KEY POINTS

  • Yasuo is a high-damage champion with an equally-high skill ceiling
  • He relies on items to boost his combat prowess substantially
  • Yasuo works best against ranged champions in the mid lane or dragon lane

Among the many champions available in “League of Legends Wild Rift” right now, Yasuo is one of the most popular. He’s a high-damage, crit-based carry with a high skill ceiling, making him one of the more difficult heroes to use.

Yasuo’s abilities are simple, but his overall gameplay demands quick thinking and fast reflexes. Here are some tips as well as a few builds for beginners who want to master the Unforgiven in “Wild Rift.”

Laning

Yasuo works best in the mid lane against mages like Lux or Ziggs, since he can negate most of their damage with his Wind Wall and high mobility. However, he can be taken to the Baron Lane so long as the enemy laner isn’t a hard counter like Darius. Yasuo can also work well at the Dragon Lane with a high-cc knock up support like Blitzcrank or Alistar.

Yasuo’s early game is relatively weak. Start with Steel Tempest to poke and farm minions safely, then take his dash and Wind Wall next.

Steel Tempest

Steel Tempest’s tornado is great for pressuring enemies. Use it to poke or engage in a trade. Dash through a minion, hit the enemy with the tornado and a basic attack then dash back to safety. Make sure that Yasuo’s passive shield is fully charged before trading blows with enemies.

Official art for Nightbringer Yasuo
Official art for Nightbringer Yasuo Riot Games

Using Steel Tempest while dashing causes Yasuo to spin, damaging all nearby enemies. Doing this with a tornado charged up will knock everything up into the air when hit. Use this tactic when enemy champions are near minions to guarantee a hit.

Sweeping Blade

Yasuo dashes a fixed distance through enemies. Players can dash right next to an enemy minion and still travel the full distance. Use this to close long gaps and catch enemies by surprise.

Itemization

Yasuo is very reliant on items. Steel Tempest’s cooldown scales with his attack speed, and he gains twice the amount of critical chance from items. He’s also very squishy. This makes Phantom Dancer the best item for him because it covers all three of these points while being relatively cheap to purchase.

Here are a few sample Yasuo builds:

Full Damage

  • Phantom Dancer
  • Gluttonous Greaves
  • Infinity Edge
  • Bloodthirster
  • Death’s Dance
  • Guardian Angel

Runes: Conqueror, Brutal, Hunter: Titan, Hunter: Genius
Summoner spells: Flash and Ignite

VS Tanks

  • Phantom Dancer
  • Gluttonous Greaves
  • Infinity Edge
  • Blade of the Ruined King
  • Death’s Dance
  • Frozen Mallet

Runes: Conqueror, Hunter: Vampirism, Spirit Walker, Sweet Tooth
Summoner spells: Flash and Barrier

When facing hard match-ups, feel free to delay the Infinity Edge for a Frozen Mallet or more lifesteal.