Yuumi is the adorable kitty that everyone despises, and a hotfix boost in LoL Patch 12.16 has made her more strongly than ever.
If you’ve ever played League of Legends, watched LoL esports, or watched a League stream on Twitch, you’ve most likely heard someone moan about the Magical Cat.
Yuumi, who debuted on May 14, 2019, rapidly became one of the most divisive League characters of all time. She is a support champion whose main use is to heal and buff her carry while remaining untargetable while linked to an ally.
She is easy to play and gives massive gameplay returns for very little skill input, making her one of the game’s most divisive champions. As of August 26, she was the second-most banned champion in the global solo queue, with a 37% ban rate, trailing only mid-lane assassin Zed.
Her presence in professional play has been transformative. The Yuumi/Garen bot lane from Fnatic was one of the most iconic characteristics of the 2019 World Championship, and she’s maintained a very high presence in the competitive meta due to her consistent utility. So far in 2022, she is the world’s third-highest presence support champion in the competitive League.
Read more about her buff here.
The community’s reaction to Yuumi hotfix
As you might expect, the community’s reaction to a hotfix buff so soon after a significant nerf was… underwhelming. Multiple top players responded to the initial tweet, stating unequivocally that the only way to properly balance Yuumi would be to remove her totally from the game.
Many people were concerned that such a massive bonus would entirely negate any effect on her win rate from the 12.16 nerfs, implying that Riot had undone whatever positive improvement they’d achieved with the initial modifications.
As a result of these changes, Cloud9 LoL coach Maurius ‘Veigar v2’ Aune has already begun advocating for the reintroduction of Garen/Yuumi. The combo is heavily reliant on early-game damage from her Prowling Projectile (Q), which both buffs offer in abundance.
With professional play still on Patch 12.15, it’s unclear whether Garen/Yuumi bot lane will return to the pro meta. However, it is evident that pros, commentators, and streamers are all dissatisfied with the modifications.