Yorick Rework Revitalizes an Old Top Lane Terror in League of Legends

League of Legends

25 Mar

Martin Arévalo-Östberg

After receiving his first complete rework all the way back in 2016, Yorick has long been a top lane terror in some of the lowest ranks of League of Legends. In an effort to make The Shepherd of Souls a more complete champion across the board, however, David "RiotPhreak" Turley has announced a midscope update coming Yorick's way.

According to Phreak himself, the aim of Yorick's rework is to:

Fix his MMR skew
Make him a better team fighter
Modernize his kit

Will Yorick's rework his the mark when it releases with patch 25.07 on Wednesday, April 2nd? Let's go ahead and take a look at all of the coming changes, as well as what these mean for the champion moving forward.

Yorick's midscope update will hit League of Legends with patch 25.07. (Credit: Riot Games)

Yorick Rework: Complete List of Changes

Stats Changes

Armor per level reduced 5.2 >>> 4.5

[P] Shepherd of Souls

Nearby enemy deaths to raise a Grave reduced 12/6/2 (based on levels 1/7/13) >>> 8/7/6/5/4/3/2 (based on levels 1/3/5/79/11/13)
Mist Walker (ghouls) adjustments:
- Damage adjusted 4-90 (based on levels 1-18) (+20% Yorick's total AD) >>> 15-75 (based on levels 1-18) (+20% Yorick's bonus AD)
- Bonus Attack Speed changed 8% per level >>> 100% Yorick's bonus Attack Speed
- HP adjusted 110-212 (based on levels 1-18) (+20% Yorick's max HP) >>> 110-400 (based on levels 1-18) (+15% Yorick's bonus HP)
- Now have 60% damage resistance from minions
- Damage resistance from monsters ratio increased 50% >>> 60%
- Damage resistance from Area-of-Effect damage ratio adjusted 50% flat >>> 33-60% (based on levels 1-14, linear)
- No longer one-shot from champion single target damage
- Now take 200% damage from melee champion Attacks

[Q] Last Rites

Now leaves a Grave near the target if the Attack hits a champion or a large monster (will not place two Graves if the Attack kills the target)
AD ratio increased 40% >>> 50%
Cooldown reduced 7/6.25/5.5/4.75/4 >>> 6/5.5/5/4.5/4 seconds

[W] Dark Procession

No changes

[E] Mourning Mist

Cursed targets now lose 18/21/24/27/30% Armor for the duration of the debuff (4 seconds)
Cursed targets no longer take 20% bonus damage from 8 attacks by [P] Mist Walkers
Damage adjusted 70/105/140/175/210 (+70% AP) (+15% target's current HP) >>> 70/105/140/175/210 (+100% AP) (+0% target's current HP)
Monster damage cap removed
Yorick, his Mist Walkers, and [R] Maiden of the Mist bonus Move Speed towards Cursed enemies increased 20% >>> 30%

[R] Eulogy of the Isles - Maiden of the Mist

Damage adjusted 0/10/40 (+50% Yorick's total AD) >>> 50/75/100 (+30% Yorick's bonus AD)
HP adjusted 400-1650 (based on levels 6-18) (+60% Yorick's max HP) >>> 1050-3200 (based on levels 6-18) (+60% Yorick's bonus HP)

Yorick's New Gameplay: Lane Bully or Jungle Menace?

Part of the rework's aim was to make Yorick better at team fighting. This was achieved by making the champion less reliant on minions or being in a lane to have access to his ghouls, as well as the addition of an armor shred mechanic to his [E] Mourning Mist.

And yet, several of the changes made to Yorick might also see the champion excel in other aspects of the game.

Taking over the top lane

With the coming changes to his [P] Shepherd of Souls, Yorick will have more consistent access to his ghouls. The reason this becomes a problem in the laning phase is because his ghouls have also been made to be tankier in most situations. The fact that an opponent might be forced to spend an auto attack to get rid of just one of these ghouls means wasting precious time, and resources, in an early game duel.

Likewise, Yorick's [Q] Last Rites will not only hit harder now, but will also be up more often. With a decent range, having to deal with this ability constantly poking at you and spawning Graves for ghouls in the process could spell a rough time in the process.

The real problem in lane, however, lies with Yorick's [E] Mourning Mist. With the rework, the ability will shred a good chunk of armor when landing on an enemy champion, while also granting increased movement speed to Yorick as well as his ghouls. This means that if this ability lands in lane, then you simply can't take Yorick head on for the ensuing 4 seconds, and are forced to run away.

Jungle Yorick mains rejoice

Yorick's midscope update will see the champion grow into a far better jungler when patch 25.07 comes around. With the coming changes to his [P] Shepherd of Souls and [Q] Last Rites, Yorick will no longer be tied to a lane to be able to spawn ghouls, which leaves the door wide open for Yorick to claim the jungle as his own.

At the same time, the monster cap damage on Yorick's [E] Mourning Mist being removed will improve his clear speed, while his ghouls being more durable against monsters ensures Yorick remains healthy in the jungle.

Though Yorick lacks the kind of mobility that makes top-tier junglers, a well-timed gank will still prove deadly if either [W] Dark Procession or [E] Mourning Mist land on an enemy champion.

Though further number tweaks may come yet, expect Yorick's pick rate to spike when his rework goes live on patch 25.07, while his win rate fluctuates early on as players attempt to figure out the best place, and playstyle, to get the most out of the new-look Shepherd of Souls.

Will Yorick's rework see him take over the top lane? (Credit: Riot Games)

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Featured image credit: Riot Games

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