Riot says that Yuumi is good for the game, even if you disagree

William Davis Published 10/07/2020

Riot Games has finally spoken out on the effect that Yuumi has on League of Legends, and developers have confirmed that they won’t be deleting Yuumi no matter how many times players ask.

Yuumi joined the game in May 2019 and it took her less than a year to become the most-hated champion in the game. Even more hated than Teemo, with casual players and professionals alike asking for Yuumi’s deletion.

I love Riot games

I love both LoL and Valorant

But I really really really dislike Yuumi

delete the cat
— Luka (@G2Perkz) June 20, 2020

Why do players hate Yuumi?

There are two main reasons why players hate on Yuumi so much. One is that there isn’t a direct counter for Yuumi, and another is that she is too easy to play while also being very strong.

How to counter Yuumi?

Yuumi’s almost impossible to counter, and Riot even admitted as much. When Yuumi is attached to an ally, she cannot be targeted. It also means that Yuumi can skip taking flash and use that summoner spell slot to carry another offensive or utility spell. Through proper itemization, Yuumi can keep her mana topped off, and players might opt for more AP-heavy builds instead of classic support items. Yuumi can heal any ally from almost zero to full in a matter of seconds, providing a lot of sustain to any composition.

Over time, Riot made it more difficult for Yuumi to reattach to allies when she gets hit with CC and significantly increased some of her mana costs. These changes were enough to slow Yuumi down, but not enough to make her unplayable. Players have found ways around these nerfs and created new solutions to Yuumi’s problems.

Riot has admitted that Yuumi is not fully balanced, so there are more changes in the future for the magical cat.

Is Yuumi the easiest champion in LoL?

Yuumi is one of the easiest champions to pick up in League of Legends, but not necessarily the easiest champion to have success with in the game. In fact, only players that truly understand this champion can make impactful contributions over the long term.

It’s a common belief that Yuumi is a “braindead” champion. As Riot explains it, players believe that because Yuumi doesn’t face the same challenges as do other champions. Yuumi doesn’t have to dodge attacks from her enemies, her team is not relying on her to initiate team fights, and she can stay at a safe distance while effectively poking.

Yuumi’s mastery curve is actually very similar to Akali’s mastery curve, and Akali is generally considered to be a mechanically intensive champion. This curve is used to measure how effective a player becomes with a champion as they play them more.

Yuumi’s main issue is that it’s completely reliant on the ally she’s attached to. If that ally dies, Yuumi is also as good as dead. If the ally doesn’t position properly, Yuumi’s attacks, including her powerful ultimate ability, can go to waste.

There’s also the matter of vision control. Yuumi is not a support that can freely roam around the map placing vision. As the squishiest champion in the game, Yuumi will rarely be able to survive a one-versus-one encounter.

Yummi remains the most banned champion in LoL Season 10

Players are making their dislike for Yuumi very clear. Before patch 10.13, Yuumi had the highest ban rate in the game at 65%. In pro play, the numbers don’t get much better for the cat. Across all regions, Yuumi has received 114 bans, making her the eighth-most banned champion by professional players.

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