't talk about Champions except in the most abstract terms. Although I don't believe you're acting out of malice, I will say that I think you're doing harm, and should reconsider your modus operandi. The last thing we need is to make our own community paranoid about talking to Rioters. Telling people not to post "story ideas" is turning down the volume at a time when we're already having trouble being heard.

And I will go further to say that, in the process, you are being deeply disrespectful to the community. You're telling content creators to hide what they've done, as though they should be ashamed of it. It's not me you need to worry about. You can yell at me all day. Go to town. The person I'm worried about is the community author or artist standing on the sidelines right now, who was all ready to come forth and pitch some ideas for a Champion, using their own work as illustration, and will now stay quiet because you've shamed them out of it. And implied that it's their fault—our fault—that Narrative hasn't interacted with us in the past, or that it will be our fault if they don't in the future. Sorry, no. This theory that Narrative staffers are delicate butterflies who are so terrified of people posting whatever "story ideas" might be, I don't accept it, and I think it's perverse to start making up reasons why the long silence is our fault. Stop putting these Rioters up on so high a pedestal: that's part of the problem. You're jumping at shadows, so scared of offending them that you aren't saying anything at all.

I think you have the best of intentions. Or rather, you did, up unto the point where you attacked one of your own comrades. Snap out of it.

TerraRisingMar 20, 20152 votes

{quoted}

I like the themes of him being the long-suffering, humble, honor-through-hard-work sort of guy.

This is, in a very concise manner, my definition of "blue collar."

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 not a bad comparison, actually.

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.

This may be violating Narrative's rules, but like CupcakeTrap, my idea was that Yorick could be a storyteller on the Shadow Isles. He's the sort of guy that, hulking undeadness aside, you'd go to a bar with and swap stories over a beer or two.

CupcakeTrapMar 20, 20154 votes

{quoted}

Yorick could be a storyteller on the Shadow Isles. He's the sort of guy that, hulking undeadness aside, you'd go to a bar with and swap stories over a beer or two.

I think he'd have some interesting stories to tell, but—and this is just my opinion—I don't think he's the kind of guy who'd readily start chatting about them. He seems to really like his solitude.

dtsRoddyMar 22, 20152 votes

Sounds wonderfully like Terry Pratchett's DEATH.

RiotRiot ShadowStormMar 20, 20155 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?

TerraRisingMar 20, 20156 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot ShadowStorm,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=f0xMkWEc,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2015-03-20T07:38:09.377+0000)

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?

Well...

There is a definite lack of appreciation for the blue collar ethic. The fact that such a champion exists in a video game like League is really awesome.
As a kid, I was drawn to ancient mythology, be it Greek, Roman, Norse, Japanese, etc. One of my favorite stories was the tale of Sisyphus, the man condemned to an endless task in Hades for outsmarting the gods. I see similarities to Yorick there, along with the Charon/ferryman aspect.
As I said in the opening post, Yorick should be the one resident of the Shadow Isles that best relates to mortals, since he's an undead version of Helmet Bro (Vel'Koz's constant victim). He buries the dead and leads them to the afterlife. There are tales that can be derived from that.
There's something compelling, to me at least, about a character who is as different as possible than anyone else. Just about every other champion in League has power or seeks power in some way. Then, there's Yorick, who was resurrected by the Shadow Isles to fulfill a task, one that does not require extra power from the island. The possibilities would be exciting.
Then, there's the institutionalized hate within Riot itself for Yorick. Not getting a new skin since launch nearly 4 years ago, over two years since he was put on free week and Morello once saying he wished Yorick was never released. Yorick is also a long waiting denizen of the hell that is the "Rework List." I do like an underdog, even though Yorick was the champion that kept me interested in playing League after the first few weeks.

I'd go further into detail, but I might be providing actual story ideas and I don't want to do that.

UltîmaMar 20, 20152 votes

I find Yorick's visual design to be antiquated; there's very little focus to his shape, theme or in-game read. One of the more prominent features of his model appears to be the lantern strapped to his back, yet it plays no role in his kit nor does it react when he attacks or casts spells. Likewise the shovel – which players link to his character – isn’t used for anything other than his Q. Finally his ghoul summons (the focus of his entire kit) all look very weak, are mechanically uninteractive, and ultimately come off as boring.

Yorick needs a visual rework to modernize his look and bring him in line with more recent Shadow Isles champions. Bring in the ethereal green/blue wisps of spirit energy, and make it seem as though Yorick is a corpse animated by the Isles’ power. Likewise, make him appear to pour that power into the earth in order to summon minions. His visual style and theme will be all the more cohesive for it.

Gameplay wise, there seems to be a clash of archetypes between Yorick being an undead bruiser due to his hunch-back shovel-hitting stature, and a necromancer with his ghouls. Given that Sion is already League’s undead Juggernaut, there’s reasonable cause to think Yorick should be pushed towards being the Necromancer of the game. The way the ghouls work currently allows Yorick to punish his lane enemies too easy as soon as they try to farm or get within cast range. Furthermore, the ghouls act more like spell missiles with health rather than proper minions. Zzrot’s portal – in my opinion – brings an interesting lane pushing mechanic that could be adapted to a Necromancer’s kit in the game.

One thing’s for sure though; Yorick will require a full rework in order for him to see the light.

TerraRisingMar 20, 20151 votes

As accurate as this assessment is, this is the Story & Art board and not Gameplay & Balance.

UltîmaMar 20, 20154 votes

{quoted}

I find Yorick's visual design to be antiquated; there's very** little focus to his shape**, theme or in-game read. One of the more prominent features of his model appears to be the lantern strapped to his back, yet it plays no role in his kit nor does it react when he attacks or casts spells. Likewise the shovel – which players link to his character – isn’t used for anything other than his Q. Finally his ghoul summons (the focus of his entire kit) all look very weak, are mechanically uninteractive, and ultimately come off as boring.

Yorick needs a visual rework to modernize his look and bring him in line with more recent Shadow Isles champions. Bring in the ethereal green/blue wisps of spirit energy, and make it seem as though Yorick is a corpse animated by the Isles’ power. Likewise, make him appear to pour that power into the earth in order to summon minions. His visual style and theme will be all the more cohesive for it.

Gameplay wise, there seems to be a clash of archetypes between Yorick being an** undead bruiser** due to his hunch-back shovel-hitting stature, and a necromancer with his ghouls. Given that Sion is already League’s undead Juggernaut, there’s reasonable cause to think Yorick should be pushed towards being the Necromancer of the game. The way the ghouls work currently allows Yorick to punish his lane enemies too easy as soon as they try to farm or get within cast range. Furthermore, the ghouls act more like spell missiles with health rather than proper minions. Zzrot’s portal – in my opinion – brings an interesting lane pushing mechanic that could be adapted to a Necromancer’s kit in the game.

One thing’s for sure though; Yorick will require a full rework in order for him to see the light.

I honestly don't know how I could have possibly crammed more concise visual/art critique in this post.

Riot isn't currently writing developed lore for any of its characters, new and old alike, so my critique is based off elements they are consistently delivering on - Art, gameplay, theme.

ZylotheWolfbaneMar 21, 20152 votes

Personally, I think the sort of 'Blue Collar' sort of theme that Yorick has wouldn't normally be especially interesting, or important, EXCEPT with how it contrasts so sharply to basically every other champion in the League. Every other champion is a legendary beast, a mighty warrior, an ancient myth, a nightmare story told to whimpering children. All of these champions are powerful, might beings, with unknown might, and unknown goals. But what does Yorick do? He digs graves. He doesn't go around destroying entire towns, he doesn't lead mighty armies, he doesn't create fantastical magic items, or technologies, he just digs graves. Why does he dig graves? Because graves need to be dug. People are always dying, and they need to go somewhere.

Yorick is interesting BECAUSE of his contrast to other characters, especially Shadow Isle characters. The creatures of the Shadow Isles always seem wicked, and sinister, but Yorick is just there, doing his job. He seems like one of the only Shadow Isles champions that you could run into and he wouldn't kill you/torture you/enslave you/feast on your soul/lifeblood. Yorick simply has better things to do. Yorick simply can't be bothered with conflict, or plots, and plans, he has graves to dig, he's too busy for this. He's a perfect example of the "I'm too old for this sh*t." Character, which is a really cool character concept, because that sort of character is the one who has, in this case maybe literally, seen it ALL. He's been everywhere, seen everything, and it's impossible to surprise him anymore. Yorick seems kinda like this sort of Runeterra-wide legend, he goes where graves need to be dug, and he digs graves. He's a bad omen, he's bad luck, where he goes, War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death follow him(Thus the names of his ghouls!). Similar to how Bard goes around watching over ancient artifacts, and mighty relics to keep the world from falling into chaos, so too does Yorick go around ensuring the souls of the dead don't roam free willy nilly. He puts bodies in the ground, and makes sure their souls move on.

Which leads into some FANTASTIC story opportunities for him. His ghouls may not just be dead people, they may actually be representations of War, Pestilence, and Famine. Yorick's powers stem from the power of death, all the things that cause it. His job is to send dead souls to where they need to go, so what happens when they get redirected? Or start wandering where they shouldn't? Yorick is the guy who would go handle that. Beings like Thresh, Kalista, Mordekaiser etc. these people take, twist, and command the souls of others. So would Yorick go after them? Would he free the souls from their command, and send them to their inevitable destination? Or does he see them as just a different sort of destination for souls? Does it not matter where they go, as long as they don't roam free on their own?

Yorick has tons of opportunity, because he has such a simple, but focused job. Yorick digs graves. He's the creepy old grave digger whose been everywhere and back, and simply doesn't care about most things anymore, because he's got a job to do, and he'll be dammed(again) if it doesn't get done.

BastionKrossMar 21, 20155 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.

TerraRisingMar 21, 20151 votes

{quoted}

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.

Nice. Is this part of the "Seven Sins" approach to the Shadow Isles?

BastionKrossMar 21, 20151 votes

I suppose you could use it for that, it never crossed my mind when I wrote it.

Yorick is a bit unique as far as his reason for participating in the League. He's not there for his country, or revenge, or for money, or to right some wrong. He's there because it's part of his job. And if his job entails smashing the faces of angels, void monsters, vampires, and werewolves, Yorick won't back down. There's a quiet determination there, and it adds a lot to his character.

TerraRisingMar 21, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I suppose you could use it for that, it never crossed my mind when I wrote it.

Yorick is a bit unique as far as his reason for participating in the League. He's not there for his country, or revenge, or for money, or to right some wrong. He's there because it's part of his job. And if his job entails smashing the faces of angels, void monsters, vampires, and werewolves, Yorick won't back down. There's a quiet determination there, and it adds a lot to his character.

There was an idea, the origins of which have long since been lost, that the Shadow Isles champions were supposed to represent the "Seven Deadly Sins." It was a novel idea, but it never went anywhere beyond "Eve = Lust."

Lord Graves IIIMar 20, 20151 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.

RiotBioluminescenceMar 20, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Lord Graves III,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=f0xMkWEc,comment-id=0009,timestamp=2015-03-20T19:31:12.165+0000)

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.

See, that's interesting. You seem to be drawn to the more physical, combatitive side of Yorick as we see him in fights. (And did anyone else see him in the EU LCS today? That was a surprise.) How do you think that controlling and aggressive aspect of him ties with what others are saying about him being the 'every-ghoul' salt-of-the-earth type of guy? Do you think those aspects are in conflict, or do you think they work well and create depth?

Chromatic EagleMar 20, 20153 votes

When asked about Yorick's identity in terms of reworking, there are two kinds of players, those who see him as a necromancer, and those who see him as a shovel fighter. I think Riot leaned more on necromancer.

CupcakeTrapMar 20, 20155 votes

{quoted}

How do you think that controlling and aggressive aspect of him ties with what others are saying about him being the 'every-ghoul' salt-of-the-earth type of guy? Do you think those aspects are in conflict, or do you think they work well and create depth?

(I want to read Lord Graves III's reply, but at the risk of breaching decorum, I'm also going to add in an answer of my own.)

My first thought: Picking a fight with Yorick sounds a lot like picking a fight with a construction foreman and his boys. Their job is beating up the earth all day. It's probably going to hurt when they turn that muscle and metal on you instead.

My next thought: Well, but the ghouls don't exactly have little hardhats on. Are they even clearly the souls of the dead, or just, well, omens? Maybe they're beasties from the "other side"?

I admit I'm not really sure where his ghouls fit in storywise, especially with their horsemen-esque monikers (War, Famine, Pestilence, Death). I hadn't thought much about that. Off the cuff, I'd reach for an analogy about "calling out the guys for a big job". If he's a "working" Champion, it seems appropriate that he might have a ghoulish work-gang. As for the War/Famine/Pestilence/Death bit, I don't know. Maybe he's got an innate understanding of the forces that send jobs his way. Or maybe that's a point to add something else into the mix: he doesn't have to just be a one-note "blue collar Champion". Maybe those forces are tied to whatever brought him "back" and gave him his "quota".

The other thing is that, off the Fields, it's not immediately clear why Yorick would be fighting anyone. I was going to say that maybe Demacians or Ionians might get in the way of him and a job, but…that doesn't seem quite right. It's not like he has an actual army, and even as a Champion, I don't think he has the capability (or inclination) to go violating sovereign territory and taking on the heavy-hitters. I guess if Mordekaiser sent out a big army, he might follow in their wake. Perhaps he could show up in a plague-stricken area and start digging…and maybe have to fight off some local folk who don't take kindly to his spooky intrusion? But that's not exactly a recipe for an epic battle: Yorick the Champion against "some guys". Ehhhhhhh. Maybe if there's some controversy, e.g. Ionia wants to do its own funerary rites, and Yorick wants to do his, there might be a brawl with some Champs on the other side, and maybe he'd get backup from some other SI Champions, but it seems really hard to keep that from blowing up into a much larger fight. I guess if he appeared out of nowhere, and there were only one or two Ionian Champions nearby? It might be workable. And, unlike Demacia, Ionia might have reservations about just (e.g.) going on a smite-rampage to destroy the Shadow Isles in retaliation, figuring that such an act would cause a lot more damage to the cosmic balance. So, okay. Yeah. Might work. I take it back; I can see how Yorick might get into a fight off the Fields.

Or, oooh, hey. Another idea for him getting into fights. It seems pretty clear that the Isles aren't totally monolithic. For example, Morde/Hecarim/Thresh seem to have a decidedly more (from a human perspective) "malevolent" attitude toward the dead, turning them into armies with which to conquer the mortal world. Maybe Yorick gets into fights with them sometimes over souls. That's even better "diplomatically": that's a purely internal matter.

RiotBioluminescenceMar 20, 20157 votes

{quoted}

(I want to read Lord Graves III's reply, but at the risk of breaching decorum, I'm also going to add in an answer of my own.) [snip] Or, oooh, hey. Another idea for him getting into fights. It seems pretty clear that the Isles aren't totally monolithic. For example, Morde/Hecarim/Thresh seem to have a decidedly more (from a human perspective) "malevolent" attitude toward the dead, turning them into armies with which to conquer the mortal world. Maybe Yorick gets into fights with them sometimes over souls. That's even better "diplomatically": that's a purely internal matter.

I too want to see if Lord Graves the Third has some thoughts on this - I want to see several sides to this - but it's an open conversation and let's get as many angles as possible! (I.e. decorum maintained, imo).

I sort of like the idea that he's a protector, or maybe... keeper of the dead. That digging up corpses is like someone running with muddy boots in the hallway he just mopped - I just cleaned that! Maybe he believes he knows best in that regard - that magics used to cheat death, or other corpse raising, are to be pitied and patiently put back in the ground. One day, he might hope that he'll be able to rest - but until he does, he'll work to get others get there.

That could create some conflict with his ghouls. Maybe the ghouls get to hang around because he's lonely - maybe they're attracted to him and he's been unable to keep them in the ground (like Yorick), so he tolerates their presence. I dunno!

XulsigaeMar 20, 20153 votes

Has anyone at Narrative read The Goon? It's amazingly blue collar. If you know what I mean, I think something perhaps along the lines of the Zombie Priest, but a hero or anti-hero. Rough and tumble but uses his ghouls and zombies for extra help. He'll dig the graves and put things in them, but he'll also raise them when he feels the need.

RiotBioluminescenceMar 20, 20154 votes

{quoted}

Has anyone at Narrative read The Goon? It's amazingly blue collar. If you know what I mean, I think something perhaps along the lines of the Zombie Priest, but a hero or anti-hero. Rough and tumble but uses his ghouls and zombies for extra help. He'll dig the graves and put things in them, but he'll also raise them when he feels the need.

I don't know I'm afraid (not part of that team), but it wouldn't surprise me if one or more of them had - there's a lot of people over there who voraciously read comics and graphic novels.

Lord Graves IIIMar 20, 20153 votes

Great comparason. While The Goon is a little dour for me at time, I definitely get the feel you mean.

John BerserkMar 21, 20152 votes

So one concern was where Yorick would fit into all of these conflicts if he's just some kind of "blue collar" working dude...well, what if instead of being a part of the Shadow Isles in the same way Mordekaiser, Hecarim, Thresh, etc are, he was someone who was tasked with the goal of putting those beings down (literally, like back into the ground, and metaphorically)?

Now who would task him with a goal like this? Idk, maybe some kind of Daarkin? Someone who watches over Runeterra, or at least that part of it? Maybe someone didn't like that beings from the Shadow Isles suddenly started walking around again, let alone leaving the Isles, so Yorick was someone who was sent (brought back?) to clean up after them and put them back where they belong, with the rest of the dead.

Idk, I'm not huge on Yorick myself, but I'm just throwing ideas out there of some kind of motivation/background of a "gravedigger" type champion that I would find interesting, as someone who DOESN'T play him currently (not due to his lore, but due to his kit, which is a different matter entirely).

XulsigaeMar 21, 20151 votes

Pair him with Lucian?

John BerserkMar 21, 20152 votes

Similar, but maybe not so extreme.

Lucian seems to want to purge the undead, to remove the beings from the Shadow Isles completely, to destroy them.

I'm thinking Yorick could maybe want to prevent that. He doesn't want to destroy them, he just wants to put them back where they belong, and who's to say he doesn't have that right, as someone with origins in the Isles themselves? Maybe he feels people should take care of their own.

I guess you can think of them like a zookeeper and an exterminator. Say there was a part of the zoo that contained a bunch of rodents, and they suddenly broke free. Yorick, as the zookeeper, would want to round them all up and put them back where they belong, in their large terrarium or whatever in the zoo. Lucian, as the exterminator, would just rather kill them all as if they were pests.

I can see Yorick pitying them, whereas Lucian would abhor them.

XulsigaeMar 21, 20151 votes

Hmm. I could see them allies sometimes and working to defeat something in opposing ways other times. I mean, it would be a very interesting story if done right. A common goal but with different methods. An undead working with sometimes a slayer of the undead?

Grand ViperMar 21, 20155 votes

{quoted}

I too want to see if Lord Graves the Third has some thoughts on this - I want to see several sides to this - but it's an open conversation and let's get as many angles as possible! (I.e. decorum maintained, imo).

I sort of like the idea that he's a protector, or maybe... keeper of the dead. That digging up corpses is like someone running with muddy boots in the hallway he just mopped - I just cleaned that! Maybe he believes he knows best in that regard - that magics used to cheat death, or other corpse raising, are to be pitied and patiently put back in the ground. One day, he might hope that he'll be able to rest - but until he does, he'll work to get others get there.

That could create some conflict with his ghouls. Maybe the ghouls get to hang around because he's lonely - maybe they're attracted to him and he's been unable to keep them in the ground (like Yorick), so he tolerates their presence. I dunno!

I actually really like your idea, BioLuminescence, about Yorick, because that to me is more "Yorick" than him being a necromancer or an overlord would ever be.

Yorick to me is an undertaker through and through. I think Yorick is one of the only "good" Shadow Islers, because he is the one who puts them to rest. Rather than commanding the undead, forcing them against their will or being this overlord of sorts, I see them flocking to him because he's the only one who can peacefully put them to their final rest, as is the job of an undertaker. When the closest idea to a peaceful respite is threatened, his ghouls don't take very kindly to that, and the fact that Yorick himself wants to be remembered and to be a prominent figure, they in turn want to give Yorick the same form of respite he has given them for the centuries.

There is no undertaker better than the Mori family lineage, they have been undertakers for as long as they could remember, and I don't want Yorick to become a necromancer, or to become an overlord, or to become really anything all that amazingly special, I want him to be remembered because of who he is, what he does and what he will do: He will make you remember the name Yorick Mori. If Yorick used necromancy as a mortician, though, that can help add to the caretaker of the undead, this big lumbering guy just sort of lumbering towards you, and the fact that Yorick's the only undead who is confirmed to still have emotions and a soul (He cried in his judgement, despite not knowing why he cried). Heck, you can even tie why he's a bass player to the very same idea of how he stirs the undead, unlike a guitar, a bass will reverberate your chest, your very heart (you can tell Steve Harris at an Iron Maiden concert because of how your bones shake when he plucks his strings), and rather than being all screechy and nyer-na-nyer through the fire and the flames, it's much more muddled, much more thumping, much more soggy but he is the best at what he does, despite the fact that others may not appreciate it as much as he does.

Yorick's just a guy doing his job, and there's nothing wrong with that. He's a champion because he's the damn best at his job, and I wouldn't want that to be taken away.

EvilMerodachMar 22, 20151 votes

{quoted}

That could create some conflict with his ghouls. Maybe the ghouls get to hang around because he's lonely - maybe they're attracted to him and he's been unable to keep them in the ground (like Yorick), so he tolerates their presence. I dunno!

Like, that cat that hangs out by your front door meowing and meowing and you try to shoo/scare it away for weeks...but then you end up feeding it and it becomes your bff.

item 3110 + item 3751 = item 3070 + HoG (RITO y u remove Heart of Gold??)

Lord Graves IIIMar 20, 20155 votes

I really don't. On the one hand, Yorick likely doesn't take killing very personally or overly seriously, as he knows very well that life is fleeting and death isn't the end. Also, maybe its just the blue collar culture of the American Southwest, but you historically don't wanna mess with beefy blue collar workers, because they have beefy blue collar allies and all work together. At least thats my experience. Im a first generation college student for my family. Lot of beefy blue collar guys who should not be messed with in my family and community. EDIT: Most of those guys are perfectly friendly too. Fighting them just probably isn't a great idea. I always liked that yorick is smiling a reletively pleasant smile in his champ art.

On the other hand, I likely shouldn't be held as Yorick core audience. I love the champion in theory, but the gameplay end never really held up for me, and his personality didn't seem that gripping. There are serious diehard yorick fans out there though. I've always sorta felt like Yorick wasn't living up to his potential gameplay wise.

Further edits.... I have some trouble connecting with a champion if I can't get into their combat style and fantasy involved there. The absolute best for me is when personality, and backstory, and gameplay all feed into each other.

Philbo BagginsMar 21, 20151 votes

{quoted}

See, that's interesting. You seem to be drawn to the more physical, combatitive side of Yorick as we see him in fights. (And did anyone else see him in the EU LCS today? That was a surprise.) How do you think that controlling and aggressive aspect of him ties with what others are saying about him being the 'every-ghoul' salt-of-the-earth type of guy? Do you think those aspects are in conflict, or do you think they work well and create depth?

Digging graves is his work life, maybe the ghouls have to do with his home life?

Yorick is a hard-working man and hard work has consequences. He may dig a lot of graves, but anyone who spends so much time working is bound to suffer in other aspects of their life. Angry fights with loved ones... never any time to talk and see eye to eye. Decay of health, especially from so much time with the bottle just trying to make it through to the next day. Envy at the sight of those who have what he will never have. These are some of the spirits that haunt him (literally, now that he is dead), that are just barely kept at bay. He focuses on work like he always has, trying to control them, but he never succeed.

Sort of dark, but aren't tragedies what the Shadow Isles all about?

RiotBioluminescenceMar 21, 20153 votes

[{quoted}](name=SeerLord Lorthos,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=f0xMkWEc,comment-id=000900000004,timestamp=2015-03-21T02:23:54.103+0000)

Digging graves is his work life, maybe the ghouls have to do with his home life?

Yorick is a hard-working man and hard work has consequences. He may dig a lot of graves, but anyone who spends so much time working is bound to suffer in other aspects of their life. Angry fights with loved ones... never any time to talk and see eye to eye. Decay of health, especially from so much time with the bottle just trying to make it through to the next day. Envy at the sight of those who have what he will never have. These are some of the spirits that haunt him (literally, now that he is dead), that are just barely kept at bay. He focuses on work like he always has, trying to control them, but he never succeed.

Sort of dark, but aren't tragedies what the Shadow Isles all about?

I like this, personally - though it, as you said, gets pretty dark. I know there's a valid concern that recently there's been a lot of trending towards 'grimdark' in tone, so I'd be interested to see if others feel this is what they think Yorick is all about, or if he should be kept 'lighter' in tone? Should every Shadow Isles champion be a walking tragedy? I honestly don't know!

XulsigaeMar 21, 20151 votes

I wouldn't call Eve or Thresh or Mordekaiser or Hecarim or Karthus tragedies really. They are tragedies that happen to people, not what happened to them. Yorick would pretty much be the only tragic one if I am not missing something. You can have him be light hearted and with very dark undertones if done right. See the Goon, Vash, Ed (from Bebop), some incarnations of the Joker, Lux (with more fleshing out it would be apparent), Willy Wonka...

CupcakeTrapMar 21, 20154 votes

{quoted}

I like this, personally - though it, as you said, gets pretty dark. I know there's a valid concern that recently there's been a lot of trending towards 'grimdark' in tone, so I'd be interested to see if others feel this is what they think Yorick is all about, or if he should be kept 'lighter' in tone? Should every Shadow Isles champion be a walking tragedy? I honestly don't know!

Actually, I feel like most Shadow Isles champs are distinctly non-tragic. Kind of appropriate, you know? They're no longer suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.

What throws me off a little about Lorthos' examples is that those sound like problems that a mortal gravedigger might have. I don't think Yorick has any loved ones to fight with, and I don't think hitting the bottle is a real problem for him. He seems like an extreme version of the "heads down, focus on the work" personality, amplified by undeath. In a way, I think that makes him rather satisfied as a character.

I mean, off the top of my head:

Yorick: Grumbling about his quota, with some tragic elements in his story, but not really a "walking tragedy".
Karthus: Totally loving undeath.
Mordekaiser: Totally loving being metal.
Thresh: Taking an unseemly amount of pleasure in doing awful things to souls.
Hecarim: Something about Robot Unicorn Attack music.
Elise: Totally loving eating people.
Nocturne: Also rocking the predatory delight.

Actually, huh. I'm having a hard time finding an SI Champion who's really tragic.

Kalista ya ppl here are pretty cool Kalista kinda wish we had more tragedies tho Kalista or vengence (sp?)

Yeah, okay, I guess Kalista is pretty tragic. As tragic as someone who impales Supports all day can be.

XulsigaeMar 21, 20152 votes

Is she tragic or does she more feed off tragedies?

CupcakeTrapMar 21, 20155 votes

{quoted}

Is she tragic or does she more feed off tragedies?

Kalista who u calling feeder noob Kalista first i get hurricane then 1v1 at baron Kayle It's an expression. Kalista oh Kalista still baron if u not boosted Kalista scrub Kalista also i bring support Sona -_- Kalista to throw at you, lol Sona T_T

She does seem to really like vengeance, and now it's pretty much all vengeance all the time. Maybe she's just so constantly angry that she doesn't even have time to get emo remembering the Ruined King or whatever.

Maybe that's the general theme here: being undead means you stop caring about everything except the one thing that you really want to care about.

RiotBioluminescenceMar 21, 20155 votes

{quoted}

Actually, I feel like most Shadow Isles champs are distinctly non-tragic. Kind of appropriate, you know? They're no longer suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.

item 2044 I see what you did there. Don't think I didn't. In a Yorick thread no less.

XulsigaeMar 21, 20155 votes

Alas.

CupcakeTrapMar 21, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I see what you did there. Don't think I didn't. In a Yorick thread no less.

Karthus Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.

UltîmaMar 21, 20151 votes

A running theme with the Shadow Isles cast is that they are each of a very singular mind; Hecarim treads along the lands and slaughters anyone who enters; Thresh captures souls and tortures them for eternity within his lantern; Karthus wishes to bring the gift of death to all; Kalista mercilessly hunts down and kills all betrayers; it would make sense for Yorick to have a specific job, as none of them seem to be independent agents of the Shadow Isles with proper free-will.

Given that many of the denizens deliver death, Yorick could be the one to use it to his advantage. If Thresh steals the souls of the dead after their passing, then Yorick steals their bodies.

As for his personal relationship with the Isles, and why he would be driven to the purpose of a Gravedigger by its power, perhaps Yorick could be one of its original inhabitants from a time before the Fog and part of the first few beings that were claimed by undeath?

TerraRisingMar 21, 20153 votes

{quoted}

I like this, personally - though it, as you said, gets pretty dark. I know there's a valid concern that recently there's been a lot of trending towards 'grimdark' in tone, so I'd be interested to see if others feel this is what they think Yorick is all about, or if he should be kept 'lighter' in tone? Should every Shadow Isles champion be a walking tragedy? I honestly don't know!

I'm of the opinion, warped as it may be, that Yorick need not always be that "fellow of infinite jest and most excellent fancy." There can be some room for levity involving him, especially compared to all the "grimdark" champions on the Shadow Isles. After all, outside of Pentakill, what funny stories could be told about Mordekaiser that wouldn't involve Gnar wearing him?

And yes, I did steal the quote idea from Cupcake... But I figured I'd get a few good points for the direct reference to the namesake.

test accountMar 21, 20153 votes

{quoted}

I like this, personally - though it, as you said, gets pretty dark. I know there's a valid concern that recently there's been a lot of trending towards 'grimdark' in tone, so I'd be interested to see if others feel this is what they think Yorick is all about, or if he should be kept 'lighter' in tone? Should every Shadow Isles champion be a walking tragedy? I honestly don't know!

The thing that originally caught my interest in Yorick was his League Judgement (which can be found halfway down that linked page). You could call it dark, but maybe dark isn't the right term. Yorick, to me, is morose. He's morbid. He's got the same feel as Edgar Allen Poe's Lenore (if you know the history of it and don't take it as just a love poem), or Neil Gaiman's Bitter Grounds. Or Lovecraft's The Outsider. He isn't dark or scary or terrifying. He isn't monstrous. He's sad. If the shadow isles are a gothic cathedral lit by thunder and lightning on a rainy night, he isn't the figure lurking at the pulpit or the rotting photographs that watch you as you pass. He's the crumbling masonry that reminds you that this used to be something great and whole, the vague memory of what once had been but now is not.

I guess what I'm saying is that Yorick shouldn't be dark. He should be morose.

TouchMyNautyBitsMar 23, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I like this, personally - though it, as you said, gets pretty dark. I know there's a valid concern that recently there's been a lot of trending towards 'grimdark' in tone, so I'd be interested to see if others feel this is what they think Yorick is all about, or if he should be kept 'lighter' in tone? Should every Shadow Isles champion be a walking tragedy? I honestly don't know!

Yorick was my main a few years ago so he has a bit of nostalgia to him for me. But this post got me thinking: I think Yorick would look really good with a smirk on his face. Keep his body type, voice, and overall story, maybe the splash-art would be him leaning on his shovel, forearms crossed and smiling. In his current story, he's basically trying to have people remember his family name, and do his job. But you might be able to focus on his pride for his family and his work. **Give him a smug grin, give him pride, and make him a little sadistic. ** Not as yell-y as draven. That direction, but a little more clever. Like an ivy league jerk. I think that would fit the gravedigger really well.

Especially since he's in a band.

Ltank129Mar 21, 20154 votes

In my opinion it magnifies it. His fighting style isn't something fancy and disciplined, like LeeSin , he doesn't swing around special ancient weapons or wear special armor Diana Leona or a unique weapon Jayce Poppy , he is walking up to his enemies and smacking them around with his shovel. It's not even a fancy shovel. It is literally just the thing he is the most comfortable with.