The Yuumi Nerf in League of Legends Patch 12.23 has become a big conversation as Riot addresses why they made the changes.
Yuumi has been one of the most controversial champions in League of Legends. The Cat has caused many problems in the game, gameplay or otherwise. The frustration of playing against a Yuumi player and even with a Yuumi player can be a problem. Let’s not forget that Yuumi is also a mainstay in esports games to there is.
Thus, for a long time, the balance team has been trying to get a read on how to balance this champion. Yuumi’s win rate is not that high in the current patch, yet her nerf in Patch 12.23 is on the way. The conundrum with Yuumi is the fact that she is not as strong in the solo queue, but her performance in professional play is too strong.
With this issue, the balance team has to walk a tightrope in order to balance the Cat. So, the new changes drew the ire of many in social media. Thus, Riot Phroxzon addressed their thought process on Reddit for nerfing Yuumi in Patch 12.23.
Read More: Why Was Heartsteel Not Nerfed For Summoner’s Rift: An In-Depth Analysis
Riot Addresses Yuumi Nerf Methodology
There was a huge post on Reddit about Yuumi being nerfed, and Riot Phroxzon chimed in there to put his views. His comment has a lot of information to dissect, but it gives a very clear idea of what Riot Phroxzon and the balance team were looking into before they made a decision to nerf Yuumi. Let’s start by talking about what he said bit by bit.
His comment talks about a litany of things about Yuumi as a champion. Riot Phroxzon mentions that the value of Yuumi in League of Legends is to help an ADC in terms of positioning so that the other player can focus their attention on other aspects of the game. However, this caused many issues with the champion. So, in the current status of Yuumi, Riot Phroxzon mentions three main issues with The Cat.
Riot Phroxzon’s Three Main Issues With Yuumi
In Riot Phroxzon’s words, these are the three main issues with Yuumi.
- As tuned, she is a Pro Play bound champion.
- Yuumi can be frustrating for some player segments (varies significantly by region X skill bracket).
- Tends to abandon her lane partner later in the game.
All these three reasons are a problem in Riot’s mind. So they hope that the changes will mitigate the pro-play aspect of Yuumi.
Their Aim With The Yuumi Nerfs
Riot hopes that the changes will reduce Yuumi’s effectiveness in pro play. They want to get Yuumi to a good place and reduce frustration for players. Riot Phroxzon said that the reason they are nerfing Yuumi’s passive is that part of her kit is what made The Cat viable in pro play. Pro play is the focus of these nerfs as Yuumi is getting her passive a little dinged.
Riot Phroxzon’s Reasoning For Not Taking A Different Route With Yuumi Changes
According to Riot Phroxzon’s statement, the Balance Team feels that the approach they are taking will nerf her in pro play and reduce the frustration caused by the champion for all players. That is what they are hoping for. Riot considered other options, but this felt like the best path to move forward with. So, they are sticking to it.
Riot Phroxzon also said that they want to keep Yuumi more new player friendly; hence they are not trying to functionally change how the champion work. Hence, Riot is having to do a balancing act on nerfing Yuumi for now so that they can keep players happy and The Cat down in pro play. Nerfing her passive seems to be the best step forward, according to Riot.
This is The First Of Many Changes Coming Soon
According to Riot Phroxzon, this change is one of the many adjustments coming to Yuumi to finally be able to balance the champion. Riot wants to nerf her for “sophisticated players” while balancing the champion around her intended skill bracket.
It is something players have wanted for a while, and Riot is being transparent about the changes for Yuumi. So, it will be interesting to see how that works going forward.
