Yuumi is most banned champion in some regions, banned 73% in Europe

Olivia Richman Published 26/05/2020

It’s been just over a year since Yuumi was released in League of Legends.

Since May 2019, Yuumi has been a consistent favorite of supports in every region. Just a few months after her debut, League of Legends pros couldn’t stop ranting about Yuumi, with Matthew “Deftly” Chen calling her “fucking OP” and even questioning why Riot created her. Nickolas “Hakuho” Surgent stated that she “never dies” and needs to be better balanced. William “Meteos” Hartman called her “the embodiment of what I don’t like about the game.”

Yuumi is often targeted because of her ability to latch on to another champion, becoming basically untouchable. Because of this, she’s always been called a “safe” support option, boring to play with or against yet still able to strike fear into the enemy team with her consistent healing abilities and poke.

But recently, the Magical Cat has become even more of a threat, at least in some regions.

According to statistics gathered by U.gg, Yuumi currently has a 73% ban rate on Europe West servers when it comes to Platinum rank and above. In North America, Yuumi has a 60% ban rate, the highest for any champion in League of Legends. Clearly, players in either region find Yuumi more difficult to deal with than is worthwhile.

It’s also worth considering that some players simply may not like dealing with Yuumi, even if she isn’t one of the strongest champions in the game. Yuumi’s ability to attach herself to allied champions can lessen the potential for an interactive bottom lane. When one of her allies gets fed, Yuumi can exacerbate their stengths, but she has very low outplay potential if her team isn’t doing well around her. All of this combines to make her one of the less interest champions in the game, at least in the eyes of those players who are banning her.

South Korea and Japan seem unphased by Yuumi. In South Korea she only has a 10% ban rate in Platinum and up. In Japan, she has an 11% ban rate. It’s hard to say why players in these regions are more willing to deal with Yuumi’s antics.

Riot spoke out last year about how difficult it is to nerf Yuumi. Developer Kevin “Captain Gameplay” Huang said she’s a good champion for beginners, since they can “focus on using their abilities and watching allies and enemies’ actions” once they’re attached to another teammate.

For this reason, Huang admitted that they knew Yuumi was somewhat OP. But even with all the changes to her kit throughout the year, it seems Yuumi is still regarded as a threat in many regions.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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