[Blanc's Concepts] Wind Wall Support Yasuo

Kill me? You can try...

This is a build I've been very interested in for quite a few months. It's not something I regularly play, or much at all, due to the general frowny-ness it receives. Hopefully it will receive more love in the future, although that's doubtful unless a pro player starts using it. That's kinda sad, since "regular" players can be pretty creative, too.

So without further delays, I present Wind Wall Support Yasuo.

PROS: -Wind Wall instantly disintegrates any and all projectiles. This includes Lux and Morg Q's, Blitz grabs, Thresh hooks, ults of Draven, Ezreal, Ashe, Jinx, Cait, Varus, etc etc etc. -Mobile and aggressive support. -Q's Whirlwind and R helps CC the enemies. -Attack Speed/Armor Penetration makes up for lack of AD early game.

CONS: -Less/zero focus on critical hits. -Wind Wall does not stop AoE abilities, such as Lux's ult, Morgana's W, and abilities that hit your enemy directly such as Brand's E and Kayle's E. -Squishy support. -Harder to master than conventional supports. -Considered a troll pick.

GENERAL GAMEPLAY - MECHANICS & FACTS: -Wind Wall starts with a very high cooldown, some 20+ seconds, even with 5% CDR from masteries. -With 40% CDR and Rank 5 Wind Wall, I have reduced cooldown to 10.8 seconds. The cooldown starts the moment he throws up his wall. Walls always last 4 seconds. Which leaves a 6.8 second cooldown until he can use it again. (fun note: his ult's cooldown gets reduced to 33 seconds at rank 3 with 40% CDR). -Wind Wall's size increases with every rank. -Wind Wall blocks projectiles from any direction, even the sides. -Wind Wall stops projectiles the moment it's cast, even when not fully deployed yet. Makes for great last 0.5 second saves. -Projectiles do not trigger any CC or damage if blocked by Wind Wall. Unlike Braum's E, which negates the first damage, but still subjects him to CC, and follow-up damage. -Technically, abilities such as Taric's E, Vayne's E, Annie's Q, etc are projectiles, but due to their limited range they can be harder to block. -Anticipation is half the work. Quick reaction and strategic use is the rest. -Speaking of anticipation, try to Wind Wall the moment the enemy fires. Precaution Wind Walls may go unused, and the enemy can attack afterwards. This is especially risky at early levels when it still has a high cooldown. -You and the enemy can walk through Wind Wall. Your team can fire through it. The enemy team cannot. Be smart with when and where you deploy it. -Walk as much as you can, and use your passive damage reduction shield wisely. -Use your Q on minions, using your Relic/Targon's/FotM charges if it kills them, or make sure the minions remain alive. Use Q's whirlwind on enemy champs, follow-up with ult if possible/wise. Several seconds of CC and damage.

GENERAL GAMEPLAY - ITEM BUILDS: -I recommend starting with a and health potions, upgrading later to the . Health, an active shield, and 10% CDR. - is your friend. 20% CDR, health, [Aura: +20 AD and +10% Lifesteal] - for boots, or for the +15% CDR to add to your 5% from masteries. is also an option. - is a good support item for him, too. -Aside from support items, attack speed items (or runes/masteries) are always good on Yasuo. Try not to use the , because of cs steal. works better, as does . -If you can, build a bit of armor and magic resist, depending on the enemy team comp. , , , , are all good choices. -If you find yourself really needing AD, you could go for a or a . Alternatively, , , or (after the laning phase, probably). or might help, too.

GENERAL GAMEPLAY - RUNES & MASTERIES: These are largely up to you and your personal preference. For masteries, I personally prefer a 5% CDR + Attack Speed, offense build with 9 in defense. He's not a tank. As for runes, I'd recommend 9x marks of attack speed (gives him +15%, same as a ), glyphs of scaling magic resist (or flat magic resist), seals of armor, and armor penetration quints.

GENERAL GAMEPLAY - COUNTERS: Wind Wall support 'suo has a harder time against close-range champions, AoE damage/effects, and tanky (support) champs. It might be wiser to pick a different support if you are up against one (or two) of those. These champions include, but are not limited to:

- : Short range, attack speed. Hard to Wind Wall against. - : Short range, attack speed. Wind Wall does not block her rocket jump. Short range, only her Q can be Wind Walled. Mobile, only her Q can be blocked. I'm unsure about her ult, though. I'm guessing it can't be blocked, since the ally is thrown. Imagine disintegrating an entire support champ. - : His E is really all you could Wind Wall against. And he outtanks your low AD. - : Her tankiness and tons of CC will make short work of support Yasuo. Only her E can be Wind Walled. - : While her Q can be Wind Walled, her E and ult can't be blocked. : Her Q can be blocked, but her W can't be. Unsure about her ult, but I don't think it can be blocked. It looks more like an AoE. - : Tanky, tons of CC, healing, and zero projectiles. - : Tanky, only his Q can be blocked. I'm slightly unsure about his ult, but from the looks of it, it's an AoE, like Lux's ult. : Tanky, zero projectiles. : Tanky, zero projectiles.

Also, do not pick support 'suo if your team is heavy AD (top, mid, jungle and ADC), or needs a tank.

LAST SECTION: Well, I hope that by reading this, you might grow interested in this role/build, or at least a little more accepting of it. I think it's a challenging but fun and viable build, and I'd love to see more of it in-game. I'll update this when needed.