Yorick, Shepherd of Souls
Overview:
While I miss the Dampé-esque take on Yorick brought by his previous identity as League's resident Gravedigger, his VGU has firmly established him as one of my favorite MOBA characters. As a big fan of map control champions (and a bigger fan of diversity within the roster), the dour, zombie-herding monk brings a new life to League and its potential strategies that his prior self never could.
But if this new Yorick is so great, then why a (re)redesign? I certainly think the VGU's more engaging and interactive method of necromancy is steps ahead of my initial redesign in terms of skill expression and accessible counterplay, but I also think it could benefit from some elements of the Gravedigger's kit to pull Yorick even further away from default bruiser* territory.
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These changes are about as minor as they come - W is still an enemy containment tool, and E is still Yorick's main method of directing his mindless entourage - but should help make his gameplay more distinct. The new interactions between his abilities and additional ways to create ghouls should also go a long way towards adding new depth to a kit that is already six feet under.
He ultimately still, at some point, wants to run up to his opponent and start smacking them, but allowing him to tend his graveyard and giving him reasons to hang back on his turf to get his next batch of ghouls ready faster (or simply fling them from afar) will hopefully let his more iconic characteristics shine through.
*ie. Some assortment of ranged poke, attack modifier, gap-closer, utility, teamfight ult - obviously it's fine for champions within the same general archetype to have similar tools, and it's important for there to be simpler champions who don't stray far from the baseline, but I feel like Yorick is better represented by a playstyle that is more nuanced than running up to people and bonking them.
All values in blue are meant to give a general idea of the ability's properties, and are subject to change.
Class: Juggernaut
Recommended Positions: Solo Toplane, Jungle
Complexity: Medium
Innate: Shepherd of Souls
Yorick raises a Grave for every enemy champion and 12th/6th/2nd (based on level) non-champion enemy that dies within 1200 units of him, as well as for every enemy he kills with Last Rites. Only 4 Graves can exist at the same time, with the furthest ones being replaced by the newest.
Yorick can use Awakening to raise a Mist Walker from a Grave.
Mist Walkers have 100 to 185 (based on level) + (15% total HP) health, 2 to 99 (based on level) +
(30% total AD) attack damage, 0.5 to 1.18 (based on level) attack speed, and will follow Yorick until they enter combat with minions, at which point they will continue traveling down that lane. Only 4 Mist Walkers can exist at the same time, with the closest ones being replaced by the newest.
Q: Last Rites/Awakening
Yorick curses his shovel, causing his next basic attack within 6 seconds to have 50 bonus range, deal 30/55/80/105/130 + (40% total AD) physical damge, and heal him for
12 to 82 (based on level) health, doubled to 24 to 164 (based on level) if he is below 50% health.
If there are 3 Graves nearby and Last Rites has been cast or is on cooldown, Yorick is granted the ability to cast Awakening, destroying all nearby Graves to summon a Mist Walker from them. Awakening will remain cast-able until there are no Graves nearby.
Range: Self
Targeting Type: None
Cooldown: 7/6.25/5.5/4.75/4
Cost: 25 mana
W: Dark Procession
Yorick raises a Graveyard at the target location that forms after 1 second and persists for 5 minutes. Graveyards spawn a Grave within them every 22/18/14/10/6 seconds if none are currently within it. Graves created by Graveyards don't count towards their limit.
Enemy champions who walk over a Graveyard as it's forming or once it's complete will destroy it, and will be pulled at by grasping souls for 2 seconds, slowing them by 30/35/40/45/50% for the duration.
Yorick can place up to 2/3/4/5/6 Graveyards at a time, and placing a Graveyard beyond this limit will destroy the oldest one once it forms.
Range: 600 (range), 350 (effect radius)
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Circle
Cooldown: 20/18/16/14/12
Cost: 70 mana
E: Mourning Soil
Yorick shovels a patch of cursed earth at the target location that splashes forward across an off-centered area once it lands, marking enemies hit for 4 seconds and grounding them for the duration. Yorick, Mist Walkers, and The Maiden gain 20% bonus movement speed when moving towards them, and Mist Walkers will additionally leap to enemy champions affected by the mark.
If used while standing over a Grave, Yorick will destroy it and fling a Mist Walker to the target location.
If used while within a Graveyard, Yorick will instead shovel a globule of Black Mist that deals physical damage equal to 15% of each target's current health, with a minimum of at least 70/105/140/175/210 + (75% total AD) physical damage.
Range: 700 (range), 250 (length from impact point), 50/75 (min/max width)
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Line Segment
Cooldown: 12/11/10/9/8
Cost: 50/55/60/65/70 mana
R: Eulogy of the Isles
Yorick summons the Maiden of the Mist along with 2/3/4 Mist Walkers, which remain on the battlefield until she or Yorick dies.
When the Maiden of the Mist is alive, Eulogy of the Isles can be re-activated to set The Maiden free, letting her push the nearest lane until she dies.
The Maiden deals 0/10/40 + (50% total AD) physical damage each second to her current target, marking them if they are not a structure and causing Yorick's next basic attack against them to deal 3/6/9% of their maximum health as bonus physical damage. Enemies that die near The Maiden are raised as a Mist Walker.
Range: 600
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Placement
Cooldown: 160/130/100 (once effects end)
Cost: 100 mana