For many months, Yuumi has been one of the most widely hated champions in League of Legends. She can poke out enemies with ease while providing her team with huge amounts of healing and crowd control, making the cat almost unbearable to play against, especially when considering her ability to latch onto an ally and become untargetable.
Recently, however, Riot Games’ developers made significant changes to the Curious Cat in League‘s Patch 13.1B to discourage any appearances in the professional scene, while still giving her some leeway in solo queue playlists.
In a lengthy thread, lead designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison explained that Yuumi is meant to be a champion for casual players looking to simply have fun with friends.
“Yuumi isn’t the best champion to get you on an expedited path to becoming Diamond—and as a coach, I acknowledge she does teach some bad habits,” Phroxzon said. “But we think she’s best in class for letting new players play with friends and see if they even enjoy playing League to begin with.”
Since Yuumi’s skill set is relatively straightforward, she is a great champion for players who aren’t looking to blaze a trail up the competitive ranked ladder. She provides a good amount of utility for her team, and even though she requires a bit of timing and knowledge on the player’s end, she doesn’t need much mechanical skill or game knowledge to pilot at a half-decent level.
Related: Riot dev Phreak wants Yuumi to disappear from pro play with League Patch 13.1B nerfs
Riot is still looking for new ways to allow some players to compete with their higher-skilled friends without getting stomped, but for now, champions like Yuumi will work since it lets them impact a game and provide help without feeding too many times in one match. For competitive-focused summoners, trials by fire will always provide the best lessons. But for those looking to have a good time, the cat is a safe option that can still provide a decent amount of support.
Published: Jan 27, 2023 01:30 pm