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Yasuo · Mid

Yasuo for Beginners

BeginnersData-drivenEasyPatch 16.19.1
4KUpdated

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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

Yasuo belongs to Riot's Fighter and Assassin classes and is played mainly as Mid (77% of the public matches we measured). It fights in melee range and uses flow. In this guide you play it as Mid: your job is to win the central lane, roam to the side lanes and control the river. Yasuo is demanding, so start with the simple build below and add the rest as you get comfortable.

Strengths

  • Mobility: Sweeping Blade lets you reposition, engage or escape.
  • Sustain from Way of the Wanderer.
  • High physical damage: Riot rates it 8/10 in attack.

Weaknesses

  • Hard to master: Riot rates its difficulty 10/10.
  • Melee range: ranged opponents can poke it in lane.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Builds

Simple build

BalancedRecommended
Open build

When to use it

The standard build with only two situational answers: fewer decisions, so you can focus on your lane and your abilities.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Summoner's RiftRed side · bottom leftBlue side · top right
  1. MidMain77% of matches
  2. TopPriority 223% of matches
  3. Bottom (ADC)Priority 3

Starting items

Doran's BladeHealth Potion

Core items

  1. 1Bastionbreaker
  2. 2Black Cleaver
  3. 3Serylda's Grudge

Boots

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

Situational

Death's DanceAgainst heavy physical damage.Mercurial ScimitarAgainst heavy magic damage.

Runes

Primary· Domination

PrecisionDominationSorceryInspirationResolve
ElectrocuteDark HarvestHail of Blades
Cheap ShotTaste of BloodSudden Impact
Sixth SenseGrisly MementosDeep Ward
Treasure HunterRelentless HunterUltimate Hunter

Secondary· Precision

PrecisionSorceryInspirationResolve
Absorb LifeTriumphPresence of Mind
Legend: AlacrityLegend: HasteLegend: Bloodline
Coup de GraceCut DownLast Stand

Shards

Adaptive ForceAttack SpeedAbility Haste
Adaptive ForceMove SpeedHealth Scaling
HealthTenacity and Slow ResistHealth Scaling

Summoner spells

  • Flash
  • Ignite

Abilities

  • Way of the WandererPassiveYasuo's Critical Strike Chance is increased. Additionally, Yasuo builds toward a shield whenever he is moving. The shield triggers when he takes damage from a champion or monster.
  • QSteel Tempest4sThrusts forward, damaging all enemies in a line. On hit, grants a stack of Gathering Storm for a few seconds. At 2 stacks, Steel Tempest fires a whirlwind that knocks Airborne . Steel Tempest is treated as a basic attack and scales with all the same things.
    Cooldown
    4
    Range
    475
    Basic ability — applies a knock-up and hits an area. Use it on the target your team can kill.
  • WWind Wall25/23/21/19/17sCreates a moving wall that blocks all enemy projectiles for 4 seconds.
    Cooldown
    25·23·21·19·17
    Range
    400
  • ESweeping Blade0.5/0.4/0.3/0.2/0.1sDashes through target enemy, dealing magic damage. Each cast increases subsequent dash's damage, up to a max amount. Cannot be re-cast on the same enemy for a few seconds. If Steel Tempest is cast while dashing, it will strike as a circle.
    Cooldown
    0.5·0.4·0.3·0.2·0.1
    Range
    475
  • RLast BreathUltimate70/50/30sBlinks to an Airborne enemy champion, dealing physical damage and holding all Airborne enemies in the area in the air. Grants maximum Flow but resets all stacks of Gathering Storm. For a moderate time afterwards, Yasuo's critical strikes gain significant Bonus Armor Penetration.
    Cooldown
    70·50·30
    Range
    1400
    Ultimate — applies a knock-up, moves you and hits an area. Use it on the target your team can kill.

Strategy

1What Yasuo does

Yasuo belongs to Riot's Fighter and Assassin classes and is played mainly as Mid (77% of the public matches we measured). It fights in melee range and uses flow. The kit brings crowd control (knock-up) with Steel Tempest and mobility with Sweeping Blade. Its ultimate is Last Breath.

2The basics

In this guide you play it as Mid: your job is to win the central lane, roam to the side lanes and control the river.

  • Push and move: a pushed wave is what gives you time to help the rest of the map.
  • Ward the sides of the lane: most mid deaths are ganks from the side.

3Common mistakes

Most new players lose games with the same few mistakes. Avoid these and you'll already be ahead:

  • Staying in lane while fights happen around the dragon.
  • Using your key ability on minions right before the enemy jungler arrives.
  • Walking into fog without vision in the late game.

4Your first games

Mid is the shortest lane: trades are fast and the enemy jungler is always close. Push the wave when you can, so you are first to the river when a skirmish starts. Use the simple build in this guide and don't worry about situational choices yet.

Tips

  • Push and move: a pushed wave is what gives you time to help the rest of the map.
  • Ward the sides of the lane: most mid deaths are ganks from the side.
  • Check the minimap every few seconds: most deaths come from a jungler you didn't see.
  • Learn what Last Breath does before anything else: it's the ability that wins fights.

Changelog

  1. Guide created for patch 16.19.1.

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