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Master Yi Build Guide by nullcakes

Assassin [AD] [3v3] Wuju like to carry?

Assassin [AD] [3v3] Wuju like to carry?

Updated on June 5, 2013
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League of Legends Build Guide Author nullcakes Build Guide By nullcakes 14,779 Views 16 Comments
14,779 Views 16 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author nullcakes Master Yi Build Guide By nullcakes Updated on June 5, 2013
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Introduction

Hello everyone! I've been using mobafire my entire League career, and thanks to it I got a good idea on how to build, how to improvise, what item is good for what, how to counter this, etcetera.

Today I'd like to make a brief Yi guide for the Twisted Treeline (My favorite game mode!) and give you an idea on what you should build and why.

Note that you shouldn't use this build every time 24/7, it's just to give you a general idea, but using it as a cookie cutter can be great for newcomers.
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Runes

For runes I just use armor pen, damage quints, and armor and magic resist (standard stuff) because it's something that fits in well with a lot of champions. I don't go crit/attack speed, you get this enough with the items you buy.

You can go crit and attack speed if you really feel like it, it's really ultimately your decision.

And remember, if you are not level 30 do not worry about runes!
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Masteries

Masteries!

I go 21/9/0 which is probably not new to you at all.

Here's a rundown:

Offense:
Summoner's Wrath: I get 1/1 for this one because this benefits your Exhaust and Ghost which is what I prefer for fights. At 1v1 early game fights you can exhaust and that 10 MR and Armor resist is pretty good. Plus ghost is really awesome to use with your ult and the 35% bonus is rad.

Fury: I get 3/4 because Yi obviously needs attack speed. Nuff said.

Deadliness: I get 4/4 because +12 attack damage at level 18 is almost as good as runes. Really no explanation needed here TBH.

Havoc: I get 3/3 because 2% damage increase is also obviously necessary.

Weapon Expertise: I get 1/1 because 8% armor ignore is without a doubt is amazing.

Lethality: I get 2/2 because 10% crit increase really synergizes with Yi because you get a lot of crit.

Brute Force: I get 2/2 because +3 attack damage at the start makes a big difference.

Frenzy: I get 1/1 because again this synergizes with Yi really well.

Sunder: I get 3/3 because... do I really need to keep explaining these necessary ones?

Executioner: Get 1/1 for this one. This is amazing.

Defense:
Durability: I get 4/4. WHO WOULD TURN +108 health down? Remember those times you've survived with 10 health left? Thank this mastery.

Hardiness: Get 3/3. +5 armor at the start of the game and even later on is beneficial.

Resistance: Get 1/3. It's not really worth it to get more, you'll get veterans scars ahead (see below)

Veteran's Scars: Get 1/1. +30 health is amazing at the start and can also save you. Remember every point of health COUNTS.
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Starting Items

I won't go to into depth about items because you can read. I'll tell you why you should get them though.

At the start you have a few choices:

2 Longswords: My absolute favorite. This builds quickly into your Ravenous Hydra and gives you huge power in duels early on. Just remember to play smart with this one.

Boots + Dorans Blade: Eh. You can get this and be fine but only if you are gonna have a tough time in lane. TBH, it's something I really never start with because Yi can go pretty fast at the beginning of the game.

Any Elixir Start: Meh. Again, not what I start with. I guess for the huge power with Longsword with elixir, but it really doesn't benefit you much because it has a 500 gold price tag. It's more of a late game thing.

Avarice Blade: Not a bad start. Can build into your Shiv if you want that first. But I really like ravenous hydra as first item. All in all, your opinion.
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Mid Game Items

I usually rush Hydra. THIS ITEM IS BOSS. It makes your farm go through the ROOF with it's splash effect. Plus, you are more efficient in team fights.

If you NEED boots, get them after your tiamat. If you NEED sustain, get your Vampiric Scepter before your tiamat.


After your Hydra you get a few choices. Usually you want to build your boots. I'll make a chapter for boots below, so refrence that for your boots.

After your boots, what you should build depends on how good you are doing. Fed? Follow the sample build. Not fed? Probably get a zephyr or mercurial scimitar.

You want to really get attack speed after your Hydra so I really recommend you get a Statikk Shiv. This also

After your Shiv, I usually build an Infinity Edge to spice up your crit chance. (if you are doing fine)

Now it's time to build some life steal. I usually get BotRK because it's so efficient. It gives you movement speed when you use it on an enemy and that's what Yi is about. And it gives you attack speed, which is also what Yi is about. You can build Sanguine, but it's not that good.
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Boots

Here's a rundown of boots and their enchantments:

Tier 1:

Boots of Speed: I usually get these after my Hydra. If you need them really badly, get them after your tiamat.

Tier 2:

Berserker's Greaves: My standard. Attack speed is really good with Yi. Get these if they have no particular strength and you are doing okay.

Boots of Mobility: You're a fed Yi. Get these and go ham. If you fall out later, or just need to play smarter because the enemy team is actually coming back sell these.

Ninja Tabi: Strong AD is annoying you on the enemy team.

Mercury's Treads: Strong AP is annoying you and/or they have a lot of stuns, slows (ult can't always help them) etc.

Tier 3:

Furor: Standard again. Attack someone and if they run you go faster. Simple and ideal.

Alacrity: You like to go fast like me. I get these when I please. It's fun and really nice to be able to go faster. Stack with mobility usually to be a speed demon when you're not in your ult. When you do ult, you're somewhere along the lines of Sonic the Hedgehog.
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End Game items

You have a lot of options here. It really depends on how good you are doing.

If you need a cure for your squishiness but are still doing good get a Zephyr.

Lot's of AP? Mercurial Scimitar.

High AD and AP bringing your team and you down? Be a man and get Runic Bulwark.

High AD harassing you? Randuins Omen.

Need Lifesteal and are in a lot of long fights? Sanguine Blade.

Tryndaqueer, Fiora, another AD Yi, etc. attacking really fast and really strong? Get Frozen Heart.

Are people getting away from you somehow? Frozen Mallet.

Just want to go ham and there are a bunch of unskilled players on the other team? Get a Phantom Dancer.

There are a lot of things you can get in the end game to be honest. These are just some popular (and good) choices. You should study up on other items if you don't know them all.

There's an item for every situation, remember that.
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Skill Sequence

Skill sequence is simple for Yi.

Get your E at every odd number, get your W at 4 and then max it last, get your Q at 2 and then max it second, and like most champions get your ult at 6, 11, and 16.

Justification:

Your passive let's you hit twice every 7 attacks. I don't need to really explain this, but you can preferably save it for fights just like you would save an annie stun. It can actually turn fights if you can crit and still do a lot of damage while hitting twice. That can easily kill a squishy like Vayne very quickly.

Your E first is a very powerful start. With 2 Long Swords, and recommended runes and masteries etc., you have a whopping 104 AD at the beginning of the game! Then you just get it at every odd number until you max it. Easy, and it adds a bit to your power. But really, this skill is so necessary at the start. It puts you a cut above the rest. And best of all, if you use your E, you get double the bonus. This is amazing for fights, as it gives you quick power for a few seconds. But be warned, when the double bonus runs out you lose the single bonus until the cooldown ends! This could screw you over if your timing isn't right, so be careful.

Your Q is something that you can use to farm early on, but I wouldn't recommend using it when you have Hydra. Use it to catch up to people and finish of people. All in all, it's amazing for AP Yi (check out another guide) and it's not bad for AD Yi.

Your W. This skill is (almost) worthless on an AD Yi. Why? This thing gives you 20 points of health per second while you use it until level 14. On AP YI, this skill can protect you from an entire team just about, but on AD it's used just to recover a sliver of health maybe if you've been ignited or something. At max level, it's honestly not that bad if you can't get farm to heal yourself with lifesteal, but it's kind of meh. It can save you sometimes though, keep that in mind.

Your R, Highlander, is one of the most hated skills in the game if you are playing against a Yi, and one of the most fun skills if you are playing Yi. This thing can turn you into a RACECAR! It also gives bonus attack speed, something incredible for Yi. But wait, there's more! You also CANNOT BE SLOWED! You're like a speeding tank! But there's still more. If you kill someone with this ability, ALL OF YOUR COOLDOWNS ARE REFRESHED. That's right, even your ult. So if you can use it again to chop down an entire team that's confused and displaced. Use this to get out of place people, to catch up, to run away, it's something that is so efficient that it is hated by everyone else. The best way to use this is to stack it with ghost if you can.

Here's some amazing things you can do with your ult:
Save an altar, finish off that last turret before someone respawns, quickly chop down the nexus, to catch someone out of place... the options are limitless.

Where you could possibly get most of your kills is catching people out of place with this, just make sure you don't overextend or fall for traps.

And if you do, you probably might be able to run away!
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Spells

Summoner spells!
Let's check them ALL out, shall we? Starting with the most important:

Amazing on Yi:

Ghost: Stack this with your ult to become Usain Bolt. No seriously, you'll go super freaking fast. And that's what we do on Yi. We go super freaking fast.

Exhaust: You are speed racer, but to completely shut down someone make them very slow while you are very fast. This leads to little to no escape for them, unless they have flash, but they still will be slowed so you probably could get to them still. This is helpful against 1v1 duels against someone with a decent attack speed because this will lower their attack speed as well.

Ignite: A good replacement for Exhaust. It depends on what you want really. Little to no effort finishing off someone? Ignite them. But I honestly prefer exhaust because it is more helpful to me to catch someone out of place and slow them for your team. All in all, ignite isn't bad. Choose it if you feel you need it.

Flash: Good spell for just about everyone. You can flash and Q, flash and ult, flash and whatever. It's a good replacement for Ghost if you want, but it only lasts a second and if you fail you fail. Ghost however has little to no fail catching someone unless they ghost as well.

Good on Yi:

Smite: If you are jungling on 3v3. Not really my ideal area but great. Doesn't synergize with this guide but you can jungle with Yi.

Barrier: I guess this wouldn't be that bad. If you dive a lot and don't want to die from that last turret hit get barrier I guess. Not really my favorite though.

Heal: Similar in explanation to barrier except you will heal others around you too. Not really that good but not really that bad. I wouldn't get it only if you want to win early fights and what not.

The not so good for Yi:

Clarity: Uh, it's a waste. You really don't rely on your mana that much.

Revive: It's really OP if you are in the late game and you are going to lose when your entire team is dead for a minute. But you probably will end up losing anyways so whatever. Get if you feel like you want to troll and still do okay. Reviving could actually save your game but by then it's probably gone anyways.

Cleanse: HAHAHAHA. Your ult does this for longer.

Teleport: Not in 3v3. Map is too small.

Clairvoyance: If you need to see the map that bad just get a situational Spectral Lantern, or have an AP on your team get a Hextech Sweeper. Honestly the map is too small here to really need this if you pay attention to your map.

Garrison: It's not even in 3v3!
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TL;DR

This is what I like to call TL;DR!
It's a summary of what happened for people with Lazyitis (I'm with you there)

And right now, I just don't have the time to make it. Read the damn guide.
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Ranked Play

I'm not here to teach you how to play ranked 3v3; but I can give you some tips.

1. Don't be an idiot and pull dumb stunts you can do in normals.
2. Play to win.
3. Don't be an idiot with your ultimate.
4. Use skype with your teammates
5. Ban your counters. Let the other team ban Tryndaqueer, Jax, Singed etc.

Any other tips you need message me. We started in Silver and are quickly progressing.
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Pros / Cons

Here is where we like to over dramatize how godly your champion is and how ****ty they can be:
PROS
    You're a racecar
    You do massive damage
    You can break turrets and structures super fast
    Get's away easily
    Catches up easily
    Farms amazing with Hydra
    Enjoy the rage in all chat if you are fed
    Amazing in 1v1 combat
CONS
    Squishy
    Bad if you don't get fed
    Targeted
    Ult is on cooldown
    Get called a noob for playing him
    You can be bad in teamfights
    Getting cocky can be very bad for you, shut down easily
    Someone gets a Frozen Heart, Randuins, basically any armor

There are probably more but it's best you learn them as you go.
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Farming / Jungling

Farming... uh... learn to last hit if you don't. Focus on farming at first and when you see a weaker opponent in your lane kill them and keep farming if you see you are not going to be ganked. Go back when you are low but don't go back just to get that item finalized. Trust me, farming is more important. You will get SO MUCH.

Jungling in 3v3 is not something I do at all, but you can be very good if that's your thing. Your ganks are potentially very powerful if you Ghost, Ult, E, Q, and go ham.

Farming is nice with Ravenous Hydra. You will find yourself getting a lot of farm from the jungle when the lanes are pushed.
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Team Work

Yi is anti teamwork. You always should backdoor and farm when you can. But don't leave your teammates in fights. If they are in one you know they are fine in take the time to push a lane. Get fed but don't take every single kill. What happens when you die? then your team is left in the dust. This is a huge mistake I see made on Yi. You can lose if you go 23/2 if you die and leave your not so fed teammates to defend.

In teamfights: Hydra helps a lot. So does your Shiv. Don't use your Q or W. Use your E, and possibly your ult. Focus the squishy first. DON'T CHASE.
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Thanks for Reading

Thanks for reading guys. I know there is a lot of text and I would like to thank you if you actually read it. I hope it helps you a lot. Please send in feedback if you have an idea. I know, I should add pictures. I might eventually.

Anyways, thanks again for reading. Tell me what I should change if you spot something weird or bad. If you're gonna downvote, tell me why. That really helps.
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