Why is yasuo so popular

Yasuo is one of the most popular champions in League of Legends. He’s a 1v9 hypercarry with a strong early, mid, and late game. Yasuo’s damage comes from his basic attacks and abilities in the form of critical strikes. He has good defensiveness and good mobility too. But, what are some other champions like Yasuo in LoL?

Answering this question is often difficult and there are multiple reasons for it. First of all, Yasuo can be considered a fighter and an assassin so we can look in both categories for a substitute. But also, Yasuo has a unique design that Riot Games hasn’t copied in any other champion except Yone.

The good news is that there are champions that share the same playstyle as Yasuo even if they have a different set of abilities. And in this post, you can see the top 5 best champions like Yasuo in League of Legends.

Check them out!

The 5 Best Champions Like Yasuo in LoL

1. Yone

Why is yasuo so popular

If you’re looking for a champion with the same playstyle and almost the same abilities as Yasuo, Yone should be your first and only choice. In the lore, Yone is Yasuo’s brother. And in the game, he has many similar moves as Yasuo.

Let’s start with the Q ability. Yone’s Q – Mortal Steel is 95% the same ability as Yasuo’s Q – Steel Tempest. It’s a short-cooldown attack that slashes all enemies ahead and counts as a basic attack as well as an ability.

And just like with Yasuo, when you cast Mortal Steel two times in a row, you make it empowered. The third cast lets you dash forward and knock up enemies in front of you, which is a lot similar to throwing a tornado.

Now, Yone doesn’t have a wind wall and as many dashes as there are minions in the game. However, his W gives him a shield each time he strikes an enemy. And during his E, Yone can move very fast, fight for 5 seconds, and return to his initial position. This is one of the safest abilities in LoL.

Finally, I’d say that Yone’s R – Fate Sealed is an easier ability to use than Yasuo’s R – Last Breath. The reason for this is because Yasuo’s ulti requires a knock-up effect, either his or his team’s. And even though it’s not easy to aim Yone’s ulti, it’s generally a more reliable spell.

All in all, if you’re a Yasuo player and you want to try out Yone, the change will feel very natural to you. You’ll already know the playstyle, so you’ll learn him quickly. And I shouldn’t even mention Yone’s power and his carry potential.

  • Read Also: Top 5 Best Champions Like Zed in League of Legends

2. Irelia

Why is yasuo so popular

Irelia is another mid/top lane champion that you’ll definitely like if you’re into playing Yasuo. She’s a strong pick overall with great mobility, damage, and defensiveness. 

One of the most appealing things that players find in Irelia is her Q ability. Baldesurge allows Irelia to dash to a target and deal damage. If the target dies, Bladesurge resets and Irelia can use it again. 

In other words, Irelia can dash as many times as Yasuo. The difference here is that Irelia needs to slay the target in order to reset the ability while Yasuo doesn’t. And Bladesurge is on the Q button while Sweeping Blade is on the E, which might take a bit of getting used to.

Instead of a wind wall, Irelia has her W – Defiant Dance. She can channel it for up to 1.5 seconds and reduce the physical and magic damage taken by a significant amount. Depending on how you use this in a fight, it might give you an even greater advantage than Yasuo’s W.

Irelia also has a stun her E ability while Yasuo doesn’t. True, this isn’t the easiest ability to aim either, but it can be reliable in a fight. 

But things get much better when you unlock Irelia’s R – Vanguard’s Edge. This spell deals damage, slows down enemies, and marks them so Irelia can dash multiple times to them.

And that’s why Irelia is one of the best champions like Yasuo in League of Legends!

  • Read Also: The Best Champions Like Katarina in League of Legends

3. Fiora

Why is yasuo so popular

Fiora might not be a “quick samurai” type of champion like Yasuo and Yone, but her playstyle is very similar to theirs. Fiora is also an AD melee fighter and prefers a similar item build to that of Yasuo. So, the transition from Yasuo to Fiora is usually easy for most players.

As you can see from her appearance, Fiora is a champion designed for dueling. She excels in 1v1 fights because all of her abilities revolve around finding and exploiting weak spots in her enemy. In-game, this happens by striking the opponent from different angles, mainly north, south, east, and west.

Fiora’s abilities also share some similarities with Yasuo’s abilities. For example, Fiora’s Q – Lunge allows her to dash forward and strike the nearest enemy. And her W – Riposte can block all incoming basic attacks and abilities if used at the right time.

Aside from this, Fiora can also deal critical strike damage with her E, which is also close to Yasuo’s kit. Fiora’s ultimate is vastly different from Yasuo’s ult but it works perfectly with the rest of her abilities. It highlights all vitals on her target, allowing her to deal more damage and also self-heal.

If you’re used to playing Yasuo in the mid lane, it might be tough to find a spot for Fiora mid lane too. It’s not impossible, but Fiora definitely has more unfavorable matchups in mid than Yasuo. But you can definitely make her work!

4. Riven

Why is yasuo so popular

On the surface, Riven might seem at all like Yasuo. But the truth is – most players that love Yasuo also enjoy playing Riven. She has the same qualities as Yasuo, even though their playstyles are different. 

Riven is quick and complex enough to stay fun for a long time. She’s also powerful and able to 1v9 games if played correctly. Her ability kit consists of dashes, stuns, shields, and long-range attacks, which is the same as Yasuo.

Riven deals most of her damage when she has her R – Blade of the Exile. Once activated, Riven gets bonus raw AD and she can recast the ability to damage all enemies in front of her in a long cone area. It’s definitely a more reliable damage dealer than Yasuo’s R, so there’s that.

Thanks to Riven’s three dashes from her Q and one from her E, she is as mobile as Yasuo in a fight. She can quickly get to the backline of the enemy team and assassinate the ADC or the mid laner. 

The items that you usually build on Riven give her damage, self-healing, shields, armor, and magic resist. This makes it possible for her to stay alive in the fight for a long time. So if you like dancing around your opponent in a battle with a sword, you should definitely try Riven!

5. Tryndamere

Why is yasuo so popular

And in the fifth place, we have Tryndamere. Truthfully, Tryndamere is a much simpler champion than Yasuo and you won’t enjoy him as much if you main Yasuo for the complexity. However, Trynda is one of the most broken champions in the game and can definitely give you free LP.

Besides the fact that both champions wield enormous swords and are melee AD champions, Yasuo and Tryndamere don’t have too many similarities. But even though their abilities are fundamentally different, you can quickly pick up Tryndamere if you’re a Yasuo player.

For example, Tryndamere’s dash is on the same button as Yasuo’s dash – E. The build you’ll run on Tryndamere has lots of critical strike and attack speed, so you won’t need to learn items right away. And the best of all – you can split push and duel any champion 1v1 with Tryndamere as well as with Yasuo.

All in all, Tryndamere can be a fun pick to try out whenever Yasuo is banned. He is especially strong in the top lane, but you can also play him in the mid lane.

So, that’s why Tryndamere is on the list among the champions like Yasuo in League of Legends!

  • Read Also: Top 5 Best Champions Like Zed in League of Legends

Bonus Pick – Master Yi

Why is yasuo so popular

If none of the champions on my list really satisfied you, I can recommend Master Yi. This is a champion with no skill shot and no entry-level barrier. And no matter which rank you are with Yasuo, you’ll play Master Yi as well as him.

Master Yi is a very simple champion. His biggest source of damage is his basic attacks, followed by his Q – Alpha Strike. During Alpha Strike, Yi also disappears and becomes untargetable. This makes it very easy for the enemy team to stop Master Yi from dealing damage.

Master Yi is also the only samurai champion in League of Legends besides Yasuo and Yone. In fact, he is the original samurai because he was a part of the first champions ever designed for LoL. So even though Yi is a simpler pick, he can sometimes give you the same vibe as Yasuo.

Those were the best champions like Yasuo in LoL!