Yorick Only to Diamond Completed | Overview, Stats, Thoughts and Full Series Recorded
Hey y'all. I started grinding Yorick only on an unranked account over 10 days ago and finally finished today. Before we take a look at the journey, let me give you some context on my skill and experience as a Yorick player. Over all my accounts, I can safely say I have a total of over 600 games on Yorick. 460 on my main account, which I was able to hit D1 peak and hover D2 on for a while. I can safely say I am a D2 player but due to the matchmaking at high elo, I believe I can grind to Masters given I play try hard games with a good mental, and of course the self-control to dodge grim-looking games in champ-select. Ok that's enough about me, lets move on to my Yorick playstyle.
Play Style:
I play top lane hoping to hyper carry and overwhelm my opponents. I want the enemy bot lane to leave lane 3/0 with 8 cs/min only to get hit by my E and killed with a single Q and my ghouls. This way I destroy their mental, and can end the game before we hit late game where the game becomes less 1v9'able. In order to do achieve this, I see killing my lane opponent, taking plates, and invading enemy jungle as an adequate early game strategy. To kill my opponents, I take ignite. Its insane how ignite can turn a top lane duel or gank, even against Yorick's counters (given they don't have ignite, which most never take). With the lack of TP, there is a lower margin of error in laning phase. You can't take 50% of your health to secure a cannon. You can't die to a jungle gank when a big wave is about to crash into your tower. You can't afford to ignore your enemy jungler. You can't afford to take bad trades. I'm basically saying you need to be smart about how you play lane, because without TP, you can't catch a fat wave crashing into your tower because you died. But what does ignite allow you to do in lane? It turns losing duels or skirmishes into winning ones, scoring you a kill against that Fiora or Mordekaiser. If ahead and with ult, it can even turn a 1v2 into a double kill if played correctly. How you go about doing this can change but is generally: stack 3-4 ghouls before you hit level 3 and allow the wave to be pushing into you but make sure the enemy wave is not to big and that you are not losing health while stacking ghouls, then hit an E followed by W and all in them. You will sacrifice some CS early, but it is too set up a freeze on your enemy where they would need to overextend in order to CS, which you can punish if you hit your E (unlike me most of the series).
In the mid-game, after you have taken your top tower or have switched lanes and have gone bot, to apply pressure on your opponents, the raptor cloak is as essential as triforce is. It allows you to run up and down lanes much faster, pushing waves faster and bugging the opponents more. It also can help you escape if the enemy team decides to send 4 after you, but the movement speed buff is just to much for them. If ahead, someone on there team always has to be on Yorick duty, and it can't be the top laner because you crushed them and they are behind, and if they try to push past their outer tower you will run them down and take that tower no problem. A lot of the time they are forced to send two or more players to your lane to deal with you, leaving the rest of the map in a 4v3 state. Where your team can exploit by taking mid towers or side lane towers, securing objectives, or even engaging the enemy into a fight with their numbers advantage. Sometimes you can even win the 1v2, snowballing you even further and making the game an almost definite win.
In the super late game, ignite mostly loses its value unless you are fighting an opponent(s) with lots of lifesteal like Fiora. With ignite, you can definitely play the duel and kill her in the 1v1, which is a massive win in the late game that allows you to secure major objectives like baron or an inhib. It also extends the period of time where you are able to 1v2, allowing your team to capture more objectives than normal.
In the mid-late game I almost never team fight, I like to guide my team into the split pushing strategy by typing to them, although they do not always listen. The only times I team fight are when we have an obviously stronger fight, otherwise I just apply a lot of pressure on the enemy.
Overview: [https://imgur.com/11hbiQ1](https://imgur.com/11hbiQ1)
\#158 Yorick Global | #13 NA : [https://imgur.com/FQvcIVp](https://imgur.com/FQvcIVp)
General Build Path:
Sheen -> Phage or Stinger -> Triforce
\-> Boots -> Raptor Cloak (-> ZZ'rot if magic resistance is needed)
\-> Steraks Gage -> Deaths Dance -> Variable
Games needed to reach diamond: 106 (71 wins, 35 losses) [https://imgur.com/j9a8E3v](https://imgur.com/j9a8E3v)
(Would also like to add I believe that even though my overall winrate is 67%, I believe my promo's winrate to be significantly lower. Leads me to believe that the "promo games" stereotype but have some truth behind it.)
I refrain from adding in my winrate against champs, because they are misleading. For example, I have 40% winrate against Kayle (2W/3L), despite crushing her in all lanes. I have some thoughts as to why this is later in the post.
Thoughts:
Most of my games played I was a split pusher, however this is a less popular strategy in lower elos and most people just prefer to 5 mid after side lanes. I definitely lost some games because I simply chose Yorick who thrives off of split pushing instead of someone like Kennen or Irelia who can contribute a lot to teamfights. These losses do happen and there's nothing you can do about it, your teammates simply don't know how to split push properly. (Remember to win while split pushing requires your team to be competent to a certain degree). For example, sometimes, we have a 1-3-1 setup, where if I am left alone in a side lane I will run the person down, which I do gaining our team an advantage and allowing me to take a tower. However, in order for this to be net positive for the team, I need my 3 mid to simply sit under mid tower and clear waves and not get engaged on. Of course in some games, they get engaged on and the enemy team takes the mid tower, nullifying the advantage I gained.
A lot of people in gold or silver really don't know how strong Yorick is and how good he is at taking towers, so around here I was able to run down a side lane and get an inhib while 4 of them sit in the mid lane. This also means sometimes you have 4 people come and kill you in bot lane and your team isn't taking baron but rather securing krugs and wolves xd. This leads to stalled out games where the enemy team can outscale your team (Kayle).
Also, sometimes dying for a nexus tower or inhib is more worth it that you think, because it can lead to an open nexus where you can just run in their base and end the game while they fight your team over baron.
Is Yorick a good champ to learn and climb to diamond with?:
Absolutely, hes a free pass out of gold at the very minimum.
Do you think you could have gotten Diamond sooner?:
ABSOLUTELY, I did not give it my best for the majority of the series, in fact you will see me disrespect my opponents because of the elo I am in and die because of it. In fact, over all 106 games, I ONLY BOUGHT 21 CONTROL WARDS, FUCKING KEKW.
How is Yorick in diamond?:
In mid to high diamond it is more difficult to acquire a lane lead and the lack of TP also decreases your margin of error more, because junglers here know to dive a low health target, which without TP can be catastrophic, however actually pulling of the split push strategy is easier and if your ahead it is even easier to close out the game, all assuming your team is trying to win the game.
Tips: Sometimes, your team will flame you for trying to split push when its clearly the win condition because a teamfight you guys get rekt on, simply pity those people because they are just 5v5 ARAMers who will at the VERY VERY VERY most be hardstuck D4 0LP decay players.
DON'T LOSE 40% OF YOUR HEALTH AGAINST A RANGED MATCHUP FOR A CREEP.
I will be uploading the games to my youtube channel (excluding games where enemy team or my team is just inting and the game ends literally at 15). If you do not have the patience to see some of the higher elo games, the vods are also available on my twitch. Both are below. (LOW quality vids at the beginning, they do get better though as I adjust my stream).
Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HXHM\_OTt-sqcuWHijvUHw](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5HXHM_OTt-sqcuWHijvUHw)
Twitch:[https://www.twitch.tv/strawhatani](https://www.twitch.tv/strawhatani)
Can answer any questions you may have.