My name is Razzy, and I'm currently a Gold-IV Yuumi player.

I've a one-trick Yuumi who has played over 1000 games of Yuumi on League. I'm almost at 1,000,000 mastery points with her. At the moment, I'm somewhere between Silver 1 and Gold 4. If you're a beginning support player, then this guide can help you learn some Yuumi basics. For those in ranked, if you're somewhere in the iron or bronze area, then this guide can help cover some basics to help you climb.

ADC players, there is a section for you at the very bottom of the guide that covers topics specific to Yuumi, and there might help be some helpful tips for you to learn how to play with Yuumi as a teammate.

This guide has been updated as of patch 10.22.

Let's start off by describing Yuumi's unique traits that separate her from the rest of the cast of League.

First off, Yuumi is a unique champion in that she can "attach" to her allies with You and Me!. While she's attached, she is untargettable (except by enemy turrets). As long as she is attached, she cannot be targeted by an enemy's attacks.

To this point, no other champion in League can do this. While she's attached, she can still use her other abilities. This allows her to help her allies while generally not worrying about taking damage or getting killed.

If you like playing champions who can use healing abilities, and if you like playing a champion who helps other champions perform, then Yuumi is a good champion to pick up and learn.

Yuumi is a teamwork champion

Yuumi boosts one ally's AP and AD

Yuumi scales (she gets stronger as the game goes on)

Yuumi has mid-to-long range attacks

Yuumi has high mobility when jumping between allies

Yuumi is extremely susceptible to CC; getting CC'd usually means instant death for her

Yuumi is extremely frail with low max health and low defenses

Yuumi requires a teammate who is aware of her ability ranges and is aware of her W range

Yuumi requires a lot of mana / mana regen, and is extremely reliant on it

Yuumi will have a difficult game if none of her other teammates perform well

Yuumi's movement is determined by her allies while she is attached, meaning you are giving control of Yuumi's movement to another teammate

Let's now go over her abilities in-depth. We'll start with her W, then view her Q, E, and Ultimate.

Yuumi's W is called You and Me!. The reason we're focusing on the W first is because her kit is completely focused on this one ability.

Yuumi is one of the few champions in League who starts with one "free" ability. Yuumi always starts with one level in her W. Focusing the mouse on an ally champion and pressing the ability key will allow her to attach to the ally in question.

While Yuumi is attached to an ally champion, the three following things will happen:
1) Yuumi no longer controls her own movement; her movement is controlled by her ally, wherever her ally goes.
2) She will be untargettable by enemy champions (meaning they can no longer target her with attacks), and as a result, she generally will not take damage
3) Yuumi and her attached ally will both have "adaptive force" shared between them, meaning both of them have boosted AP/AD.
4) If she has a barrier from Feline Friendship, the barrier will be transferred to her ally
5) She can use the rest of her abilities while attached to the champion

A lot of newer players don't realize that Yuumi provides her attached ally slightly stronger attacks with the adaptive sharing. This is one of the key details to understanding Yuumi. As long as she's attached to a selected ally, that selected ally will do more damage. At first, this boost is small, but it becomes more significant as the game goes on. Sitting on top of someone in the late game (30+ minutes) can provide them almost 120 AP -- as much as a Rabadon's Deathcap! (It depends on what items you build, though.)

There are a few more details to note about her W:
1) Turrets can still target Yuumi while she is attached (which is why you generally do not want to attack the opponent if the person you're attached to decides to tower dive)
2) If Yuumi is targeted by a ranged auto attack / ability before she attaches to an ally, she will still generally receive the damage from it
3) If Yuumi receives passive poison-like damage or bleed-like damage (examples: Ignite summoner spell, Teemo's mushrooms or Teemo's poison auto attacks), she will continue to receive damage from the effect, even after she has attached to an ally
4) Some enemy delayed effects (Senna's rooting CC effect, Brand's fire-ring, Zillian's time bombs) will be transferred to her allies if she attaches to an ally while the effect is targeting Yuumi, but has not yet activated
5) If you buy AP items, you will give a higher boost from your W to your target ally, which means they will have higher AD or AP. Cool, right?

Lastly, if Yuumi is CC'd by anything other than the silence effect (roots, stuns, knockups, et cetera), her W will be put on a 5-second cooldown to where it cannot be used (meaning you cannot attach to an ally if you've detached and if you've been hit by CC). Each time you get hit by CC after that, the CC timer of five seconds will be reset. (You DON'T want to get CC'd).

Yuumi's Feline Friendship is a passive effect that occasionally generates a barrier for Yuumi and restores mana. When Yuumi attaches to an ally, if she still has her shield, it transfers to her ally, mitigating damage they take. Unlike other characters' barriers, this barrier never depreciates over time.

The main point of using Bop n' Block is to regain mana. The shield is nice if you manage to keep it for your ally, but the real goal for using her passive is to regain mana so Yuumi can continue to use her Q ability or her E ability.

There's also a misconception that Yuumi is an "AFK champ." Nothing is further from the truth. In order to help her ADC win botlane, Yuumi needs to hop off from time to time to get the shield and mana from Bop n' Block. The hard part of this is knowing when to do it and when not to do it.

It's generally a good idea to use minions as shields, especially against the hook champs: Blitzcrank, Thresh, Nautilus, and Pyke.

However, against other champions, such as Lux's Q and E, Nami's Q and R, Neeko's Q and R, and Miss Fortune's Q, R, and Ult, and Caitlyn's Q, whose various abilities pierce through minions or have an AoE effect, you can't use minions as shields. Approach these champions more carefully, and try to bait their abilities and dodge them if possible.

Prowling Projectile has two forms: unattached, and attached.

When unattached, Yuumi will fire a straight-line missile skillshot to damage an opponent.

When attached, Yuumi can guide the missile with her mouse around minions, monsters, enemy champions, et cetera, to try to hit her target.

In either form, if the missile flies for one second, the missile becomes "empowered." In its empowered state, the missile will do more damage (some of it will be based on a percentage of the enemy's maximum health), and it will also have a small slow effect.

Generally, when using the Q, it's better to hit with the empowered state, since it will do more damage and slow. It's also more ideal to use this ability while attached to an ally, since you can control the missile's trajectory.

This ability is simple, but it does not pass over monsters or minions, so it must be aimed carefully.

Yuumi's Zoomies is the same, regardless of whether she's unattached or attached to an ally. If she is unattached, she uses the ability on herself, and if she is attached to an ally, she applies the effect to that ally.

Zoomies is an ability that heals the target, increases the target's movement speed, and increases the target's attack speed. It is a very powerful effect, but with a high mana cost.

In recent patches, Zoomies costs a significant amount of her max mana (15%!). Using this too often will use up all of Yuumi's mana, which will force her to wait until she can regain mana with mana regen.

Previously, this ability could be used to increase an ally's movement speed across a map. While it was previously possible to spam it, it can't be spammed like this any more. This ability should be used with care, and the mana meter should always be kept in mind.

Yuumi's Final Chapter is the same regardless of whether or not she is attached. You'll get more damage from it if you're attached, but primarily, the ability is for rooting the opponent in place.

Yuumi will fire off seven several large waves of energy. If three waves of energy hit one target, that target becomes rooted for a short period of time. Each one does a small amount of damage, but the real point of the ability is to root the opponents so that your teammates can land kills.

Try to use it when two or more enemies are grouped together, so that you can root as many enemies as possible.

You can occasionally use this on one opponent who's fleeing from you and your ally to root them and secure a kill.

While you're using Final Chapter, don't forget that you can hop on and off with You and Me! and you can still use Zoomies on yourself or an attached ally.

The hard part about using this ability is that sometimes you need to detach from allies and move around to make sure that you can root the enemies. Use the practice tool to practice landing roots by hopping off or jumping between allies.

When combined with Dark Harvest, this ability can do some serious damage if Dark Harvest is stacked well.

Before beginning a game with Yuumi, it's good to identify which runes are the best options for her.

Yuumi's main choices for runes are found in Sorcery, Domination, Resolve, and Inspiration.

Her most common major rune is Summon Aery for balanced offense and shielding. This is the rune most Yuumi players take, because it augments everything that Yuumi does.

Advanced Yuumi players sometimes go for other more "advanced" options, which include:
[*] Arcane Comet, for early lane DPS and oppressive Prowling Projectile attacks
[*] Dark Harvest, for aggressive additional scaling offensive damage
[*] Guardian, the pure support defensive mitigation option
[*] Unsealed Spellbook, for creative and unpredictable spell-swapping and utility
[*] Glacial Augment, for harassing enemies with slows

Sorcery Runes
For newer players, Yuumi's main rune is Summon Aery, and the main path she uses for runes is Sorcery.

Summon Aery is the most "balanced" rune to take on Yuumi. Yuumi can activate Aery in a variety of ways:
--An auto attack (for a minor amount of DPS)
--A Q hit or an Ultimate hit (for DPS)
--Attaching (or jumping) to an ally with You and Me! will activate Aery's shielding effect
--Casting Zoomies on an ally will activate Aery's shield effect

Summon Aery is, in effect, the one rune that does "everything." This rune requires the least amount of thinking (for the most part) and enhances everything in Yuumi's kit. (Or, if you're like me, you've come to realize that it is actually theoretically the most "difficult" rune to use on Yuumi due to how hectic a battle can be; in order to use it optimally, you must consider the exact moments when you must activate the rune... sometimes, you achieve the wrong effect at the wrong time when using the rune!)

In terms of defensive utility, Yuumi is one of the best (and fastest) healers employing Summon Aery. Because she is attached to her ally, using Zoomies Aery will typically make the "recall" effect of Aery near-instant.

Summon Aery does have one notable weakness; attacking an enemy with a long-range Prowling Projectile before healing with Zoomies may cause the shielding effect of Zoomies on your ally to fail if used too quickly in succession. This minor detail can make the difference between saving your teammate's life versus their death. When playing, carefully consider when you are casting Zoomies versus Prowling Projectile.

Aside from this minor weakness, Summon Aery works very well and is generally considered the best all-around enhancing major rune for Yuumi.

Arcane Comet is a more aggressive option compared to Summon Aery.

In a nutshell, Arcane Comet is an option for a more aggressive AP Yuumi that forgoes shielding. Choosing Arcane Comet generally means your intention is to forego supportive items and choose more aggressive laning items.

Arcane Comet will not proc off of auto attacks. It instead procs off of abilities only, generally your Prowling Projectile or Final Chapter. It otherwise will not activate. However, despite this, the advantage is that Arcane Comet is a small area-of-effect circle of damage, with the potential of hitting multiple targets for a fair amount of damage.

Between Arcane Comet and Summon Aery, Arcane Comet will do more early-lane damage. Because it provides nothing for shielding, its only purpose is pure offense. Choosing this rune means you must be more confident in landing your Prowling Projectiles, especially empowered ones.

This pairs well with AP items, especially options like Luden's Tempest, Rabadon's Deathcap, Liandry's Torment, or other major AP Items.

This rune doesn't scale as well as an all-purpose option like Summon Aery, but it is still entirely viable.

Arcane Comet is the option that you want to choose when you want to amp up your damage significantly while still maintaining safety from a distance.

Dark Harvest is a similar option to Arcane Comet in that it is a pure offensive rune like Arcane Comet, but there are differences between the two options.

Dark Harvest's conditions require you to attack around 45% or lower of the enemy's health. Once you do, you'll do more damage than normal. Generally, by the end of the game, you will want to have at least hit 20 stacks on Dark Harvest for it to have meant anything.

Unlike Arcane Comet, Dark Harvest procs off of any kind of damage you do. It can proc off Prowling Projectile, Final Chapter, or even simple auto attacks.

This rune can be used safely from a distance, like Arcane Comet, but because you can also proc it through other means, especially auto attacks, this rune encourages you to be more risky and go for the stacks, sometimes putting you in more dangerous positions; a high-risk, high-reward approach to taking down your enemies.

Unlike Arcane Comet, which eventually falls off, as long as you are continually proccing Dark Harvest, it will scale... infinitely. This is an extremely attractive rune for that reason, and the damage can reach absurd levels, especially once you've gone beyond 30 stacks or so. (By this point, though, it's possible that you've already made your opponents FF from the absurd damage and killstealing potential for this rune).

The best items to pair with this rune are Lich Bane for enhanced auto attacks (which is admittedly quite risky). Another excellent item is Hextech Revolver, for the same reason. Hextech Revolver can become Hextech Gunblade for a safe kill-securing option.

Other good items are Rabadon's Deathcap and especially Mejai's Soulstealer.

I absolutely love this rune on Yuumi. The damage boost can be horrifying in some situations (melting someone with a Lich Bane-enhanced auto attack from 30 to 40% of their health is horrendously shocking when it comes from a Yuumi).

This rune does put you in more dangerous circumstances if you try to auto-attack for the kill. But in the right situations, you can make even the mightiest fear you with this rune. A high-risk, high-skill, high-reward rune.

This rune, however, has a glaring weakness, like all other runes. It does encourage you to chase for kills, which is dangerous. Know when you are safe to pursue a kill and when it is not safe. Like Arcane Comet, you won't have defensive utility, either.

I used to ignore this rune on Yuumi for quite some time. But, once again, in my constant quest in learning how to play Yuumi better, I've learned that this rune is actually fantastic on Yuumi. Unlike all of the other runes, Guardian is the most defensive option available to her. It is the polar opposite of Dark Harvest and Arcane Comet.

Guardian is a more defensive option that allows you to contribute to your teammate. It is the polar opposite of Dark Harvest. Rather than encouraging you to hop off and proc Feline Friendship (you should still proc Feline Friendship whenever it's reasonably possible and safe), Guardian encourages you to stay as close to your allies as possible. It activates whenever you or your teammate(s) take damage while the rune is active.

On the one hand, Guardian seems weaker than Aery. But, the wonderful thing about Guardian is that it is much more consistent as a defensive measure than Aery. It is never accidentally "down" because you used an auto attack or a Prowling Projectile against a target. As long as you're attached to your ally and the damage requirement is met, Guardian will reasonably activate.

Consider the following situation. You need to hop off of your low-health ally to proc Feline Friendship to get a shield for your teammate. However, in doing so, you proc Summon Aery against your opponent, which does extra damage for your auto attack. But, with Summon Aery just activated, it will take a few seconds for Aery to return. In other words, when you reattach to your ally, you will provide the Feline Friendship shield, but Summon Aery's desired shielding effect will not be available.

Guardian is useful in these situations over Aery. You never need to worry about accidentally sacrificing a minor amount of DPS when you provide a shield to your ally; the shield will activate on its own, so long as you are right next to your ally (which is very frequent, as Yuumi is frequently attached to an ally).

Yuumi is arguably one of the best champions to actually use Guardian, because she is attached right on top of her ally. When paired with Feline Friendship and Locket of the Iron Solari, you can provide shield after shield to your allies, frustrating the enemies and mitigating a significant level of damage.

The other benefit is that you can choose to stay attached to your ally with Guardian rather than hopping off; you may opt to not try to go for a Feline Friendship against dangerous opponents like Blitzcrank.

Moreover, Guardian and Locket of the Iron Solari are a good counter-counter setup to the common anti-Yuumi item, Executioner's Calling and its evolutions. This is a good way to mitigate incoming damage from enemies without worrying about the effects of Grievous Wounds. Even if something like Executioner's Calling can mitigate healing, it cannot reduce the effects of shielding, which is something Guardian helps with.

Guardian will generally activate at reasonable moments without having to worry about the issue of balancing DPS from Summon Aery alongside the healing from Zoomies and the shielding from Feline Friendship.

Other ideal runes to look for in this path are Revitalize, Font of Life, Second Wind, and Bone Plating.

Unsealed Spellbook is an option for Yuumi. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Unlike the other options, Unsealed Spellbook is less easily defined than the other options.

There are a few notes about Unsealed Spellbook that the other rune options don't have. First, there's the obvious aspect: You get more flexibility in summoner spells from time to time. Switching them out allows you to pull off neat tricks. Some of the uses I've come up with are:
--Using Flash as an escape if a combat goes wrong, or as an engage with your ultimate
--Using Ghost as an escape from an enemy or as a way to get back to lane faster
--Using Teleport to get back to lane immediately, or otherwise gank a lane or assist an objective
--Using Ignite and Exhaust as you normally would, to stop or secure a kill
--Using Heal as an extra healing option in a pinch
--Using Smite to help secure a dragon faster, or any other monster

Et cetera, et cetera.

There's one notable spell that needs to be mentioned: Clarity. Clarity restores half of your mana (and 25% mana of nearby allies), and the only way to access it is through Unsealed Spellbook. Considering how mana-hungry Yuumi is, this is one of the better options.

Unsealed Spellbook is fun, but choosing the right spell at the right time can be difficult.

Considering Unsealed Spellbook has been nerfed recently, it's hard to figure out where it currently stands or how optimal it is.

Glacial Augment is the last rune worth mentioning. Unlike the other runes, this one is all about controlling the enemies' movement and generally doesn't contribute to DPS, but it can still help secure (or prevent) kills when necessary.

Auto attacks from Glacial Augment slows down enemies. It's handy when it's there, but this rune is really meant for a few specific items, notably:
-- Twin Shadows
-- Hextech Gunblade
-- Everfrost

Twin Shadows is the real reason why you'd want to use this rune. Useful for scouting, Twin Shadows finds enemies and slows them down temporarily. With Glacial Augment, it's less like a slow and more like a lockdown. The combined effect is quite strong. This is quite useful when paired with Shurelya's Battlesong for pursuing or escaping enemies.

For each path, there are certain runes that are more ideal than others.

Sorcery
Between Manaflow Band, Nullifying Orb, and Nimbus Cloak, the first one usually wins out and is the most commonly taken.

Manaflow Band is the most commonly used. The only drawback is that it increases maximum mana for Zoomies and is detrimental to mana regeneration, but the amount of mana is minor enough that it can be easily ignored. Some Yuumi players don't prefer it because it increases maximum mana.

Nimbus Cloak has a small amount of potential as an escape tool when combined with Ghost, Flash, or Heal. Since most Yuumi players don't take boots, this generally gets ignored, but Boots of Swiftness have a lot of potential with this rune.

Nullifying Orb generally isn't taken since Yuumi is quite frail. It is generally useful in laning phase, but doesn't contribute much after that. It's a decent counter to lockdown supports like Lux or Morgana.

In the next trio, Transcendence is probably the best option. CDR is incredibly valuable on Yuumi, and CDR is especially important for AP Yuumi if you choose to go that path.

Celerity generally isn't taken, but if you want a speed-focused Yuumi that can escape enemies, combine this with Nimbus Cloak and Boots of Swiftness.

Absolute Focus has potential if you prefer power over cooldown reduction. Yuumi is also theoretically one of the best users of the rune in late-game, considering she usually hides behind her allies.

In the last batch, Gathering Storm is generally considered the best. Yuumi is generally considered a late-game champion, so this rune is a good match for her.

Scorch isn't taken as often, but it can help you win early lane if you would prefer to win earlier rather than later. Be very careful with teammates who like to tower dive, as this rune will bring more attention to you under turret if Scorch is already activated and if your ally decides to tower dive.

Waterwalking is... meh. You could theoretically build this around the other movement options for a warding mindset, but since Yuumi usually relies on her allies for movement, this isn't recommended.

Precision
There are only two runes worth mentioning here. Precision is a terrible main path for Yuumi, but an excellent secondary path for her.

Presence of Mind restores mana on takedowns, which is something Yuumi appreciates, and when she's on the right carry, this can sometimes mean takedown after takedown, restoring mana sequentially. This is a good rune for her, typically. Be aware of the maximum mana boost this rune provides, thus potentially interfering with Zoomies... but otherwise, this is useful.

Cut Down is generally regarded as the other best option. Since Yuumi's health is usually quite low, this rune is good for boosting damage in general. Since her maximum health is among the lowest, if not the lowest, in the game, this rune boosts her damage output 95% of the time, with rare exceptions. This is the main reason to usually take Precision runes.

Domination
In the first set, I generally prefer Taste of Blood. It's probably not the best rune option here, but most of the rune options in this line aren't good anyway. Yuumi doesn't have the CC to make use of Cheap Shot, and Sudden Impact seems niche for her despite being a high mobility champion.

In the next line, almost any option is viable. I prefer Eyeball Collection for a solid AP boost later (especially with Dark Harvest), but Ghost Poro and Zombie Ward both have their uses for vision assistance. Any of them, really, are quite viable. Eyeball Collection is a good match for things like Mejai's Soulstealer or Lich Bane, while Umbral Glaive is better for the other two options.

In the last line, the most viable options are either Ultimate Hunter or Ingenious Hunter. Ultimate Hunter is good for general builds all the way around, whereas Ingenious Hunter is good if you're building active items like Hextech Gunblade, Redemption, or Twin Shadows, but when a game goes well, it can be easy to forget to build active items depending on the circumstances, making Ultimate Hunter a safer option. Yuumi usually doesn't have the damage for Ravenous Hunter to work well, and Relentless Hunter could theoretically be useful on a movement speed Yuumi that wants to focus on roaming the map and warding, or escaping her opponents.

Resolve
Font of Life is probably the best option in the first line, when landing Final Chapter or Prowling Projectile. The other two are less impressive.

In the second line, the best options are Bone Plating or Second Wind. Either of these help keep you alive when taking damage after hopping off of an anchor.

Revitalize is the rune that you want on the third line, without question, to enhance the healing from Zoomies.

Inspiration
For the first line, Magical Footwear or Perfect Timing are both viable enough. The stopwatch can help you survive a tower dive or throw off your enemies' abilities, while the boots are there if you need them.

For the second line, I prefer Future's Market. It's good for picking up an extra Faerie Charm or Control Ward in early game, and in mid or late game, you can sometimes pick up an advanced item more quickly, allowing you to hit a power spike faster. Biscuit Delivery might be okay as an option, but I don't personally prefer it.

For the third line, Cosmic Insight is the absolute best rune to take and is especially good when paired with Transcendance. Otherwise, Timewarp Tonic isn't bad when it's paired with Corrupting Potion.

Staple items are usually items that are built most of the time (unless you're crazy, like me, and you build all sorts of random things).

Yuumi has a few staple items that most players build: Athene's Unholy Grail and Ardent Censer.

Yuumi's main starting item is Athene's Unholy Grail. Fiendish Codex and Chalice of Harmony build into this item. Athene's boosts ability power and provides mana regen. To use it, try to land hits with empowered Prowling Projectiles. Landing your Q attacks will build up charges and allow you to enhance the healing of your next Zoomies.

After building Athene's, you can choose generally one of four options from the Forbidden Idol items: Ardent Censer, Redemption, Mikael's Blessing, and Shurelya's Battlesong. It is possible to use more than one of these support items, but I'd generally recommend building only two of them, max.

Ardent Censer is a strong item to build for Yuumi and is the most commonly built. It boosts ability power, gives a little bit of mana regeneration, and, when you cast Zoomies on your ally, you will boost their attack speed (which stacks with the Zoomies attack speed boost). Feline Friendship and Aery can both trigger Ardent Censer's effect. Ardent Censer is primarily an offense-oriented item, but it has slightly lower mana regeneration than Athene's Unholy Grail, so it's important to choose between the offense or the mana regeneration. It also boosts healing and shielding, so it covers all of the basics for Yuumi's kit. It's best to pick up this item when your ADC or another AD ally is performing incredibly well.

Redemption is an item used to heal allies from long-range (and also to potentially damage enemies). It has the highest mana regeneration of the mana regen items, so it's a good pick for Yuumi in general. The active effect from this item is good for teamfights, damaging enemies and healing allies, and it pairs well with Ingenious Hunter and Liandry's Torment. It also pairs well with Athene's Unholy Grail in general, because Redemption will boost Athene's AP by a few points.

Mikael's Blessing is a magic-resist item to counter CC effects. It's a good item to build against Leona, Morgana, Zoe, Lux, Neeko, and similar champions. Your reflexes have to be quick with this item, but if you can predict the enemy's CC, you can surprise them, turning the combat around by either freeing yourself or your ADC / attached ally from CC. This item doesn't work against pulls from hook champions or from knockups, but it's still a good anti-CC option.

Shurelya's Battlesong is an item mostly used in situations where you either want to help your allies pursue enemies or escape from enemies. It pairs very well with Twin Shadows and Ingenious Hunter.

And now we arrive to the real portion of the guide. Item building in League is difficult to learn for newer players. Players generally should not build the same items between every game.

For Yuumi, personally, what I prefer to do is build 2 mana regeneration items, and then I build other items depending on what role I want to play for the team.

If I want to contribute damage, I tend to build things like Liandry's Torment, Rabadon's Deathcap, or maybe Mejai's Soulstealer.

If I know my teammates are doing well and if I want to strictly support them, I build things like Redemption, or Locket of the Iron Solari.

If I want absolute control over vision, I build things like Umbral Glaive or Twin Shadows.

You don't have to lock yourself to a strict path. The beauty of League is that it's a test of your skill, but on several levels: your mechanical skills, your item building, your ability to be aware of your teammates, your limits.

If you lock yourself into a strict path of building only the standard items each time, it makes the game far too predictable.

That said, each champion has strengths and weaknesses. Regardless of what you choose to build on Yuumi for your main starting items, you should generally pick up Faerie Charms or evolved forms of it so you can constantly regain mana.

As long as you have mana regeneration, you can generally build what you want within reason.

There are several parts to this section of the guide:
--Starting Items (items you'll want to start off with
--First Back Item Paths (items you'll want to buy the first time you return to the fountain)
--Intermediate Items
--Advanced Items

Spellthief's Edge is the first item you should start off with. Your goal with this item is to land auto attacks and Prowling Projectiles to hit the enemy and gain gold. Spellthief's Edge, most importantly, has mana regeneration, and it allows you to eventually use it to place down vision.

You could either start with two Health Potions or a single Control Ward. I generally start with two potions, but if you're confident about your laning phase, you could always pick up the control ward instead.

Recently, some players have started using three or four Faerie Charms rather than Spellthief's, but I wouldn't recommend it. Spellthief's will help you get the vision you need, sooner rather than later.

For your first back, you're generally somewhere between 500-1200 Gold.

For Yuumi, there's generally one rule to follow each and every game. Yuumi absolutely must have mana regeneration. Always buy at least two Faerie Charms on your first back. Pick up Control Wards whenever it's possible.

Whatever item path you take, I would strongly recommend leaving the two Faerie Charms alone unless you have a specific reason to build into Forbidden Idol or Chalice of Harmony.

You could pick up 2 Faerie Charms and you could build an AP item, such as Amplifying Tome or Blasting Wand. If you're doing really well in lane and end up with 1,200+ gold, you could pick one AP item from a variety of options: Fiendish Codex, Aether Wisp, Blasting Wand, Needlessly Large Rod, or Hextech Revolver.

Alternatively to that, you could pick up four Faerie Charms if you're building into Mikael's Blessing.

Lastly, an underestimated and powerful option is 2 Faerie Charms and a Corrupting Potion. Corrupting Potion is excellent for regenerating mana while staying attached to your ADC / ally. You will eventually want to abandon the potion later, but it provides the advantage of restoring mana without hopping off of your ADC. Time Warp Tonic is useful with this.

Items:
Faerie Charm, Faerie Charm, Amplifying Tome, and Control Wards.

This is a simple starting item set which is highly flexible and can build into a ton of different options. It's a cheap starting set at around 700 Gold. Unless your lane is just starting off devastatingly, you can generally build into this almost all of the time. It's a pretty standard way to prepare for lane. Adding in a few Control Wards will push the price up to about 850 gold.

Amplifying Tome builds into a plethora of items, including Yuumi's most well-known item, Athene's Unholy Grail.

Amplifying Tome can build into a myriad of options:

Fiendish Codex, which builds into Athene's Unholy Grail, Twin Shadows, or Banshee's Veil
Aether Wisp, which builds into Ardent Censer and Twin Shadows
Haunting Guise, which builds into Liandry's Torment
Oblivion Orb, which builds into Morellonomicon
Hextech Revolver, which builds into Hextech Gunblade
Void Staff

Items:
Faerie Charm, Faerie Charm, Blasting Wand.

Generally, if your lane is going really well, you'll have about 1,000 gold. If Yuumi is winning lane, I'd strongly recommend starting off this way. Build this if you're prioritizing leveling up Prowling Projectile for damage and Zoomies second.

Blasting Wand is a moderately expensive beginning AP item focus that allows you to build into several strong AP items. It is a very strong starting option and it's generally something you can buy if you're doing well in lane. It builds into the following items (most recommended items at the top):
Liandry's Torment, to shred high-health enemies
Morellonomicon, to counter healers and lifestealers
Void Staff, to counter enemies who build magic resist items
Banshee's Veil, an excellent antimagic and one-time anti-CC option
Luden's Tempest, for a Q power boost
Lich Bane, for enhanced Bop n' Block attacks
Rylai's Crystal Scepter, for enhanced Q slows

Items:
Chalice of Harmony, Control Wards.

This item is similar to the previous path. You won't be doing much damage here, but usually, building this item means building into Athene's Unholy Grail. It can also lead to Mikael's Blessing, but you'll generally take this item if you're facing AP/CC support champions, like Brand, Soraka, Sona, Lulu, Lux, et cetera.

If you have enough gold to add the Amplifying Tome or Fiendish Codex, go ahead and add it so that you can start building into Athene's Unholy Grail.

Items:
Forbidden Idol, Control Wards.

Forbidden Idol is the item you'll want to take for healing. If your ADC seems to be taking a lot of damage during trades, build this to try to protect them.

If your ADC is doing exceptionally poorly, this item is what you build to try to keep the lane from falling apart too quickly. Once the laning phase is over, if your ADC is failing, you'll want to attach to your ally who's performing the best, so that you can support them.

Items:
Faerie Charm, Faerie Charm, Long Sword, Long Sword, Control Wards.

There is one reason, and one reason only, that you'd ever want to start this path: building into Umbral Glaive or Hextech Gunblade.

This is a niche item path that should rarely be used, and only if you're going for Umbral Glaive as a first item. Read up on the Umbral Glaive section below.

Your first back might get you an intermediate item, and there are quite a few options to consider.

As stated before, Chalice of Harmony is a mana-regen and magic-resist item that's useful against magical supports like Brand, Sona, Lux, Morgana, et cetera. Build this if you know for certain that you're going into Athene's Unholy Grail. As strong as Athene's is, keep in mind that, as a first item, Chalice of Harmony isn't as useful against enemies like Blitzcrank, Nautilus, Thresh, and Pyke. It passively increases health regeneration, which is nice, but it might not do you any favors against AD-heavy champions.

Forbidden Idol is what you buy when you want to keep your ADC healed and alive with the heal and shield power boost. Enough said.

Fiendish Codex is a solid first-item buy that can build into a variety of options later down the road. 35 AP with a 10% CDR boost isn't a bad option to start with, especially when paired with two Faerie Charms. This is mainly for Athene's Unholy Grail, but it can also build into Banshee's Veil or Twin Shadows.

Blasting Wand is a pure AP item, at 40 AP. Very useful and powerful on a first back, if you're ahead.

Aether Wisp is also a good first-item buy. With 30 AP and 5 movement speed, it's slightly weaker than Fiendish Codex, but since Yuumi generally doesn't buy boots, the movement speed is welcome. This generally builds into Ardent Censer, but it also builds into several other nice items: the ever-useful Twin Shadows, the auto-attack enhancing Lich Bane, or the powerful Spellbinder.

Hextech Revolver is a very useful item for enhancing AP, as well as enhancing Yuumi's Bop n' Block passive. The cooldown is approximately 40 seconds, but even though it's an active item, it still works with Ingenious Hunter. Hextech Revolver later builds into Hextech Gunblade, which is a useful tool for Yuumi when she wants to help her allies later... or "help" them by kill-stealing.

Sheen is an auto-attack enhancer that can later build into Lich Bane, but compared to Hextech Revolver, I consider it a lesser choice for Yuumi. It will make it harder for Yuumi to use Zoomies.

A note in general... Most games finish around the 25 to 30 minute mark, if players haven't FF'd at 15 or 20. And most guides recommend extravagant full build sets, but that generally isn't realistic. By the time you finish your 2nd or 3rd item, especially as a support player, the game is probably already over.

By the point you reach 1 or 2 full support items, you have a choice. You can either continue to build support items exclusively (if your teammates are doing very well), or you can build a hybrid set with two support items and some AP options. After dying or backing, you should check your enemies' equipment and your allies' equipment, pick one person on their team to counter, and build what you think you need.

For right now, the general recommendation is to build items that increase mana regeneration, but items that do not add to maximum mana.

The reason for this is because of Yuumi's Zoomies. Spamming Yuumi's Zoomies will destroy her mana. She needs to use these sparingly, but there are times when you can't avoid it because you want to keep your teammates alive. If Yuumi builds maximum mana, then it makes it harder for her to use Zoomies later. Patch 10.15 will allow Yuumi to restore mana with her passive, but sometimes this isn't enough. (Previously, Feline Friendship restored a set number of mana; now, it will restore a percentage of mana, which helps her in maximum mana builds, but mana regeneration will still suffer from items that boost maximum mana.)

Note that it is still *possible* to build AP + Max Mana items ( Luden's Tempest, Seraph's Embrace, Everfrost) by this point. But recognize that, if you do, it will make it harder to use Zoomies. You can always restore maximum mana with Feline Friendship... But it will make it harder to heal in tight situations.

Rabadon's Deathcap is one of the first items that should be mentioned. It's a pure AP boost and it will amplify all of your abilities without negatively affecting mana regeneration. However, Needlessly Large Rods are expensive, requiring 1,200 gold at almost every step. Build into one of these if you can, but if you can't, don't fret over it. You could build a Blasting Wand into another powerful item instead.

Spellbinder is an alternative to Rabadan's Deathcap, and you could build an Aether Wisp into that. I don't personally use this one much, but it could theoretically be useful. In some situations it may be easier to build Spellbinder rather than waiting for Rabadan's.

Mejai's Soulstealer is a cheaper alternative to these two items, but it's a riskier item. Yuumi can build the item more safely compared to other champs, but if she dies, then she loses the advantage of building the item in the first place. It's a good item to build when you're doing well, but it's not a good idea to build this if you're occasionally dying. This item does increase maximum mana somewhat, but the benefits of the item outweigh the costs of it, in terms of gold and mana, so long as you don't die and don't lose any stacks from its passive. If you find yourself buying this item, but then not gaining any stacks, it's better to sell it immediately in favor of another AP-boosting item.

Liandry's Torment is a decent item for Yuumi, though expensive. Yuumi won't use the "madness" passive that increases damage the longer she's in combat; the point of this, rather, is to focus on the Torment passive, which damages the enemy for a small percentage of their maximum health. Liandry's Torment is good for shredding tanks who haven't built magic resistance, as it stacks on Yuumi's Q (which, when empowered, also does damage based on maximum percent health). It also pairs very well with Redemption, because Redemption's area of effect damage, when it lands, will activate the Torment passive. When combining this with your ultimate, it's possible to land a combo that does damage to the opponents based on their maximum health (while potentially healing allies in the process). Lastly, pairing this item with Redemption gives Yuumi some extra health to work with, assuming you're not taking the Cut Down rune.

Twin Shadows is a cheap and relatively useful AP item. It's especially good in combination with Shurelya's Battlesong and Ingenious Hunter, and it's incredibly strong with Glacial Augment. You can use this to help catch and slow down enemies, or you can use it to escape from them as well. It's also a great vision item for checking the jungle and seeing where your opponents are.


Void Staff is an under-appreciated AP item that bypasses magic resistance. If you find that your opponents are building magic resistance, this item will help you bypass your opponent's defensive items with your Qs and with your Ult.

Morellonomicon is a useful item for countering other sustain supports, such as Soraka, Sona, Nami, or Senna. It also counters lifesteal in general. Use this if your opponents have items or abilities that restore their health.

Banshee's Veil is a strong magic resist item, and it can help Yuumi survive bouncing from one teammate to the next. Yuumi makes a decent user of the item, as she can generally stay attached to allies for 40 seconds and not get damaged by an opponent, potentially reactivating the spellshield that it provides. This is an excellent counter item to Caitlyn as well; Caitlyn's ultimate, if it targets your ally, will be telegraphed with the red line. You can hop off and block Caitlyn's ultimate for no damage, and then reattach to your ally. It's also a potential counter item against opponents like Morgana or Lux to block their heavy CC.

Zhonya's Hourglass is the sister item to Banshee's Veil. Whereas Banshee's Veil boosts magic resist, Zhonya's Hourglass boosts defense. This item is a decent item against an AD-heavy teams for the armor effect, but generally, this item isn't needed. It might be possible to bait out enemies, but be careful with it.

Lich Bane, I have recently discovered, is seemingly quite a useful item for Yuumi as a "hybrid" option. It does increase maximum mana somewhat, but the Moonflair Spellblade passive is valuable for Yuumi's Feline Friendship. This is especially effective when stacked with Dark Harvest. This item does come with a few drawbacks; maximizing on its potential means hopping off for more auto attacks (so it may encourage you to jump off against a CC opponent, which is dangerous), and it does increase maximum mana a slight amount. However, compared to other items like Luden's Tempest or Archangel's Staff, this weapon doesn't increase maximum mana too much, so it remains as a viable option.

Hextech Gunblade is an expensive option, but it can be useful if you want to contribute damage to an opponent and slow them at the same time without detaching from your ally. It also has a low cooldown, and is very good when paired with Ingenious Hunter. You can use it to slow down a fleeing enemy, or you can use it in a combo with auto attacks, Prowling Projectile, and Ignite for some unexpected burst damage against low-health assassins or ADCs. It is a "safer" option compared to Lich Bane.

Locket of the Iron Solari is a decent support item that you can use to give your teammates barriers. It is a useful item from time to time, but it has several weaknesses. First, it doesn't supply the mana regeneration that Yuumi wants. Secondly, the generated barrier depends on the user's maximum health, which Yuumi has very little of. Lastly, it boosts Defense and Magic Resistance, but Yuumi generally doesn't need this because she attaches to her teammates. If her teammates die, then she's generally dead regardless of the fact.

Any item that builds from Tear of the Goddess also suffers from high max mana. It is ironic that a max mana item gives you less mana to work with for healing, but I generally don't find this item to be helpful. It makes mana regeneration items less useful for healing, so I don't recommend building it. It does technically lower the cost of Zoomies by 10%, and it does give you more Qs to work with, as long as you don't use Zoomies.

Lost Chapter seems to be also be a lost cause for Yuumi. On the one hand, it boosts Yuumi's number of Prowling Projectiles she can throw out; on the other, it hurts her ability to heal her allies with Zoomies, because it increases her maximum mana. She does get mana restoration from leveling up, but by the time you receive the item, you're probably already around level 8 or 9, so you get 10 mana restorations back, maximum.

Yuumi can technically get mana from Feline Friendship, but there are times when poking for mana isn't as viable (when a teamfight is starting and when there are 3-4 enemies very close by).

Luden's Tempest is a possibility for AP Yuumi. I don't use this item often, but I find it to be more powerful and more useful than Archangel's Staff. It will certainly make Yuumi's Prowling Projectile significantly stronger, but it will make it harder for Yuumi to use Zoomies. The nice thing about this item is that when your ally moves, it will charge Luden's.

Everfrost is usable on Yuumi, and it has a nice active, but it suffers from the same problem that all of the Lost Chapter items suffer from: high mana. It can help secure landing Final Chapter with the slow effect, but you could just use Twin Shadows or Hextech Gunblade to accomplish a similar or better effect.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter would theoretically help Yuumi's Qs slow even more (though it's for a very short duration), and potentially allow her Final Chapter to better lock the enemies down. It also gives her a small health boost. I haven't used this item enough to make a fair assessment of it, but I don't think it adds a ton to Yuumi's kit. Her Qs already have a small slow effect. This item gives both health and ability power, but I typically view Twin Shadows as a superior (and cheaper) item for slow effects.

Umbral Glaive is useful as an anti-warding tool. I'm giving it its own section below.

Umbral Glaive is such an interesting item that it deserves its own section.

This item is an underappreciated and underestimated vision item, useful for quickly destroying enemy wards and traps. For Yuumi, unfortunately, it's an AD item and not an AP item, so it will not enhance anything besides Feline Friendship and auto attacks. Combined with Oracle Lens and the Zombie Ward rune, this will allow you to seek out and destroy the enemy's vision mercilessly.

In the support role, vision is the name of the game. And to stay ahead of your enemies, clearing vision is absolutely crucial. There's one problem with Oracle Lens and mages: auto attacks are too slow. By the time you've cleared out one regular ward, the Oracle Lens is gone, which makes using it feel like a waste. Umbral Glaive solves this problem. When the eyeball/exclamation mark appears above the character using it, it alerts the user that a ward is nearby. This item allows you to one-shot Yellow wards and traps ( Control Wards still require two hits).

Umbral Glaive cannot check for traps; it can only check for wards, but it will still destroy traps as quickly as it does wards. However, if the Umbral Glaive activates, it will also find traps. Wards are just the trigger condition to activate the item's effect.

Oracle Lens can check for nearby wards, traps, or invisible enemies when Umbral Glaive's passive effect is on its cooldown. This only searches out wards initially, and traps will coincidentally appear after that; it can't search for invisible enemies. Umbral Glaive is also an excellent counter item against specific trap users, such as Teemo, Jhin, Nidalee, and maybe Shaco. This item will not reveal traps, but you can sweep with Oracle Lens or lay down a Control Ward if you suspect dangerous traps are nearby.

Ardent Censer + Redemption
Ardent Censer boosts Yuumi's attack speed (and her ally's) whenever she shields or heals them. A Feline Friendship barrier can repeatedly trigger Ardent Censer's effect whenever she jumps between allies with the shield. But the real synergy comes from Redemption's ability to trigger Ardent Censer's attack speed boost effect to multiple allies at once. Redemption also has 150% base mana regeneration, to help offset Ardent Censer's lower 50% base mana regeneration.

Liandry's Torment + Redemption
Just like above, Redemption's large area of effect allows it to deal 10% true damage to enemies while simultaneously activating Liandry's Torment's passive burns effect. Locking the enemies down with Final Chapter and casting Redemption on them is a powerful way to deal shave damage to several enemies at once, with some of the damage ignoring the enemy's resistances.

Shurelya's Battlesong + Twin Shadows
This set focuses on manipulating ally movement and enemy movement. Shurelya's Battlesong gives the mana regeneration that Yuumi needs, while Twin Shadows provides the AP that she wants. Casting Shurelya's Battlesong will boost ally movement speed while Twin Shadows can slow them down. They can be used either separately or together. Twin Shadows is also a good vision option, as it allows you to find enemies if you don't see them in the current established vision.

Mikael's Blessing + Umbral Glaive + Twin Shadows + Oracle Lens
This set is the ultimate vision set. Mikael's Blessing can be replaced with the other items, but it's notable for providing health regeneration (since Umbral Glaive encourages you to hop off and provide auto attacks sometimes). The real key here is using Twin Shadows to find enemies and using Umbral Glaive to destroy enemy wards. This set is far more experimental than others, but it's quite a fun one to play around with.

Glacial Augment + Ingenious Hunter + Twin Shadows + Bilgewater Cutlass/ Hextech Gunblade + Faerie Charms
This item combination should speak for itself. The goal here is to slow down enemies with Glacial Augment as much as possible with Twin Shadows and Bilgewater Cutlass. This is the only time when you'd theoretically build Bilgewater Cutlass before Hextech Revolver. Though Hextech Revolver provides the AP that Yuumi wants, the idea for this set is to activate the slows as much as possible. This kit gives two slows to work with. The Faerie Charms for this build would best be invested into Shurelya's Battlesong or Redemption to capitalize on Ingenious Hunter's effects.

Tear of the Goddess is a strange item for Yuumi, enough that it deserves its own section.

Personally, for those who don't want to read the essay below, and especially for beginner Yuumi players, I would recommend staying far away from Tear.

What this item does for Yuumi is that it "frontloads" the mana cost of Zoomies and reduces the mana cost to about 13.5%. When it develops into Archangel's Staff, the mana cost is reduced further, to approximately 11.5%.

Whereas a tearless Yuumi gets about 6 to 7 uses of Zoomies (at full mana, without consideration of Prowling Projectile uses), Tear extends this to about one more use. When Archangel's Staff is developed, this results in approximately 10-12 uses of Zoomies, back to back, with no Prowling Projectiles or Feline Friendships considered.

But! The main problem is that Zoomies, with its max mana cost at 15%, conflicts with the purpose of the item. As far as I can recall, Yuumi is the only champion in the game who has a max mana cost at 15% mana. This means a single Zoomies ability, built with only max mana items ( Seraph's Embrace and five Luden's Tempests), can reach a cost of anywhere of 800 to 1000 max mana... Which is insane. This would never happen in a real game, of course, but this demonstrates why Yuumi needs mana regeneration and not maximum mana.

There is a benefit to using Tear/Seraph's for "burst" Zoomies back-to-back: you can extend your healing in a fight by approximately four uses against high-health targets.

Tear reduces the cost of any mana ability by 10%. The problem is that Yuumi's max mana cost is 15%, so you'd be shaving off 1.5% of mana cost while Tear is still just a tear. Yuumi's Feline Friendship restores 8% mana, so you can refund half of what you'd lose from a Zoomies. It requires you to hop off and acquire a shield to protect your allies. There are times when you want to do this and times when you don't. When it's ideal and safe to try this, Tear is valuable. When it's not safe to do this (too many enemies in a team fight), Tear backfires, giving you more uses of Zoomies, but forcing you to sit safely on your carry.

It takes too long for Yuumi to build the tear up with mana. With only three mana spells (and one of them being an ultimate), it's going to take her far longer to build than, say, Sona, who can spam abilities to build her Tear. Yuumi finishes her Tear or Archangel's Staff in about 30 minutes, which means buying this item is an early-investment item in the belief that the game will become a "late-game" (longer than 30 minutes) game. The item can also be bought *late* for the 10% mana refund, but as the item eventually builds, it will interfere with mana regeneration and the ability to use Zoomies more often.

The other problem with the item is that it reduces the value of mana regeneration after disengaging from a fight.

More often than not, you could probably have a better item, such as Athene's Unholy Grail or Ardent Censer, probably around 10-15 minutes into the game, or even an AP item like Liandry's Torment at around 15-20 minutes and still have enough Faerie Charms to resolve the mana problem; or, you could just have a stronger support item like Athene's Unholy Grail even earlier than that.

There's also a problem of the utility that Seraph's Embrace gives. Yuumi is a squishy champion, so the barrier it provides generally won't be useful as a defensive measure anyway. By the time this ability can be accessed, tanks and assassins will be able to shred an unattached Yuumi to pieces (they generally already can anyway).

Archangel's Staff is usable item to extend Prowling Projectile uses, but for Zoomies, it is less than ideal when far better options exist. The gold cost is far too high and the time investment is too long to make the item useful for the minimal benefits it provides.

Mana regeneration items, in general, are superior to the Tear option. They're cheaper and they're more efficient and ideal for boosting healing for Zoomies. If you end up with no mana, it's better to wait while you're attached and let the mana regeneration items do their work.

In a full support build focusing almost exclusively on mana regeneration... Shard of True Ice, Athene's Unholy Grail, Ardent Censer, Mikael's Blessing, Shurelya's Battlesong, and Redemption, Yuumi will have approximately 20-22 points of mana regen, which results in recovering her full mana bar in 55 seconds. It takes only one to two seconds to recover a Prowling Projectile use and not that much more for a Zoomies recast.

Naturally, a mix between AP items and Support Mana items will mean less mana regeneration, but in the end, because of Zoomies, it will generally always be better for her to build mana regen rather than maximum mana.

Yuumi is primarily a mage, but since her Feline Friendship occasionally requires you to use an auto attack, there are a few items to mention here for enhancing Yuumi's auto attacks.

After playing Yuumi for so long, I wanted to play some meme games and I tried AD Yuumi. It's fun for memes, but Yuumi's health is far too frail to actually seriously attempt staying off of an attached ally for too long.

But after so long, I've discovered that there is an actual "hybrid" set that works. There are two ways to go about this:

Path A: Dark Harvest, Ingenious Hunter, Lich Bane, Hextech Revolver, and Athene's Unholy Grail.

Path B: Hextech Gunblade, Athene's Unholy Grail, Ingenious Hunter, and any other runeset and item set.

There are two primary differences between these sets, and there is a difference between the early build items.

Regardless of which path is taken, the early cost between the two paths is similar. The items in question are Sheen and Hextech Revolver.

Sheen is good and problematic at the same time. On the one hand, it gives Yuumi the spellblade passive to enhance her auto attacks, and it also gives more uses of Prowling Projectile. On the other hand, the maximum mana makes it harder for Yuumi to use Zoomies to heal her allies. But then there's an upside to the item: Sheen eventually evolves into Lich Bane, a powerful AP item which enhances and scales with Yuumi's AP (massive damage with auto attacks). The item's spellblade effect does 50% of AP damage on an enhance spellblade auto attack.

Hextech Revolver is an early damage option, but in contrast to Lich Bane, Hextech Gunblade's damage for the active effect eventually falls off. It does scale with 30% damage, but the cooldown on the item is longer than Lich Bane. But the item has a slowing effect, and the passive effect can be used while Yuumi is attached (thus, while she is untargettable). So Hextech Revolver eventually evolves into Hextech Gunblade, which is a safer item for Yuumi to use.

If you want to explore the idea of running a hybrid Yuumi, I would suggest, then, to stack the effects of Dark Harvest, Lich Bane, and Hextech Revolver, backing it up with Athene's Unholy Grail for the healing. This is an expensive path, but it can do some insane damage. This is also one strange case where it may be worth leaving an item unevolved ( Hextech Revolver) to keep the damage amped up.

On the other hand, Hextech Gunblade with an Athene's Unholy Grail is a simpler path with a greater variety of other options in the build. It's also safer if you don't want to be overly aggressive.

I think movement speed deserves its own section because I think it needs to be addressed.

A lot of expert Yuumi players believe that Yuumi should take only two battle summoner spells. The usual suspects are Exhaust, Ignite, and Heal. While these are effective, I also don't think they're the answers 100% of the time.

Then there's the issue of Boots or any of its advanced versions. Most Yuumi players don't recommend boots. I don't particularly like this. There are several advantages to having boots on Yuumi.

Advanced Yuumi players tend to think only in terms of meta. Top players in the meta consider Yuumi only as a battle-based champion and not as a roaming warder, except it seems they're ignoring a part of her kit... Zoomies.

Zoomies has a high mana cost, but people generally ignore it for moving champions around the map. One Zoomies can generally be used safely to boost an ally's movement speed from base, and with proper mana regeneration, this isn't a problem.

But I can think of several times when boots were very helpful in a given situation, or would have been helpful when I didn't build them.

There are three primary reasons why you'd want to build boots:
1) Moving around the map and warding, when you aren't attached to allies
2) Rushing to an ally to help them in combat or in a situation where they need support
3) Running away from an enemy who would otherwise kill you if you didn't have boots

If building boots, I would recommend only a few forms of boots: Boots of Swiftness, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, or Sorcerer's Shoes.

Boots of Swiftness is especially effective when paired with Ghost and Zoomies. You can either use it to roam very quickly in and out of the jungle (preferably to ward the dragon pit), or you can use it as a powerful escape tool to get away from your opponents when your attached ally dies. You can also use it to rush down a lane to assist an ally. Most enemies will not be able to catch you without some form of CC in their kit.

Flash is used on Yuumi just like it would be used on most other champions. You can use this as a surprise engage tool with Final Chapter to root your enemies, or you can use it as an escape to avoid dying.

Teleport can be used to help an ally anywhere on the map, or you can use it to get back to lane immediately after an early back for Faerie Charms.

There's also one advantage that Boots of Swiftness especially provides Yuumi... a little bit of independence from her anchors.

Not having boots means you're tying your dependency even more on other allies. Recognize that, if you don't build boots, you're tying yourself down to your allies, and you're doubling down on combat while sacrificing potential roaming for warding.

In the higher elos, it makes sense to build items that aren't boots because you're trading movement for power. In lower elos, this makes less sense. You can't count on your teammates to know exactly how Yuumi works. The boots may help you have an escape, whereas you otherwise wouldn't have that escape if you don't buy them.

In short, don't completely throw away the idea of using boots on Yuumi. Play around with them and experiment with them from game to game. Consider whether you want power with your abilities, or whether you want movement for utility warding and escaping.

Yuumi can use several abilities concurrently. The only two abilities she cannot use at the same time are her Q and her Ultimate; those must be used separately.

While attached and using her Q or R, Yuumi is still able to detach from her ally or jump to another ally. Detaching from her ally while using the Ultimate ability will allow her greater control over where the energy waves land. Sometimes, your allies will not move in the way you predict, so detaching allows you control of where your ultimate lands. It is risky to detach from an ally while using ultimate; if you get CC'd, your ult will be cancelled, and you'll likely die.

While Yuumi is using her ultimate, she can still use Zoomies to heal her allies or herself.

Yuumi doesn't have high-damage "combos" to work with, like most champions do. But she does have fast action sequences that need to be learned.

Common "combos" for Yuumi is (where "AA" means auto attack):
W (detach) -> Bop n' Block AA -> W (attach) ... This is to get a quick Feline Friendship barrier. You'll need to do this to help your allies survive. It's best to do this quickly in "one-on-one" fights (when your attached ally is fighting against someone). The barrier will help your ally survive, and you'll get some mana for your other abilities to use.

Close Range Combos (One Low-Health Target)
*where "AA" means "auto attack"

AA -> Prowling Projectile -> AA, + Ignite + Exhaust -> Zoomies + AA strings...

AA -> Final Chapter, + Ignite + Exhaust --> Zoomies + AA strings...

This is the only way Yuumi can do a "combo" against an enemy. Yuumi should have high health and at least half of her mana before engaging. At the "end" of these combos, Zoomies into auto attack strings will do a decent amount of damage in the early game. Note that this generally doesn't work against toplane tank characters. This is best against low-health ADCs, supports, and assassins who don't use lifesteal.

Mid-range Engage Combos
Final Chapter + Redemption, Liandry's Torment
The idea here is to lock down the enemy with Yuumi's ultimate and also to damage enemies with Redemption. Liandry's isn't required for the combo, but Redemption and Yuumi's Ultimate will both trigger Liandry's passive for slow burn damage. This is decent as an engage tool in a group fight.

Before you play against any particular champions, we should talk about banning. If you're going to play Yuumi, the targets you should consider banning, for the most part, have these things in common: bulky, CC, and free-roam potential, especially if they get early kills.

The first three all have something in common with each other: Pantheon, Volibear, and Sett are close-range-combat CC fighters who you can't duel. Because of their bruiser health, they can generally free roam to ward, even if they're not standard supports.

Pantheon. This is my current permaban. This champion simply does too much as a support. As a bruiser, he's too tanky. He has a long-range Q, which is a minor problem, but it's his gap-closing CC (which will destroy you) and his ability to block tower shots that's ridiculous. Even before level 6, he can easily tower dive your ADC. His ultimate is a teleport of sorts, and while the range on it isn't massive, his CC is a death sentence. Even after the recent nerf, he simply does too much.

Volibear. Volibear is a rarer support pick compared to Pantheon. He doesn't necessarily deserve a ban like Pantheon, but he's cut from the same cloth. ADCs who don't respect his CC will die to him quickly. He's not as bad as Pantheon, but he has AoE ranged damage and can shut down a turret.

Sett. Sett has a fast CC ability that will shut you down if he catches you out. Ward the bush closest to your turret. He will hide there and either Flash or Hexflash to try to catch you or your ADC out. But the real reason this one is a problem is because he free-roams and you simply can't duel him alone, which allows him to ward for free, especially if your jungler is clueless.

Swain. Most ADCs simply don't know how to dodge his claw attack, which leads into roots and "mini-hooks." With such a fast projectile, a short range, and with little to almost no time to react, ADCs will get caught for easy damage. He has insane sniping range as well with one of his abilities. He tends to build magical bruiser items, like Liandry's Torment or Rylai's Crystal Scepter, which, combined with his ultimate, makes him a problem. Morellonomicon can help against him, but the item is too expensive to get early to stop him. He isn't as bulky as the three above, but he's still a huge problem.

Morgana or Lux. By themselves, they may be average to higher-than-average difficulty to deal with, but the real reason why you would want to ban either of these champions is to prevent the Morgana/ Lux duo botlane. The two of them together are absurd. Both of their Qs root. Lux's can pierce through a minion, while Morgana's Q hitbox is simply fast and absurdly large. Both of them have an AoE damaging ability (Morgana's is a slow drain, whereas Lux's can slow). Morgana can follow up either root with her Ultimate. In short, their CC is so strong that not even Mikael's Blessing will likely be able to address it. Low-elo ADCs generally aren't bright enough in low elo to take Cleanse, either, and they rarely build Quicksilver Sash.

Against Pantheon, first of all, ban him. If you didn't ban him, then grab the nearest handkerchief, roll it into a cylander, bit it like it's a corn on the cob and start sobbing. If you have a therapist, consider scheduling a visit. If you have a God, start praying, and if you don't have a God, pick one and then start praying, and if you're an atheist, this would be an appropriate moment to spiral into depression. Beg and ping your jungler to come to botlane at every opportune moment. Get Mikael's Blessing, cling to your ADC, don't hop off unless you know your ADC is going to die like an idiot, and heal them as much as you can before your ADC inevitably dies like an idiot. Cleanse them when they do get CC'd, ping that you used it, and then remind your ADC that Cleanse and Barrier do, in fact, exist as summoner spells. Make sure to do it politely so that you don't get reported.

Against Caitlyn in the late game, Banshee's Veil is a good item. If your shield is up when an ally is being targeted by Caitlyn's ultimate, you an hop off and block Caitlyn's Ultimate and take no damage from it.

Against Morgana, Lux, Neeko, Leona, and similar champs, Mikael's Blessing and Banshee's Veil work very well to counter their CC. Lux and Neeko tend to focus on pure damage-boosting items like Luden's Tempest. Morgana can go either AP or support items to boost her shields, so pay attention to what she builds. The summoner spell Cleanse is useful against these champs as well.

Against Sona, Mikael's Blessing is a very strong counter item to her. While the magic resist is nice, the reason you'd want to take it against her is to counter her Crescendo with it. She only has this single form of CC, so immediately freeing your ADC from it will allow the ADC to counter her and kill her quickly, or the enemy ADC.

Leona is an AP-champion, but she tends to focus on building defensive items. Pay attention to what she builds. If she builds magic resist, you could build a Void Staff late game to deal with the problem. Be very careful in approaching her. A single mistake usually means instant death. Cleanse is useful against her CC, but you will need quick reactions to survive.

Against Blitzcrank, Thresh, Pyke, Nautilus... Check their items each time they return to lane. If they begin building magic resistance items, you might consider a Blasting Wand into a Void Staff in the later part of the game. If they build only armor items to counter your ADC, it's best to focus building Athene's Unholy Grail and Ardent Censer to boost your damage from Prowling Projectile and help your ADC deal faster damage with attack speed. Always hide behind minions when you're unattached. Sometimes, you can bait out their hooks by going to an obvious spot, and you can dodge if you quickly attach to your ADC.

Against Pyke in particular, a well-timed Flash seems to be the best counter to him. Pyke likes to use his hook (Q) into his stun-duash (E). Even if Pyke manages to hook you, quick reflexes with Flash should allow you to dodge his (E).

Against champions with healing, like Soraka, Sona, and Nami, or especially against champions like Draven who like to build Bloodthirster, it's a good idea to start with Athene's Unholy Grail and then work on building into Morellonomicon.

Janna isn't a commonly picked support in botlane, but after after Athene's Unholy Grail, the best way to deal with her is probably Twin Shadows. Janna is a champion who has barriers and high movement speed, so Twin Shadows might help lock her down when she tries to escape.

Lulu is problematic with her shields and her CC. Be careful when engaging against her. The best way to deal with her is to try to Q her as much as possible. Your best hope against her is to build Ardent Censer and hope your ADC will take her out in lane. Lulu can boost her movement speed, so Twin Shadows might help if she's trying to escape.

Pyke, Twitch, and Evelynn are all assassins with their stealth capabilities. All three of these characters hate Control Wards. Stick one in the middle of your lane and they won't be able to hide in their invisibility anymore. A hint... You want to stick the control ward in the middle of your lane, close enough for you to defend it from the enemies. For Evelyn, who generally enters from Tri or River, you could stick it in the brush at Tri, but if you can place the ward in an ideal spot, you can render their invisibility useless, giving you information about their attack patterns.

Pyke is an absolute danger who should never be allowed to snowball. If he does snowball, he'll kill left and right. But in particular, the problem with Pyke is his favoritism for Umbral Glaive. He has insane mobility and he can place vision everywhere. Never fight him on your own. Build your own Umbral Glaive to destroy his vision wherever you can.

Against Teemo, Shaco, and Nidalee, you can build Umbral Glaive and sweep with Oracle Lens to find and destroy their traps. You won't be able to fight them with this item in combat, but you will be able to help your allies by removing dangerous traps that would otherwise stop them from engaging the opponents.

Against Zoe, be very careful of the runes that you take into the fight against her team. Unsealed Spellbook and Ingenious Hunter are terrible against her. She can pick up anything and everything you use. Active items like Redemption and Hextech Gunblade provide her ammunition to use against your team. The only active item you should potentially take against her is Mikael's Blessing to get your allies out of her sleep bubbles. Banshee's Veil is a strong item to take against her. You can use it to block one of her sleep bubbles or her devastating long-range Q attacks.

Swain is a horrifying menace in botlane. He is rarely picked, but he is dangerous with roots and his tankiness. ADCs rarely know how to respond to him. Shred him with Liandry's Torment and take Mikael's Blessing to help your allies get out his roots when possible. Morellonomicon is also a decent item to take against him.

Against Mordekaiser, attach to a backline fighter, and not a frontline fighter. A well-coordinated Mordekaiser can ult your attached ally, forcibly detaching you from your teammate, since you can't go into his shadow realm. Also consider building Quicksilver Sash. You could potentially bait his ultimate and then cleanse yourself from it immediately, denying him an ultimate.

I'm not going to give a terrible amount of advice here, since I'm a lowly Gold-IV player at the moment.

Yuumi is harder to play in lower elos, especially in Gold and below (and it may why I'm hardstuck; I'm a one-trick stuck in a low-elo). The reason why is because most ADCs in Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold don't understand her kit or how they're supposed to play with her in lane.

Yuumi has less value in low-elo because of this. Yuumi depends on at least one teammate doing well so that you can help carry them. If all of your teammates are suffering, then you are far less likely to contribute to your team as a more aggressive champion could.

Several ADCs in the lower elos have terrible attitudes about Yuumi as well. They don't see the value in the champ, even when she is currently identified as one of the strongest support champions (according to some diamond or higher players, and here I refer to more well-known players such as Bizzleberry, who as of patch 10.16, recently placed her as a B-tier champion, even with the recent nerfs).

Regardless of whether you are in low-elo or high-elo, I would recommend learning a few support champions and learning them well. That's been the general advice from high-elo players anyway.

I don't recommend one-tricking Yuumi in low-elo. Yuumi can soft-carry, but the problem is that your teammates need to know what they're doing, and a lot of low-elo players simply don't. It's possible to break through to Gold IV (as I have done) playing *only* Yuumi (and I'm sure there are others who have gotten higher than that). I'm sure it's possible to hit even Plat or Diamond doing this. But I think there's a magical point where Yuumi starts doing much better with her teammates. It's probably around Gold 2 or Gold 1.

Gold 4 isn't that point. In this elo, you will still randomly get silver or bronze teammates who have no idea what they're doing.

In contrast to lower-elo players, once players start hitting Platinum, Diamond, or higher, these players tend to be far more skilled and they tend to recognize what Yuumi actually does in lane.

Pre-patch-10.15, Yuumi had a ban rate somewhere around 50% to 70% in higher elos. She was just that strong. And the reason why is because they recognized her for what she was... She was very strong, and still is. Her ability to soft-carry a hyper-carry champion like Master Yi is insane.

I'd strongly recommend watching Bizzleberry's Twitch Channel for looking at climbing as a support.

This section is for ADC players who want to learn how to succeed with a Yuumi teammate. My hope is that this section will help you learn how to play with a Yuumi teammate.

Tip 1: Your attitude matters. Don't ban Yuumi in champ select if your support hovers over the champion.
If your support wants to choose Yuumi as a teammate, and if you decide to ban Yuumi, recognize that this is a reportable offense. You're griefing your teammate in champ select before the game has begun. Some players, like me, are one-trick-ponies. It's reportable as a form of hostage-holding or general toxicity. Even if you don't want to face a Yuumi as an opponent, recognize that you're sabotaging your own lane and your own team -- and you're undermining your teammate's intended pick.

It doesn't matter who's picking what. Avoid banning a person's intended champ if they've hovered over it. Otherwise, you risk getting reported, and you're setting your teammates up to have a bad mood, which will not help you win your lane, or the game.

Tip 2: If your teammate picks Yuumi, change your summoner spells!
The most aggravating thing about ADCs that I encounter very frequently is that, for some reason, it's permanently stuck in their head that they have to take Flash and Heal. ADCs rarely take advantage of the fact that Yuumi is there to provide two battle summoner spells.

Although Yuumi can take Flash (yes, it is very viable), she doesn't need to. Yuumi's act of taking Exhaust and Ignite is an act of trust.

My major complaint is that the majority of ADCs take Flash and Heal without thinking. I rarely ever see ADCs take Cleanse against Leona, Morgana, Lux, or Neeko. Getting hit with CC, especially a Lux or Morgana Q, is usually a death sentence. Cleanse can save you from the CC, so if you have a Yuumi, take cleanse. You don't always need Heal.

If you're not fighting against a CC champion like those mentioned above, you can choose to take Barrier. Barrier provides defenses against enemy champions, and you should use that to your advantage. It's also a better counter to champions like Blitzcrank or Nautilus.

Also be smart and proactive. If your Yuumi doesn't immediately react to your summon spells, quickly ask the Yuumi player to take Heal for you. Yuumi is already a healer with Zoomies. Yuumi will typically carry Exhaust or Ignite alongside the heal.

Also, what if you chose to bring Ignite instead of Heal? Think about it. Ignite usually secures kills for the person who uses it (especially if an opponent is extremely low and running away while ignited). Who do you want to get the kill -- the ADC, or the support? Naturally, you want the kill because you want/need more gold. So why force the Yuumi to carry Exhaust and Ignite?

Moreover, She already has Zoomies, so why not let her carry the Heal as well? She can transfer the heal to other allies who need it, like the toplaner or the jungler, who usually end up tankier than the ADC. A good Yuumi player is less likely to die in combat -- because she has other champions take damage and kills for her, she usually has the least amount of deaths. If you die as the ADC, there's a chance that the Heal could be transferred to another teammate. Allowing the Yuumi to keep the Heal spell for herself can let her carry other teammates later in the game.

There's also the age-old problem of an enemy's Ignite being more effective against the Heal you tend to carry, anyway. Chances are, the enemy support will try to take Ignite in response to Yuumi (because Ignite applies a grievous wounds effect). Which is going to be better -- you carrying Heal to deal with the Ignite, or you carrying Barrier to negate the damage of Ignite?

Yuumi's mobility will also theoretically make it harder for the enemy to keep track of the ignite and where they need to apply Grievous Wounds.

Swapping the summoner spells will give you an advantage with Yuumi in lane. Yuumi generally doesn't need Flash because, when you flash and if she's attached, she'll generally stay attached and move with you. Moreover, Barrier + Heal is a more effective defense than Heal on its own. Allowing your Yuumi partner to carry heal will make both of you stronger in lane.

Think about counter items against your opponents. Quicksilver Sash is good against CC-heavy champions like Leona and Mordekaiser. Executioner's Calling is good against healer champions. Use this to your advantage. You don't need to build B.F. Sword each and every time.

Tip 3: Learn positioning and learn Yuumi's Q and W ranges.
Positioning is everything in combat. You may be used to your own positioning, but when you're working with a Yuumi player, your positioning in lane matters significantly to Yuumi's ability to hit the enemy champions.

Whenever Yuumi uses her Q, Prowling Projectile, you should notice a range indicator pop up around you. Learn this distance and know how far it is, and make sure that Yuumi's Qs can hit the enemy!

Also, do not stand in the middle of enemy minion waves, unless you're trying to protect yourself from hook champions like Blitzcrank, Nautilus, Thresh, or Pyke. Yuumi's Prowling Projectile will not pass through or over minions, so if you stand in the middle of a group of minions, Yuumi's Q will be blocked by the minions when she's trying to aim for the enemy champions.

Whenever Yuumi uses her Q, stand in a position where Yuumi can reach her opponents with her spells. If you stand too far back, the enemy will take control of the minion waves, and they've already won the lane.

Tip 3, extension: While positioning for Yuumi's abilities is important, keep your health meter in mind and keep Yuumi's mana meter in mind.

Tip 4: Don't give up and stand by the turret and complain about how you lost lane if you didn't take any actions to help secure it.
This ties into the discussion above. I've seen ADCs shut down just because they think Yuumi is a terrible champion. Instead of trying to CS the minions, some ADCs give up immediately before the lane has actually been lost. Fight to gain control of the minion waves and fight to control the lane.

Tip 5: Stand within a Flash range of Yuumi and to your other teammates. Yuumi's W range is about the distance of a Flash or Ignite spell. Standing close to your teammates will allow Yuumi to jump between allies easily. Learn Yuumi's W range and learn to stay close to her. Yuumi is very much like Sona. She relies on her allies' proximity to properly support the party.

Tip 6: Yuumi doesn't usually build boots. You usually are Yuumi's boots. If you and Yuumi back at the same time, wait for the Yuumi player to attach to you before you leave the base. If you don't, Yuumi will usually lag behind and won't arrive to lane in time.

Tip 7: Yuumi doesn't make you invincible. Don't tower dive when Yuumi is attached to you.
Tower diving is a huge risk, and Yuumi is fragile. The reason I die in lane most of the time is because the ADC thinks he/she is invincible as long as Yuumi is attached. Yuumi is fragile and she can barely handle two tower shots, and ADCs are fragile, too. Don't make the mistake of tower diving when you don't need to. Don't make ridiculous plays by trying to force a fragile Yuumi into a tower dive. Tanks are better for that role.

Tip 8: Yuumi has cooldowns like any other champion.
This ties into the same discussion above. Yuumi has long cooldowns for her Zoomies. Learn how long they are. As of the moment this guide has been written, Yuumi's Zoomies, at level one, has a 12 second cooldown. At max level, it's 8 seconds. Some people have said in the chat that they thought her cooldown was 1 seconds or 3 seconds. It's simply not true.

Tip 9: Yuumi's Zoomies costs 15% of her max mana. She cannot heal forever.
Yuumi's Zoomies are extremely expensive in mana costs, and she's one of the few champions (perhaps the only champion) with a max mana % cost. If she built max mana boosting items only, one E heal would cost 1,000 mana. Keep an eye on Yuumi's mana meter. If it starts getting low, Yuumi's going to run out of healing. Although she can proc Feline Friendship, it's dangerous for her to try in large teamfights where she can get CC'd and killed. Watch your health and watch Yuumi's mana if possible.

Tip 10: Some Yuumi players prefer AP builds instead of healing builds.
Most Yuumis will build Athene's Unholy Grail, but watch if the Yuumi player builds a Luden's Tempest or a Everfrost. This means the Yuumi player is building damage instead of healing, and they're playing her as an AP mage for damage rather than a healing support. In these circumstances, she will have higher AP (so her healing will still generally be fine) and bigger Feline Friendship shields, but lower mana regeneration, which means she will likely heal less often.

Tip 11: Yuumi WILL hop off to auto-attack and proc Feline Friendship to get mana and a shield.
Because Yuumi's Zoomies is an expensive ability in terms of mana cost, an experienced Yuumi WILL hop off from time to time to get mana back so that she can shield and heal her allies. She HAS to. Do not ask, "Why did you hop off?" It's a stupid question that's counterproductive. The Yuumi player had a strategy and was trying to implement it, but likely died trying to save someone. Sometimes it's to proc a barrier, sometimes they need to get to a different ally and help them, but they were caught out and killed in the process.

Tip 12: Yuumi isn't just a healbot. She's a champion, and a player is playing that champion, and moving from ally to ally, making decisions to try to help win the game.
Yuumi is fickle. To support her allies, sometimes she needs to jump from champion to champion. If the Yuumi player has decided to move to a different champion, there's always a reason for it. Sometimes it's for surviving, sometimes it's for warding, sometimes it's to heal an ally who's injured.

A good Yuumi player knows when a teammate is going to die and when she will not be able to save them. If an assassin on the enemy team is fed, and if you get targeted by that assassin, there's little she can do to help you live. Burst damage is still burst damage, and she can't shield and heal everything.

Tip 13: Sometimes, you're the carry. Sometimes, you're not.
Yuumi is like any other support champion. Her goal is to choose to support an ally champion, and sometimes, that means supporting the strongest person on the team. Sometimes, that's not you. It's not personal, the Yuumi player is just trying to help the team win the game.

This guide is constantly evolving and changing as time goes by.

Hopefully, this had some useful information to some players out there. Good luck in your games!