I've played about 800 ranked games total since season 4, and about 1600 normal games.
I've been playing Yasuo for about 2 years, and I have about 300 games with him.
Now here's a history lesson.

Fast forward to season 5 placements, and I was dropped back into Bronze 3 or 4. This was frustrating at the time, but I didn't come to realize until much later how unimportant your starting point is. After much struggling and effort I managed to reach Silver 5 and ended the season at Silver 3 or 4.


Fast forward again to season 6 placements, I was dropped on my head back into Bronze 1. It was soon after that I realized that where you start isn't a big deal at all and you shouldn't get too hung up on it. I climbed back into Silver in less than 2 weeks and kept going. Within 2 months, I made it to Gold.


That's my success story, and I believe you can climb to wherever you want to go if you put in the effort, even if Riot drops you into bronze 5 every single season. You've got this.

I don't play Yasuo as much as I used to, but I believe that he's still a strong pick. I've been through the depths of bronze and all the way into gold so I know how playing at low/average elo is. This is the guide for you.










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Why Yasuo top?

Yasuo Top, believe it or not is a whole lot better than mid. Let's go into why.

There are many mid lane champions in the game that counter Yasuo, simply from the amount of ranged harrass they put onto him. His wind wall, while useful against mid laners, it has a very long cooldown and isn't super useful early on. In the late game however it's exceedingly useful for teamfights.

Since his wall isn't especially useful in the early and mid game, and he get's harrassed by ranged champions pretty easily, he's actually much better off in the top lane. Melee or even Melee-Ranged top laners are a lot more susceptible to his damage, as they have to get in a little closer to deal damage.

This way, it also means that as Yasuo you don't have to even put a point in your wind wall until the lategame, which means you're putting that point into something else useful such as his E or Q to pickup kills until he needs the wind wall to fight an AD carry late game.




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Itemization

Building Yasuo


Starting Items

,

This is standard. Against most opponents, this is recommended. The lifesteal on Doran's Blade and the lifesteal on Vampirism plus the lifesteal you'll get from Warlord's Bloodlust is designed to make your life easier. This helps with sustain greatly.


Core

, , or

At it's core, this is Yasuo's Bread and butter items. Now that doesn't mean to rush these always. It's very situational, but most of the time it's pretty safe to rush Phantom Dancer.

The boots are a matter of personal choice as both are very good on yasuo. The CD on Yasuo's abilities scale with attack speed, which is a big reason why Berserker's Greaves is good on him, however Yasuo's Passive flow regeneration scales with movement speed making Boots of Swiftness a good choice as well.


Offensive Choices

or ,

Both of these lifesteal items work very well on Yasuo so most of the time it's going to come down to which one will work better against the enemy team comp.



If you're up against tanks, this is especially important. Enough said.



These are all decent offensive picks, depending on the needs and situation of the team.


Defensive Choices



Despite popular belief, you don't win ranked games by building nothing but damage and lifesteal. You're a carry, but in the top lane role you need some solid defense as well.
Dead Man's Plate is excellent for roaming the map, catching people out, and regenerating your shield, highly recommended. Guardian Angel is still a very strong item, this is a must for Yasuo.


If you want a full build example, here's my Match history page for yasuo
Click here for my full builds

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Pros and Cons

Pros
high Mobility
Easy to CS with
Fast wave clear
Good crowd Control
Good Gap closers
Powerful Dueling Potential
Utility and Damage in Teamfights
Good lifesteal compatibility (Q's count as Auto attacks)
Versatility and Utility
Even without kills, will scale into the late game very nicely.
Strong Early Game
Poweful Mid Game
Powerful Late Game
Rewarding to Master


Cons
Easily harassed
Forced over extension if not farming mindfully
Need a team composition with knockups to be effect in teamfights.
Long Shield Cooldowns
Ineffective while silenced (Most damage comes from Q's)
Countered by a whole load of champions
Without kills, he will not scale into the late game for a while
Dodgeable CC
Squishy Early Game
Squishy Mid Game
Difficult to Master






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Mechanics and laning Tactics


Wall Dash

Here's a quick wall dash guide for Yasuo. Do not try these in a game you really care about unless you've practiced and are positive you can do it.

Yasuo's wall Dashes are a lot more difficult to do than someone like Riven, but it can be useful if you spend half an hour practicing some of these.

Play Video









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Team-fighting Strategy and Synergy

Synergy

(You usually want to synergize with your Jungler, but others with knock-ups help too.)

Junglers that are awesome with Yasuo
Listed from top to bottom in terms of Synergy strength


So many knock-ups, plus tons of tank to peel for you in team-fights.


Good multi Targetable knock-ups, very strong, very tank.


Cho'gath Jungle is actually not bad. He is the ultimate Tank CC Machine for lategame.


Multi Target knock-up, Tank front liner.


This is actually a little risky, but as long as you have a tank midlaner, and Wukong builds some tank after he gets damage you'll have VERY strong lategame team-fight potential.


It's Vi. No further explanation needed.


Now that Enchantment: Cinderhulk has brought back the tank jungle meta, Shyvana is great for your team, especially with Yasuo


Same explanation as Shyvana





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Match-ups and Strategy

(Oh boy, There is a lot of differing match-ups in terms of strategy, so I'll be adding lane match-ups as I go along.)

Use the Control F search feature to find the match-up you're looking for.


Aatrox

Lane difficulty = 3.5/5

This one is one is about average in terms of difficulty.
You'll out damage Aatrox for a while, but he has much more sustain in the early and mid game, so try to get a Vampiric Scepter before you finish your Phantom Dancer

Focus more on farming more than harass, as his lifesteal will make it hard to keep his health down early. With that in mind, you should still poke him if he get's too close.

Aatrox has a knockup and a slow, so be very careful of ganks, a deep Vision Ward is suggested.

As long as you haven't been feeding him, you should be good to kill him after you have Phantom Dancer , Vampiric Scepter , and hopefully something built into your Infinity edge.

Unless you're confident you can get a kill 1v1, if Aatrox use his Ult Massacre do your best to disengage from fighting him.

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Azir

Lane difficulty = 1/5

(Azir's intended meta is mid, but i see a lot of him top)

This is one of the easier lanes for Yasuo. Azir is listed as a counter to Yasuo, however I don't find this to be true.

Azir is very weak at level 1 and 2. Abuse that. If you're using the runes from this guide, you should be able to pickup first blood.

Azir is very immobile, if he wants to poke you, he can't escape. If Azir does his Arise!+ Conquering Sands Combo on you, use your Sweeping Blade through enemy minions to get out of the way of the damage, while gap closing to him to trade back.

Once he's done his inital combo, he can't do much else in terms of damage for a while, so try to poke at him directly after his combo, and as much as you can until it comes back up.

Although Azir is exceedingly weak during the laning phase, he will scale nicely into the late game, so be weary of his late game damage and crowd control.

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Cho'Gath

Lane difficulty = 5/5

This guy is pretty scary. You should be able to outplay him with some practice, but it's very dangerous. Pre 6 you may be able to win, midgame you'll have to play safe, and by lategame you can start being more confident, but don't underestimate Cho'gath.

Focus on getting farm to get Phantom Dancer] as quickly as possible. If you're getting harassed a lot, an early [[Vampiric Scepter will help with this lane.

Feral Scream is very powerful against Yasuo, as he relies heavily on being able to cast his abilities to deal damage early and mid game. Try your best to avoid getting hit by this.

If you see Cho'Gath use Rupture on you, try to Sweeping Blade through minions to get out of it's AOE.

If Cho'gath has missed his Feral Scream, try to go in to poke immediately. Just make sure you can use Sweeping Blade to disengage quickly after you've dealt some damage. Prolonged fights are not recommended unless you think you can pick up a kill.

Cho'Gath's Vorpal Spikes will harass you quite a bit. Try to hang back a bit and last hit if possible. Try not to get pushed under turret, so push out the wave a bit if Cho starts pushing up.

Another important note is that your Wind Wall will not block Cho'gath's Vorpal Spikes, so don't bother using it, save it for if you get ganked.

Cho'Gath's Feast is very powerful, and there's no real counterplay to it for Yasuo. My best advice is to just make sure you have enough health when fighting him, and pick up a Warmog's Armor/ Spirit Visage if you can.

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Darius

Lane difficulty = 5/5

Try to farm for items, because trading with him usually isn't worth it. If he walks up to you, try to bait out his Apprehend or Decimate. Once he burns one or both of those, you're good to trade some damage while his abilities are on cool-down.

Never fight Darius for prolonged periods of time unless you are confident you can get a kill, because his blood stacks from Hemorrhage and Crippling Strike will get you killed, and Decimate will allow him to win trades with the heal. If you want to fight him, stick to poking instead of a full on engage until he's low enough to secure the kill.

Darius' ult Noxian Guillotine, is extremely powerful so I would recommend avoiding fighting him at close range if you are low health.
However, if you're feeling confident, Yasuo's Steel Tempest Whirlwind can interrupt Darius' ult casting animation.

Early Boots will help with this lane. After getting Phantom Dancer go for Bloodthirster Instead Of Infinity Edge.

Once you have a Statik Shiv and a Vampiric Scepter the lane will be easier, but still rough. Do your best to shove minions and try to roam, because it's very hard to kill Darius as Yasuo, especially since his Rework.

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Dr. Mundo

Lane difficulty = 1/5

This lane is pretty boring. You might kill him before level 6, but don't count on it. After level 6 you won't be killing him, but he won't be killing you either.

This is a farming heavy lane on both sides. Just do your best to CS and rush those items.
If Dr. Mundo attempts to go aggressive on you, give him a taste of Yasuo's Sweeping Blade + Steel Tempest combo and then Sweeping Blade off of him so you don't take too much damage from his Heart Zapper.

You'll out trade him as long as you stand behind minions while farming.
Just make sure you get a Last Whisper for lategame, or life is going to be difficult in team-fights.

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Ekko

Lane difficulty = 0/5

Wind Wall to block Timewinder

Yasuo out damages Ekko, and you can easily block Timewinder.
As long as you don't get baited by Chronobreak and you watch for Parallel Convergence plus a jungle gank, this lane is very easy.

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Fiora

Lane difficulty = 2/5

Before the Fiora rework, this match-up was a lot harder. Now, since they reworked her ult and her passive it's much easier and you counter her in a lot of ways.

However, trading with Fiora is still dangerous. I recommend rushing Avarice Blade and farming neutrally until you have Phantom Dancer and Vampiric Scepter.

Keep a steady distance from Fiora, so she has to use Lunge to engage on you. Once she does, give her your Sweeping Blade + Steel Tempest combo and a second Steel Tempest as she runs, and dash out before she can try to trade back.

Now that Fiora's Riposte is a skillshot, it's much harder for her to block your Steel Tempest whirlwind. Once you have whirlwind, use your Sweeping Blade + Steel Tempest combo. Since this is very close to her and it's AOE, it's much harder for her to block it. Since they made this change, it's not recommended to use your Whirlwind in it's Skillshot form, instead use the AOE form.

Bladework is very powerful. Try to Sweeping Blade away from her if she activates it to stall it out. If she does land it, do your best to trade back. This is the main reason Vampiric Scepter is recommended after Phantom Dancer.

Fiora's OLD ultimate Blade Waltz Countered Yasuo a lot, as she could activate it to avoid Last Breath.
Fiora's NEW ultimate Grand Challenge is the opposite. If Fiora activates it, avoid it by using Sweeping Blade through minions, and then use your Steel Tempest whirlwind, followed by Last Breath. If you've stalled long enough, her ult should have expired and you'll be doing massive damage because "For the next 15 seconds after casting Last Breath, Yasuo ignores 50% of his targets' bonus armor".

That's either a kill for you, or a won trade.

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Fizz

Lane difficulty = 1/5

This should be a slam dunk lane for you as long as you know how Top fizz works. Generally, you can trade with him anytime you want and win, just be sure you're comboing smartly.
Combo and then escape, don't give him a chance to trade you.

The only thing about fizz that gives him a mechanical advantage is that he can use his Playful / Trickster to jump over your Steel Tempest Whirlwind. Try to bait it out, or use your Sweeping Blade+ Steel Tempest combo to ensure you deal maximum Whirlwind damage and allow yourself to land an ult.

Post level 6 is a bit different, but just save that wind wall for his ultimate and you'll still be winning trades.

Lategame fizz is sometimes scary, but if he's been under your thumb with no kills and little farm you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

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Gangplank

Lane difficulty = 1/5

This lane is not super difficult. Most gangplanks these days go for Crit. Essentially, you do what he does but better because of Yasuo's doubled crit.

Gangplanks's OLD passive was Grog Soaked Blade, and is now Trial By Fire. There is essentially no change except that it does True Damage instead of Magic Damage now.

Gangplank's Passive Trial By Fire isn't going to be doing too much early on, but make sure you get some Health pots on your backs until you have part of your shiv and Vamp scepter built, because it can do a lot of damage if you're not careful.

Yasuo can Wind Wall Gangplank's Parrrley, but the projectile is very fast, small and hard to see. It'll take some practice, but knowing how to do this will save you a lot of grief.

Powder Keg is pretty much useless vs Yasuo. Rush Phantom Dancer and get Boots. These Tier 1 boots along with Sweeping Blade make it pretty much impossible for him to explode the barrel while you're in it's range. Just dash out and walk around it.

Gangplank's ult Cannon Barrage, isn't going to be a big deal. If he pops it while you're fighting him, use Sweeping Blade on minions to get out of it's area of effect, and continue trading with him.

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Garen

Lane difficulty = 6/5
Ouch. This is gonna be rough. Let's break this lane down.

Garen as a champion does a lot to counter you. This is similar to the Cho'Gath lane, except a little easier.

Garen's Decisive Strike gives him movement speed allowing him to poke you and run out at a distance. Since it also silences, you can't Steel Tempest to trade back.
If you see him use this ability, try to dash away with Sweeping Blade and use your Steel Tempest before he silences you. Your Steel Tempest has greater range than his Decisive Strike so you should be able to use it before you're silenced.

Garen's Courage makes him very tanky as time goes on. You can wait out the active before poking him, but he will likely combo this with his Decisive Strike. Focus on rushing Phantom Dancer and try to get an early kill.

Garen's Judgment isn't actually all that great. Most garen's will try to Decisive Strike and then Judgment so you can't dash out, so do your best to keep your distance and bait him into wasting Judgment or Decisive Strike. If he wastes either of those, you can go in to harass him without much consequence, and dash out.

Garen's Demacian Justice is very powerful, and similar to Cho'Gath's ult. However, Garen's ult deals damage based on health missing. Being low health around Garen is generally bad, so try to disengage if you're getting too low.

Garen's passive Perseverance is very strong, so try to poke him as often as you can without putting yourself at major risk.

Early boots will help in this lane, so garen won't be able to use his Decisive Strike if you have boots and dash through minions.

Health/Armor will help against Garen in the late game. I suggest Randuin's Omen in this match-up Instead of getting Thornmail.

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Gnar

Lane difficulty = 1/5

This lane is easy, but unlike the Dr. Mundo lane, this is actually fun to play against.

Despite the fact that this lane is easy, it won't be easy if you don't understand how this lane works. That's why there is a lot to talk about.

Let's talk about how this lane will go based on level with Gnar Form.

levels 1-4 Mini Gnar:
Around this time Gnar is pretty weak. I would suggest trying to trade with him around this time window. I suggest getting Sweeping Blade at level 2, so you can trade with Gnar easier early on. Get Wind Wall at level 3, and you'll be able to trade him without much consequence. Farm is really important in this lane, which I'll go into later, but also make sure you're being aggressive at levels 1-4 to try and get first blood.

Levels 1-4 Mega Gnar:
Mega gnar early on isn't really too scary, but he does have a lot more survivability to your kit. When he's mega, try to focus more on farm.

If he decides to go aggressive on you, do your best to use your Sweeping Blade and Wind Wall to your advantage and dodge abilities. If he tries to Hyper / Wallop (Wallop) you, Sweeping Blade on him or minions. If he tries to Boomerang Throw / Boulder Toss you, be ready to Wind Wall it, or dodge it with Sweeping Blade.

Generally stay out of range of his Hop / Crunch (crunch) because it makes it easier for him to land the rest of his abilities. Be careful, because he can Hop mid transformation and crunch after transformation.

levels 5+ Mini/Mega:

This is around the time Gnar becomes more powerful, so at this point don't try to trade as much as levels 1-4.

Pretty much every Gnar you play against will go all in at level 6. Be ready for this and try not to get stunned against a wall by his GNAR!. What most people forget is that Yasuo Level 6+ is dangerous verses tanks because Last Breath gives Yasuo 50% armor penetration after he ults.


I've played this lane a lot, so hear are my final thoughts.

Mechanically, Yasuo beats gnar, because a good portion of his Mini and Mega damage is blocked by his Wind Wall and another good portion can be dodged by his Sweeping Blade.

Pay attention to when he is about to go mega, because it's usually when Gnar players go aggressive.
When Gnar goes into mega form after level 6, don't be afraid to fight him. Yasuo is one of the best suited champions to deal with mega Gnar, and you will always win the all in if you get your Last Breath damage on him.

Lategame ganr is pretty much the same as 6+ Gnar. Although try not to focus him in team-fights first.

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Irelia

Lane difficulty = 2/5

This lane is pretty even. Since Irelia is very squishy, play aggressive and poke her when she approaches farm. This is important, so that she can't use Hiten Style to regain her health as easily.

Once you have a Phantom Dancer and Vampiric Scepter, be a lane bully freeze farm and go for kills.

If she combos Bladesurge + Equilibrium Strike to stun you and walk away, dash through minions and trade back. Never let her get away with free damage, because you are the dominant champion in this lane.

Transcendent Blades doesn't do very much damage, and is only dangerous if you're low. Use Wind Wall to block it.

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Jax

Lane difficulty = 4/5

Counter Strike Block's not only your Auto Attacks, but also your Steel Tempest. This is the main reason this lane is so dangerous.

A good jax will time Counter Strike just right and then Leap Strike so that you can't dash out of it. This combined with the bonus damage from Empower can be very frustrating, but just relax.

Try to bait out his Counter Strike. Once it's on cooldown, this lane is a lot like the Irelia lane. Trade to the best of your ability once it's down.

You should win the trades early and part of mid game. Jax will inevitably outscale you in the late game, so try to pick up some early kills on him and roam.

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Jayce

Lane difficulty = 3/5