Introduction
Yasuo is one of the most popular characters in the popular MOBA game League of Legends. He is a mobile, high-risk high-reward champion with a range of abilities that make him a formidable foe. If you are looking to start playing Yasuo, or looking to learn more about him, then this guide is for you.
Read on for a full breakdown of Yasuo’s unique skill set, strengths and weaknesses, and recommended builds and strategies.
History of Yasuo
Yasuo, one of the most recognizable League of Legends champions, has deep roots in lore from Riot’s world. Created by a great blacksmith and later adopted by an order of monks or knights, Yasuo has grown increasingly important to the lore.
First introduced in 2013 during the Freljord event as a swordsman searching for his missing brother, Yasuo was eventually identified as one of the Kinkou Order’s elite skill warriors known as the Blind Monks and found to be instrumental in thwarting Noxus’s invasion of Ionia. Coming to terms with his brother’s death while on an alternate timeline with no memories of his previous life before joining the Blind Monks order, Yasuo is referred to by some as “the Unforgiven.”
Throughout his time in the Kinkou Order and after his exile when he returns to Ionia bearing a warning about The Ruination (a massive magical cataclysm threatening all of Runeterra), Yasuo has consistently proven himself capable in combat time and time again. His signature wind slash move is said to have been taught to him directly from Ionian god Agora himself, further testing Yasuo’s mettle against powerful adversaries such as void monsters and Kalista herself. He is claimed by some scholars to be able to sense disturbances in both magical energies and spiritual entities—an invaluable ability for any champion who chooses him for battle.
Abilities
Yasuo is a highly mobile swordsman that utilizes the wind to unleash devastating damage on unsuspecting enemies. His abilities enable him to quickly close in on foes and then rip them apart with cyclones or escape a losing situation. With the right combination of skills, Yasuo can prove formidable in any situation.
Firstly, Yasuo’s Passive – Way of the Wanderer grants him a shield if he has not activated any of his other abilities in the last 10 seconds. This lasts until he gets hit twice or activates one of his other abilities.
Yasuo’s first ability is Steel Tempest (Q) – Steel Tempest is an area-of-effect thrust that deals physical damage and applies a stack of Gathering Storm. At two stacks, this ability will grant bonus breathing damage and knock up all enemies hit within its radius.
Next up, we have Sweeping Blade (E) – Sweeping Blade dashes forward dealing physical damage and removing all stacks of Gathering Storm, as well as granting bonus movement speed for 1 second after dashing. The cooldown for Sweeping Blade increases after each successive use before reaching its maximum value once four dashes have been used consecutively without hitting an enemy champion or structure.
Last but not least is Last Breath (R) – Last Breath grants Yasuo vision around himself and increases his attack speed and armor penetration by 50% for 15 seconds with three charges that can be refreshed by picking up aircurrents scattered around the map. If a knocked-up enemy champion is hit with Last Breath they take additional true damage based on their current health percentage when they land.
Strengths
Yasuo is a powerful champion in League of Legends (LoL) with a lot of strengths that make him particularly viable in both solo and team play. He is an agile fighter and boasts high mobility, thanks to his ability to dash rapidly and cover distances in seconds. He also has the ability to deal large amounts of damage in a short span of time, making him a very deadly foe on the battlefield. Furthermore, his strong laning and team play potential allow him to stay relevant throughout the game, and his ultimate makes him a valuable team fighter in team fights.
Let’s take a closer look at Yasuo’s strengths to see why he is such a valuable champion:
Mobility
Yasuo is highly mobile, able to use his Sweeping Blade ability to quickly jump in and out of battles while using his Last Breath ultimate to surprise enemies. Sweeping Blade allows Yasuo to dash in a straight line towards a target, while Last Breath enables him to become immune to damage for a brief time. It can be cast positionally or directed at an enemy champion, propelling Yasuo across the map. His mobility makes him a great roamer and team-fighter as well as being able to effectively dodge skill shots.
He also has a relatively low cooldown on his abilities so he can keep up chase or escape from enemies easily. When combined with his other abilities such as Steel Tempest, Wind Wall and Tempest/Crimson Rush, he can effectively engage in team fights and skirmishes with ease.
Damage Output
Yasuo is an extremely high damage champion due to his unique ability to generate multiple combo opportunities, as well as deal high sustained damage in fights. His basic attack pattern consists of auto attacks, Steel Tempest and Last Breath resets combined with Wind Wall shielding.
His damage output is greatly increased with the various items he can buy that are effective for him such as Statikk Shiv, Infinity Edge and Stormrazor. Additionally, Yasuo’s strength lies in his ability to dash around the map and set up easy ganks due to the mobility granted by Sweeping Blade. Lastly, gathering storm passive further increases Yasuo’s strength late game by providing him additional attack speed and flat AD per stack.
All these aspects combined make Yasuo a high-damage output champion that should be feared in teamfights and skirmishes.
Crowd Control
Crowd Control is an important element for any champion to have in League of Legends. As a champion with high mobility and strong damage, Yasuo does not have direct access to Crowd Control (CC). However, he does have some access through Item purchases or Abilities.
Item-Based CC: Yasuo has some items which can temporarily immobilize an enemy champion or enemy champions, thereby affording his team moments of respite from their assaults. Frozen Mallet and Titanic Hydra Slow enemies hit by Yasuo’s basic attacks, while Prisoner’s Chain tethers a single enemy champion after they’ve been hit by his Dash ability.
Ability-Based CC: Yasuo has one Ability which provides CC in Steel Tempest (Q), creating a whirlwind that gives him a brief shield and briefly knocks airborne any enemies caught in its radius when fully charged. Last Breath (R), provides brief Crowd Control on the targeted enemy if Yasuo has knocked up at least two other enemies prior to casting the Ultimate Ability. The targeted enemy will be stunned until reaching the ground, after which they will become briefly slowed.
Weaknesses
Like every champion in the game, Yasuo has his own set of weaknesses that should be taken into account when playing him. He relies heavily on auto-attacks for his damage which can make him vulnerable to champions with strong crowd control abilities, such as Nautilus. He can also be vulnerable to bursting champions such as LeBlanc. In addition, his ultimate relies heavily on the positioning of his enemies, so if he fails to properly place his tornado he can be left in a dangerous position.
Let’s look at some other weaknesses that Yasuo may have:
Low Health Pool
Yasuo has a substantially lower health pool than most champions in League of Legends, meaning that he will take significantly more damage from incoming attacks as compared to his peers. This makes him particularly vulnerable during early trading which can often lead to deaths if Yasuo isn’t careful. His lack of health also means that it is far more difficult for him to survive in the jungle and the top lane, these being the two lanes which require a decent amount of health in order to ensure success.
Though this low health pool may seem like a death sentence, an experienced Yasuo player can use this weakness to his advantage by using careful positioning and surprising opponents with his speed.
Low Range
Yasuo has low range compared to other Champions, such as Lee Sin, who can access any part of the map with ease. As a result, Yasuo can sometimes struggle to keep up with the high mobility of other Champions, and may often be trapped and predictable in team fights. His low range means that he must always be aware of his positioning when team fighting; getting too close can leave Yasuo vulnerable and easily targeted.
Additionally, because Yasuo relies heavily on auto-attacks and his dash ability to get around the map quickly, he is rather susceptible to crowd control abilities such as stuns, slows and fears.
Easily Countered
Yasuo has some weaknesses which, if taken advantage of, can make it difficult for him to carry a game. Because of his mobility and the need to be close to enemies in order to benefit from his high damage output, Yasuo is particularly vulnerable to being either crowd controlled or locked down. He is easily kited by champions with higher mobility or those who have reliable gap-closers and displacements.
Additionally, champions with point and click abilities like Malzahar’s ultimate or Zilean’s time bombs are particularly dangerous for Yasuo because they are able to outplay his windwall relatively easily. Other hard counters for Yasuo include tanky champions like Ornn who have a high amount of crowd control and displacement. Without proper positioning, these champions can shut Yasuo down completely in team fights by actively engaging him and forcing him away from his allies.
Tips for Playing Yasuo
Yasuo is a powerful champion in the popular League of Legends game. He is a master swordsman, agile and strong, with a unique ability to become untargetable and reposition himself during a fight.
If you’re looking to play Yasuo in the game, here are some tips to help you become a successful player:
Master His Combos
To maximize the use of this champion’s unique ability, master Yasuo’s combos. To perform Yasuo’s most effective combos, you will need to land Sweeping Blade and Steel Tempest respectively. These are two of his core abilities and when used correctly can be a massive help in winning potential team fights.
The best way to practice his combo is to go into a custom game (Co-op vs AI) and try out different combinations of abilities for maximum damage output. As you practice these combos over time, you will become more efficient in competitive gameplay.
Yasuo can dash twice with Sweeping Blade within 4 seconds of each other, allowing him to gain maximum mobility on the battlefield by quickly changing positions and angles during a fight. When combined with Steel Tempest we can create some brilliant AOE damage depending on how many enemies are around him. He has some escape tools such as Windwall and Last Breath making a great combo for evading/escaping from tight situations or just popping a huge amount of damage very quickly by using these extended ultimate ability with Sweeping Blade along with Steel Tempest dash-jumps while using Tornado’s powerful knockup effect on the enemies gathered closely around him.
In conclusion, mastering Yasuo’s incredible combos should be your highest priority since it could very well decide if your team wins or loses in an important team fight. Practice up his moveset in games like Co-op vs AI before jumping right into ranked so that by the time you reach that level, all of his natural evasiveness, combo chains, and skillset will all come together as one fluid set that is incredibly hard to counter attack against – thus making it one of the most feared champions in the LoL leagues today!
Know When to Engage
Engaging in combat is one of the core skills to mastering Yasuo. Knowing when to engage or disengage at the right time is incredibly important. When deciding whether or not to engage, consider both your situation and your teammate’s.
Ask yourself if you have enough health and mana to fight effectively and if the teamfight will result in an advantageous situation for your team. Additionally, before making a call, assess your teammates’ positions relative to the enemies’. Consider which enemies are in a vulnerable position and which are far away from help; chose targets accordingly. Understanding when it’s best not to engage is also part of knowing when is the right time to go for a fight. Don’t waste time on foolish battles that can easily be avoided – make every decision count!
Yasuo’s abilities have specific ranges; know how far they reach out so you can make substantial decisions quickly. Becoming accustomed with these ranges will make it easier for you to predict objectives that can be taken advantage of. Also pay close attention to whether or not an enemy has prepared crowd control like slows or stuns – while these tools make it easier for your team to secure kills, they also present opportunities for enemies who want revenge against Yasuo’s annoying playstyle!
Knowing when and where it would be beneficial for Yasuo’s engage will come with practice, but as long as he is utilized correctly and his cooldowns are managed correctly he can be very powerful during teamfights!
Position Yourself Carefully
When playing Yasuo, players need to be careful with positioning. This is because of Yasuo’s low health pool and vulnerable late game. It is important to position yourself away from calculated splash damage, such as Xerath’s powerful ultimate.
When playing in team fights and skirmishes, it is important for Yasuo players to assess their surroundings and understand which areas can protect them from getting caught out and which zones are more vulnerable. Allowing too much space between your team safety nets can give the opposing team opportunities to flank and create advantageous scenarios.
When positioning himself around objectives, such as controlling a dragon or a Baron pit, it is essential that Yasuo players pay close attention to terrain that could potentially provide an escape or hide them from the engage zone. It is also important for a Yasuo player to time his Q appropriately when attacking enemy champions in order to gain control of the fight before his opponents have the opportunity react with CC abilities or escape mechanisms like flash or dash skills.
By carefully assessing their surroundings and intelligently positioning themselves in all stages of the match, Yasuo players can significantly increase their effectiveness as a key leader on their team by capitalizing on their strengths while mitigating potential weaknesses due to low health pools and vulnerability late game.
Conclusion
Yasuo is a great champion for those who want to dominate the Rift with his powerful damage and crowd control abilities. With his kit, he can be a great asset to any team composition. His versatility is one of the biggest advantages, allowing him to fit in almost any team composition.
His abilities give him the opportunity to make huge outplays, carry teamfights and outlive even the most fed opponents. With this, we come to the end of our discussion on Yasuo. Hopefully, you have a better understanding of Yasuo and his abilities.
Summary
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Final Thoughts
Yasuo is a unique champion in the world of League of Legends. He has powerful tools for shutting down and combating enemy teams, helps your team to get ahead in fights and offers strong wave clear for both top lane or mid lane matchups. His kit is highly versatile and offers plenty of options for adapting to almost any situation. As an all-in aggro champion, Yasuo is great at closing out fights quickly or of being an assassin type character where he dives in, causes chaos and runs away.
All in all, Yasuo is a great champion that provides your team with a lot of tools. He takes some time getting used to but once someone masters his kit, he can easily become their main go-to champion with strong damage output, mobility and versatility. Hopefully this guide helped give you an understanding of what makes Yasuo such a great champion to pick depending on your team composition and the current game state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What type of champion is Yasuo?
A1: Yasuo is an offensive champion who excels in the mid lane. He is a high-mobility fighter who focuses on dealing huge amounts of burst damage while also having the ability to dodge and escape dangerous situations.
Q2: What abilities does Yasuo have?
A2: Yasuo’s abilities include Steel Tempest, Sweeping Blade, Wind Wall, and Last Breath. Steel Tempest is a dash and slash ability which can be used to deal damage and secure kills. Sweeping Blade is a dash that can be used to reposition and chase opponents. Wind Wall is an area of effect spell which blocks all incoming projectiles. Lastly, Last Breath is a powerful ultimate which can be used to deal massive damage to a single target.
Q3: What is Yasuo’s best build?
A3: Yasuo’s best build usually consists of Trinity Force, Infinity Edge, Berserker’s Greaves, Phantom Dancer, and Guardian Angel. This build provides Yasuo with a great balance of damage, mobility, and survivability.