Master Yi Balance Changes Coming to League of Legends PBE
Today, the League of Legends Public Beta Environment (PBE) will see a series of balance changes for the champion Master Yi.
Master Yi, who has been part of the game since its original roster in 2009, is receiving adjustments that aim to diversify his build.
The damage output, AD, and critical strike damage of Alpha Strike (Q), Master Yi’s ability, have been reduced. However, the ability will now apply on-hit effects and scale with ability haste, meaning it won’t synergize with it, according to Riot game designer Kevin “Captain Gameplay” Huang.
Alpha Strike (Q)
- Damage: 25/60/95/130/165 (+90% AD), reduced by 75% for subsequent hits on the same target -> 30/60/90/120/150 (+65% AD), reduced by 75% for subsequent hits on the same target
- Crits deal: 60% (+bonus critical damage percent) extra damage -> 50% (bonus critical damage percent) extra damage
- Now applies on-hit effects (on-hits from subsequent hits are also reduced)
- CD refund now scales down with ability haste (so it doesn’t synergize with it)
These changes aim to reduce the dominance of Master Yi’s standard Duskblade of Draktharr build, which, when combined with items like The Collector, has made the champion near untargetable in certain situations in solo queue. Instead, if these changes go live, items with on-hit effects like Kraken Slayer will be more effective on Master Yi.
Wuju Style (E)
- Duration does not decrease during Meditate (W) -> duration does not decrease during Alpha Strike (Q) or Meditate (W)
- Can now cast during Alpha Strike (Q)
In addition to the adjustments to Alpha Strike, quality of life changes are also being made to Wuju Style (E) and Highlander (R). These changes will allow Master Yi to cast Wuju Style or Highlander during Alpha Strike, giving players more control when committing to fights.
Highlander (R)
- Duration does not decrease during Meditate (W) -> duration does not decrease during Alpha Strike (Q) or Meditate (W)
- Can now cast during Alpha Strike (Q)
It is yet to be confirmed if these changes will be implemented on the live servers. If they are, they will likely come with Patch 12.5, which is scheduled to release on March 2.
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