Introduction
Hey there, it’s Raphterra! The release of Master Yi in Patch 3.14 was disappointing as he didn’t find a place in any competitive deck. However, Riot made sure to give him a significant buff in Patch 3.16. And my assessment of the buff was spot on! Master Yi is now seeing play in meta decks, and I believe he’s about to reach his full potential.
In this article, I’ll be showcasing the best Master Yi decks in the current patch, including some home brews featuring the Wuju Swordmaster. But before we dive into the list, make sure to check out our articles on Leona, Fiora, and Swain if you haven’t already!
The Most Popular – Spooky Karma Master Yi
Let’s start with the most popular list featuring Master Yi Karma. Despite its popularity, the overall winrate of this deck is only 46.2% in over 8000 games. However, I’ve found the best version with a winrate of 49.8% in over 1600 games.
Master Yi Karma is a decent deck, but its low winrate can be attributed to its complexity. Karma Shadow Isles control decks require careful decision-making to survive until Turn 10, where Karma can start winning games. This deck utilizes control and utility tools from Ionia and Shadow Isles to stall the game. Karma, Go Hard, and Pack Your Bags serve as win conditions.
While Master Yi plays a supporting role in this build, he can also apply pressure on the board when his Flow is activated. Discounted spells make your turns more efficient, and even a single discount can make a difference between losing or surviving for another turn.
Karma Master Yi performs well against Lee Sin Akshan, Leona Aurelion Sol, and Annie Jhin decks. However, it struggles against Fiora Pantheon, Lee Sin Nami, and Swain Norra. If you’re a control player and a fan of Master Yi, this is the deck for you!
The Best Master Yi Deck – Master Yi Nami
Nami is arguably the strongest champion in the game, and her pairing with Master Yi has been successful. Master Yi Nami boasts an overall winrate of 51.3% in over 600 games. I’ve selected the best decklist with a winrate of 64.3% in 42 Masters games. It’s not surprising considering how strong Nami currently is.
This build utilizes the shell of Nami elusives, featuring cards like Nami, Fleet Admiral Shelly, Vastayan Disciple, and Wiggly Burblefish. Activating Master Yi’s Flow is easy in Nami decks as they already cast multiple spells in a single turn. The playstyle resembles the popular Nami Lee Sin deck, which is currently dominating the meta. If you’re looking for the strongest Master Yi deck, I highly recommend this archetype. Nami’s synergy with Ionian Tellstones and Momentous Choice is incredibly powerful.
Master Yi Nami doesn’t have many unfavorable matchups except against Taric Poppy and Elise Nocturne. It holds its own or even has an advantage against other decks.
Dual Swords – Master Yi Fiora
I previously featured this exact list of Master Yi Fiora in my article on the best Fiora decks. Since then, the deck has seen even greater success. It now boasts an increased winrate of 61.6% in 73 Master games. It will be interesting to see how well this deck performs as more players experiment with the archetype.
Forge and Flow – Master Yi Ornn
There aren’t many promising Master Yi archetypes in terms of stats, but don’t worry! I’ve been experimenting a lot with the Wuju Swordmaster, and the next two decks are my own personal brews! Some of you might be familiar with this Master Yi Ornn deck, as I recently featured it in a deck guide.
This deck utilizes the Forge mechanic to level up and win with Master Yi or Ornn. Our champions can quickly end games when equipped with Upcycled Rake or Fishawhack forged multiple times. Harsh Winds, Three Sisters, and Concussive Palm are utility spells used to stall the game until we can win with our leveled champions.
I climbed from Platinum to Diamond with the Ornn Master Yi deck, achieving a 64.2% winrate in 42 games. However, the overall winrate of this decklist is only 33.6% in over 1500 games, which surprised me. My climb was relatively easy, and I expected the deck to have at least a 50% winrate. Nonetheless, I still believe that if piloted correctly, this deck can take you all the way to Masters. If you want to see this deck in action, check out my full video guide!
Can You Feel The Rush? – Master Yi Tryndamere
My second personal brew is a spicy Freljord Ionia build featuring Master Yi and Tryndamere with Feel The Rush! I played this deck in Diamond and achieved a personal winrate of 60% in 25 games. Initially, I intended to use this deck to push my smurf account from Diamond to Masters. However, I eventually switched to another deck (Taliyah Malphite) as decks relying on Feel The Rush struggle in a meta dominated by Ionia with Deny.
Master Yi Tryndamere aims to discount and cast an early Feel The Rush with the help of Master Yi and Disciple of Doran’s Preparation. Tryndamere is chosen as the second champion because he can end games as soon as he’s summoned by Feel The Rush. Drawing Tryndamere isn’t a drawback either, as I’ve won numerous games by casting Tryndamere’s Battle Fury.
The rest of the deck focuses on stalling and surviving until we can cast Feel The Rush. It includes full sets of Three Sisters, Concussive Palm, and Harsh Winds to maintain a defensive stance. Ionian Hookmaster and Combat Cook may seem like unusual inclusions, but they provide strong board presence in the early to mid game. Improvised weapons, such as Upcycled Rake on Tryndamere, can also be clutch in the late game.
This is a fun deck, and I believe there’s potential in playing Master Yi with Feel The Rush. However, Deny and Rite of Negation will always pose challenges to this strategy. Additionally, the strongest decks in the current meta come from Ionia. I’m hopeful that there will come a time when this deck consistently shines!
Closing Words
Master Yi is gradually becoming one of my favorite champions. It feels great to catch opponents off guard with discounted spells. Although his stats may not look great at the moment, I believe he’s one of the stronger champions in the game right now. I won’t be surprised if a broken Master Yi deck suddenly emerges out of nowhere! When that time comes, the list of the best Master Yi decks might look very different from what we have now.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on YouTube, Discord, or Twitter!
