Yasuo, the Unforgiven
Overview:
Like a lone tree in a wind-swept field, my prior criticism of Yasuo still stands. In an attempt to make him a viable melee carry, Riot gave Yasuo way too much of everything: crowd control, mobility, damage, utility, all freely available with minimal resource management. The result is an oppressive force with a muddled identity, and very few situations in which the disgraced warrior can't find some advantage.
But even a lone tree must bend - my prior redesign wasn't perfect, and with Master Yi taking on a new style of swordsmanship, there are a few samurai-style mechanics in need of a home. On top of the goals of the prior redesign, these changes should help further tidy up Yasuo's wandering and skirmishing playstyle.
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Rough and unfocused, Yasuo's current playstyle needs to be refined, honed, and folded a thousand times over. With the current kit excelling at sieging, chasing, diving, counter-engaging, ambushing, and so on, these changes are meant to forge Yasuo into a wandering skirmisher. Following the wind, he's at his strongest when he can roam in between fights, and keep himself from getting caught up in pitched brawls.
Mobility is still a core strength of his kit, but now it's also a necessity - Yasuo wants to be on the move at all times, and has tools that both allow him to dish out damage without breaking step, and give him the means to constantly reposition. With Flow being a more central part of his kit, however, he is more directly hindered by slows, roots, and other movement-limiting effects.
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Yasuo still keeps many of his functions (a Q that acts as an extension of his basic attacks, anti-projectile effects, constant mobility, etc.), while other elements of his kit - such as a reward for constantly moving - have been expanded upon.
Two elements that will remain cut, however, are his ability to knock-up enemies, and his synergy with ally knock-ups. Status synergy can be a great way to make certain team comps shine (such as with poison and fear effects), but considering that knock-ups are so innately powerful and that other mechanics naturally synergize with them to a high degree, allowing a highly-mobile, high-damage character to apply and benefit more from this sort of effect feels both redundant and dangerous to the game's long-term health.
All values in blue are meant to give a general idea of the ability's properties, and are subject to change.
Class: Skirmisher
Recommended Positions: Solo Midlane, Duo Sidelane (Carry)
Complexity: Medium
Innate: Way of the Wanderer
Yasuo generates 1 Flow for every 59/52.5/46 (based on level) units he travels by any means. At 100 Flow, Yasuo becomes Windswept, causing his next ability to become empowered and expend all Flow.
After not attacking or using damaging abilities for 4 seconds, Yasuo will sheathe his blade, and will unsheathe it with his next basic attack or damaging ability, guaranteeing that it critically strikes and doubling his total critical strike chance for 4 seconds.
Q: Steel Tempest
Yasuo sends a cutting gale in the target direction, dealing 20/45/70/95/120 + (100% total AD) physical damage to the first enemy hit. For the next 4 seconds, this enemy takes 10/20/30/40/50 + (35% total AD) bonus physical damage from Yasuo on-hit.
While Windswept, Steel Tempest can be re-cast up to 3 times within the next 4 seconds to slash towards a nearby enemy, sending a smaller gale through them that deals
25/35/45 (based on level) + (45% total AD) physical damage. This slash will first prioritize Yasuo's most recent target, then the nearest enemy champion.
Steel Tempest's initial cast and re-casts apply on-hit effects and can critically strike.
Range: 725
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Line
Cooldown: 8 to 2.7 (based on bonus attack speed; initial cast), 0.5 (re-cast)
Cost: None
W: Tailwind
Yasuo summons a stiff breeze behind him, cleansing slows and becoming immune to
them for 3.75 seconds. During this time, damaging an enemy champion grants Yasuo 30/40/50/60/70% bonus movement speed and ghosts him for 1.25 seconds.
While Windswept, Tailwind creates an intense whirlwind around Yasuo, destroying all nearby projectiles and reducing incoming damage from projectiles by 60/75/90% (based on level), decaying over 3.75 seconds.
Range: Self, 350 (projectile destruction radius)
Targeting Type: None
Cooldown: 15
Cost: None
E: Last Breath
PASSIVE: 30/35/40/45/50% of damage Yasuo deals to enemies is stored on them as a
Wind Scar, up to 70/80/90/100/110 + (65/75/85/95/105% bonus AD) damage. Whenever
Yasuo sheathes his blade, all Wind Scars detonate, dealing the stored damage after a 1.25 second delay. This damage ignores 50% of the enemies' bonus armor.
ACTIVE: Yasuo sheathes his blade, disarming himself for 1.25 seconds and generating 50 Flow over the duration.
While Windswept, Last Breath reduces the remaining cooldowns of Yasuo's other abilities by 8 seconds and generates an additional 50/75/100 Flow (based on level) over 4 seconds once Last Breath's initial Flow generation is complete.
Range: Self
Targeting Type: None
Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8
Cost: None
R: Sweeping Blade
Yasuo dashes to the target location, dealing 100/150/200 + (75% bonus AD) physical damage to enemies in his path. Within 5.25 seconds, this ability can be re-cast to dash back to the initial location after a 1 second delay, dealing the same damage.
While Windswept, Sweeping Blade's cast range is increased by 100/200/300 (based on level), and the second dash no longer has a delay.
Range: 750
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Line
Cooldown: 60/45/30
Cost: None