Yorick, the shepherd of souls, is a unique and challenging champion in League of Legends. His abilities revolve around summoning and controlling minions, making him a deceptively strong laner and team fighter. Learning how to effectively fight against Yorick requires understanding his strengths and weaknesses, and adapting your gameplay accordingly. This guide will break down the key aspects of combating this ghostly champion.
Understanding Yorick's Strengths and Weaknesses
Before diving into specific strategies, it's crucial to understand what makes Yorick tick.
Strengths:
- Sustained Damage and Durability: Yorick's passive and abilities allow him to sustain in lane exceptionally well. His ghouls deal consistent damage, and his ultimate, Eulogy of the Isles, creates a durable wall of minions that can absorb a significant amount of damage.
- Strong Siege Potential: Yorick excels at sieging towers. His ghouls and Maiden can quickly chip away at turret health, making him a potent threat in the late game.
- Waveclear: His Q, Last Rites, and his ghouls provide exceptional waveclear, allowing him to control the lane effectively.
Weaknesses:
- Squishy Maiden: While his Maiden is durable, she is still vulnerable to focused fire. Taking her down quickly significantly weakens his overall presence.
- Immobile in many forms: While his ghouls are mobile, Yorick himself is relatively immobile, making him susceptible to ganks and dives.
- Reliance on Minions: Yorick's strength is heavily dependent on his summoned minions. Strategies focused on denying or eliminating them can significantly cripple him.
Effective Strategies Against Yorick
Here are some effective strategies to counter Yorick's gameplay:
Early Game Strategies:
- Poke and harass: Yorick is vulnerable in the early game. Utilize ranged abilities to poke him down and deny his farm. Champions with strong poke potential, like Teemo or Jayce, excel against him.
- Control the wave: Aggressively push the wave to prevent Yorick from passively farming and building his ghouls. This limits his ability to sustain and scale.
- Utilize Jungler synergy: Communicate with your jungler to coordinate ganks. Yorick's relative immobility makes him susceptible to well-timed dives.
Mid to Late Game Strategies:
- Focus the Maiden: Prioritize eliminating Yorick's Maiden. This significantly weakens his waveclear and damage output.
- Hard Crowd Control (CC): Champions with strong CC abilities, like Amumu or Orianna, can effectively shut down Yorick and his minions, preventing him from dealing damage.
- Area of Effect (AOE) damage: Utilize AOE abilities to clear his ghouls efficiently. This will greatly reduce his overall pressure.
- Split Pushing: Consider split-pushing strategies to force Yorick to respond and spread his team thin.
Champion Matchups:
While many champions can be effective against Yorick, some stand out:
- Champions with strong poke: Teemo, Jayce, Xerath
- Champions with high mobility and strong burst: Zed, Talon
- Champions with hard CC: Amumu, Orianna, Leona
Conclusion: Mastering the Yorick Counter
Consistently defeating Yorick requires adapting your strategy to the game's flow. By understanding his strengths and weaknesses and employing the strategies outlined above, you can effectively counter this formidable champion and secure victory. Remember to communicate with your team, utilize your champion's strengths, and adapt to changing game conditions. Good luck on the Rift!
