Hey guys, I've been getting mad at some people who are yelling about how nobody knows how to play Yorick so I decided to try my first build with him. I know it looks a little sketch and alot of people don't like exhaust/ignite but don't diss it until you try it :D

For runes I have an odd setup but it works for me. I'm sure there are a lot of better options but I am still testing builds/setups with him and this one has worked well for me so far. Reds I go armor pen, pretty self explanitory. Yellows are full mana regen/5 because early game, you will be spamming your heal and slow and it gets pretty mana intensive. Blues for me are all Magic resist runes, and my quints are a mix of armor and magic resist based on how I'm feeling that day.

For runes I go a basic 21/9/0. More damage and armor penetration from the offense tree, while getting a little bit more survivability and health regen from the defense tree. Nothing too special here.

Well here's what everyone always *****es about and here's my odd but effective build. Shield is for longer laning. Blade doesn't give you the lane capabilities that the shield does. Merc treads are one of my favorite boots, and give you some more survivability as well as some tenacity which is always a ++. Trinity force is the main item in this build, and gives you a little bit of everything Yorick needs to be a great character in game. The point of this guide isn't to explain how Trinity helps, but the 150% damage is needed for Yorick to be an effective burst and dps and to help push towers. Infinity Edge adds huge damage to your minions as well as giving you a huge burst on your q. When you get your IE you can start spamming your q and hitting for some massive damage. Right around the time you are getting your IE your going to be slightly lacking in fights if you try and bully your way into fights. A bloodthirster gives you the strength to stand up in duels and destroy just about anyone. After the bloodthirster is really a situational item, by this time I will have already destroyed 4 or 5 towers so if you need more attack speed go PDancer or if you need some survivability go Banshees or Randuins (however you spell that, im tired ill fix it later).

Skill sequence in my opinion gives you the best opportunity to stay extended amounts in lane. With this skill sequence I have gone mid against Akali, Karthus, Ashe, Cait, and many others and been not only okay, but actually get first blood or at least a kill against them without dieing. The slow and summoned minion damage gives Yorick a huge advantage especially early game, where he is the weakest. Get ulti ASAP, and then spam the Q as soon as you get trinity/IE to let it get the most damage. I wait to get q because to me it seems like a huge mana drain, but if you are fighting up close champs it can be a lifesaver so get it early if needed.

So laning with Yorick isn't the easiest thing ever, but it is pretty impressive when you can bully your way through mid against some of the best. At level one, your w will allow you to AOE the enemy minions when needed, and also allow you to slow the enemy champion to add some damage with melee hits. When you get your E, use a combo of W>E to slow, then summon your E minion on him and run up and melee hit. Yorick can not sit back and farm up minions like some champs such as cait or heimer, but is a bruiser who needs to stay aggressive to farm up. Last hit minions when possible, while still harassing the enemy champions with your Q and E. Even if it isn't possible to get a kill (corki's escape, cait's net, tower huging, whatever) stay smart and aggressive. Deny the enemy as much exp as possible.

By the time I get my trinity it is usually about 15 into the game, depending on kills and such. Alot of the time, I will find myself hitting solo champs, and being able to take them with a slow followed by a heal, running up and hitting them and then hitting them with a q right after attacking (it resets auto attack timer) and them summoning my ulti if needed for some extra damage. Yorick is a great tower pusher also, because your minions will help clear out minions and the proc on Trinity will allow you to hit for a couple hundred on towers. Focus the squishies and bully your way into victory :D

Yorick is a hard champion to play at times but experience is one of the best teachers. This guide can help a little bit but there is no replacement for going out and playing a couple games with him and getting the hang of his skills and abilities. Just like any other character, have fun with him and the whole experience will be a good one. Please leave any feedback and advice! I'm just a poor noob trying to give some advice on a character I still don't fully grasp, but I will be constantly updating this as I play more with him and I will do my best to make it the best build ever! BTW- In game name is Runepanther if any of you want to play.