OPINION: Yuumi is in a purr-fect spot post rework

via Riot Games

Riot Games just released the much-anticipated rework of Yuumi, the cat everyone loves to hate. Did they make her more likable, or will people still hate the new Yuumi? I say it’s a mix of both. 

Yuumi’s rework was made to make her easier to play and less overpowered in professional games. To do that, Riot swapped her passive shield and her heal. They also adjusted the power budget in her kit, switching numbers and utilities to prevent an over-tuned kit.

“What’s a power budget?” I hear you ask. It’s basically Riot Games’ concept of ensuring that a champion has a well-balanced kit. It’s their idea of distributing stats and utilities in a way that doesn’t turn one ability into a quick-kill button.

Now, let’s dive into Yuumi’s new and “improved” kit. We’ll be talking about the changes and how they affect Yuumi’s power fantasy and accessibility, both for beginners and professionals.

Feline Friendship (Passive)

Screenshot from League of Legends Wiki

Yuumi’s healing capabilities used to eat up most of the power budget for her kit pre-rework. Giving it the best friend mechanic softens her healing powers in the early game, allowing her to be more than just a Level 1 heal bot for her ADC. This mechanic also lowers her aggressive roaming capabilities, incentivizing her to stay in the bot lane for much longer. 

However, this can also work as a “semi-funnel” ability that works only in ranked games. You can have your jungler can perma-gank bot lane, latch onto them, and trigger the best friend mechanic.

Prowling Projectile (Q)

Screenshot from League of Legends Wiki

The only significant change with this ability is how it behaves when Yuumi is attached. It slows down for a second and a half, then zooms in the direction it is facing. This makes her only skill shot have more skill expression, in a way. 

Personally, I hate it. The previous version of this ability was more fluid, despite having a shorter range. It was better for poking champions hiding behind minions, allowing runes and support quest items to proc more often. Now, it’s a pretty straightforward ability (pun intended).

You and Me! (W)

Screenshot from League of Legends Wiki

Most of the power budget for her heal was poured over to the best friend mechanic, providing them with an on-hit heal as long as Yuumi attaches to them. 

While the AP ratio may be low, a flat number of on-hit healing could basically make your ADC invulnerable. Slapping on a BORK as Jinx with Yuumi is attached sounds like a bot lane nightmare, allowing a naturally squishy champion to be able to confidently harass with little to no trade-offs. 

Yuumi’s last two abilities are also quite good, but nothing to write home about. 

Screenshot from League of Legends Wiki

Her shield is a good Level 1 pick, giving you a free Ardent Censer in the early game. Compared to her previous E ability, which was a heal, her shield is definitely better than pre-rework E. First of all, the cooldown on her heal was insanely high even at early levels. Not to mention the mana cost, too. I get that it was to balance out what was essentially a free third summoner spell, and it was hard to balance a healing ability like that. Set its healing capabilities too low, and it loses its usefulness. Set it too high, and you’ve got a heal bot. The shield, however, is fairly easy to balance and makes your ADC just a bit tanky. Grievous Wounds doesn’t affect shielding, just so you know.

Screenshot from League of Legends Wiki

Her ultimate, on the other hand, was downgraded from a root to a slow. Pre-rework Yuumi’s ultimate rooted opponents who were struck thrice by her ultimate’s waves. This was a strong engage tool, especially when paired with hyper-aggressive champions, or even tanks. Now, with her power budget shifted to her shield and passive, her engage abilities can take the backseat, and this “nerf” in her ultimate is a welcome change.

The verdict

Now, is Yuumi still overtuned in this state? I’d say I disagree. Her new set of abilities allows room for more skill expression, such as timing your shields and skill shots, and popping in and out to proc your passive heal. She still scales well into the late game, but you now have to scale individually as well. Pre-rework Yuumi allowed her to just cling on to whoever was the most fed and still do well, despite a dismal laning phase. Reworked Yuumi requires you to be able to get at least one core item before the end of the laning phase to have a decent impact on the team. Sure, at levels 15 and up you’re basically a glorified shield and heal bot, but you can’t do that without the proper items.

Regarding skill floors and ceilings, she’s a fairly easy pick, even for new players. You latch on to an ADC and let them farm while you shield them from pokes and hit back with your own. As for professional play, we have yet to see the new Yuumi in action, so I really can’t tell as of now. But, seeing as she isn’t very different from her previous version, I can comfortably say that her ban rates would still be high, as she would still be nearly unstoppable in coordinated professional play.

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