Master Yi Jungle Build 16.11
Master Yi Jungle build in patch 16.11 has a 55.0% win rate over 342 games. This setup focuses on boots are an early movement purchase built to improve baseline mobility and reduce how punishing bad positioning feels. they are mainly bought to help with spacing, lane movement, and getting to fights or objectives faster.
Master Yi Build Guide & Strategy (Patch 16.11)
About Master Yi
Master Yi is a reset-based melee carry who cleans through fights with untargetability, repeated gap closing, and sustained auto-attack damage once a target falls. He takes over when enemies lose track of his entry timing, but he is vulnerable to being locked down or forced out before he can start chaining kills.
Master Yi Build Strategy & Items
Boots support a tempo-oriented style where movement matters as much as raw stats, letting you weave in and out of trades, dodge skillshots, and reach waves or skirmishes sooner. They fit gameplans built around cleaner rotations, safer lane resets, and better control over distance in fights. The item supports lane patterns where every auto attack, ability ratio, or short trade becomes slightly more threatening right away. It fits aggressive and tempo-conscious gameplans that want immediate combat value while keeping many future build options open. This item supports assertive laning where you contest minions, punish last hits, and look for early health leads through repeated combat. It fits marksmen, fighters, and other AD users whose gameplan improves when their first few trades carry more threat. Boots are an early movement purchase built to improve baseline mobility and reduce how punishing bad positioning feels. They are mainly bought to help with spacing, lane movement, and getting to fights or objectives faster. Long Sword is the basic attack damage component for champions who want a small but efficient increase to their physical output. It is mainly bought to improve trading, farming, and build flexibility without delaying larger item paths. Doran's Blade is an aggressive starter that combines early damage with a small durability cushion and lane sustain. It is mainly for champions who want their first levels to feel stronger in trades, farming, and all-in setup. Gustwalker Hatchling is a jungle companion centered on movement and map tempo rather than direct combat durability. It is mainly for junglers who value faster path transitions, cleaner angles into lanes, and better freedom to move between camps, fights, and objectives. Health Potion is a consumable sustain tool used to recover health over time during lane or after small fights. It is mainly for extending early map presence without needing an immediate recall.
Master Yi Key Strengths
Their value shows up everywhere because early movement speed changes how quickly you can reposition, chase, retreat, and respond to map plays. Boots also make trading more reliable for champions that need better angles, tighter spacing, or faster entry into range. Long Sword is attractive because it gives clean AD at a low cost, making it one of the easiest ways to sharpen early damage and last-hitting. It also builds into a wide range of assassin, marksman, fighter, and utility items, so early purchases rarely feel restrictive. Doran's Blade is valuable because it gives a rounded early stat package instead of committing purely to offense or defense. That mix makes it easier to last-hit under pressure, trade back with confidence, and keep pushing lane presence without feeling too fragile. Gustwalker Hatchling stands out because movement changes how a jungler influences the map, from faster rotations to more reliable lane entry paths. It is especially useful for champions that thrive on repeated activity, countergank timing, or weaving rapidly between farm and pressure. Health Potion is valuable because it turns gold into reliable early endurance, which matters most when the first few waves decide pressure and recall timing. It also works across many matchups, making it one of the simplest ways to stay active after a rough exchange. Steel Sigil is useful because it gives a more fight-ready feel than purely scaling components, helping champions survive the kind of repeated contact that happens in close-range play. It also smooths item pathing for builds that want sturdiness now without waiting on an expensive completion. Plated Steelcaps are strong because they answer one of the most common and persistent damage patterns in the game: sustained physical chip from attacks. They are especially useful into double-AD pressure, ranged harass lanes, or late-game carries that would otherwise shred you through repeated autos. Experimental Hexplate is valuable because it sharpens the exact moment many fighters care about most: the entry into a fight after ultimate activation. It is especially useful on champions whose ult defines their threat pattern, since the item helps that window come up more often and feel more punishing once it begins. Mercury's Treads are valuable because they answer two common game-losing problems at once: heavy magic damage and chainable crowd control. They are especially useful when the enemy composition wins by catching someone first, since even a little more freedom to move or cast can completely change whether you escape the engage. Guinsoo's Rageblade is powerful because it turns rapid-fire attack patterns into a much more threatening damage engine, especially on champions with strong on-hit interactions already in their kit or build. It is especially valuable when fights are decided by who can keep dealing damage through a frontline instead of who lands the first burst combo. Caulfield's Warhammer is useful because it gives an immediately playable spike, making physical spells hit harder while also shortening the downtime between meaningful trade windows. It also fits into many different AD paths, so it keeps build options open for champions that may pivot between burst, bruiser, or utility completions. Blade of The Ruined King is especially good at turning attack uptime into real damage against sturdier enemies, which helps auto-attack champions remain relevant once health bars start getting bigger. It also feels excellent on duelists that want both stronger target sticking and a more punishing long-trade profile without abandoning carry potential. Terminus is valuable because it turns sustained contact into a much stronger payoff, which is exactly what on-hit champions want once tanks and bruisers start absorbing the first few seconds of every fight. It is especially useful on carries that can maintain consistent uptime, since the item rewards patience and positioning rather than gambling everything on one early burst window. Titanic Hydra is attractive because it gives beefier champions a way to convert survivability into practical damage without abandoning their frontline identity. It is especially strong on picks that stand in the middle of waves and fights, since the extra area damage helps both map tempo and extended combat output. Death's Dance is valuable because it gives bruisers more room to stay active after diving into dangerous range, which is often the difference between a successful skirmish and dying before the second rotation. It is especially strong on reset-oriented fighters and sustained melee carries, since staying alive slightly longer often lets them completely swing the fight. Kraken Slayer is valuable because it turns uninterrupted auto-attack uptime into very real damage against targets that would otherwise soak ordinary carry patterns too easily. It is especially strong on champions that attack quickly and consistently, since every extra second of safe firing makes the item feel more threatening.
Best Master Yi Runes & Spells
Lethal Tempo is built to overwhelm fights through sustained attacking rather than front-loaded burst. Its purpose is to turn continued uptime on a target into rapidly escalating DPS and stronger pressure the longer the exchange lasts. Coup de Grace is a finisher rune that sharpens damage against targets already close to collapse. It is mainly taken to make execution windows cleaner so low-health enemies are less likely to escape after surviving the initial burst or trade. Treasure Hunter is an economy rune built to accelerate item timing through unique takedowns rather than through direct combat stats. Its main purpose is to convert early map activity into faster spikes that arrive before opponents are ready for them. Grisly Mementos is a utility-focused rune built around collecting value from successful combat and converting it into lingering pressure. Its purpose is to reward players who consistently finish fights or influence takedowns by giving those moments extra strategic payoff beyond the kill itself. Sudden Impact is a burst-oriented rune that rewards champions for attacking immediately after a dash, leap, blink, stealth exit, or similar repositioning trigger. Its main purpose is to make gap-closing and surprise entry patterns hit harder the moment contact is made. Triple Tonic is a staged utility rune that delivers multiple timed consumable spikes instead of one constant stat line. Its purpose is to give a player several distinct moments of extra help across lane and transition phases, rewarding planning around when each tonic matters most. Cash Back is an economy rune built around making completed purchases snowball more efficiently. Its main purpose is to soften the cost of item spikes so a champion can chain power increases faster than normal once key buys start coming through. Legend: Alacrity is a scaling attack-speed rune made to sharpen auto-based gameplay as stacks accumulate. Its main purpose is to increase how quickly a champion can deliver repeated hits, making sustained DPS and trigger-based attack patterns feel smoother and more threatening. Triumph is a takedown rune that rewards successful fights with a burst of recovery and extra payoff at the moment an enemy falls. Its main purpose is to keep momentum alive after the first kill so a champion can survive the aftermath and continue pushing the skirmish. Hail of Blades is an opening-burst attack rune that front-loads the first few basic attacks of a trade. Its main purpose is to let champions deliver fast early hits before the target can properly disengage, retaliate, or break the rhythm of the combo. Flash is an instant repositioning spell built around solving range, angle, and danger in a single moment. It is mainly used to create or escape decisive situations that normal movement cannot cover in time. Smite is an objective and jungle control spell designed around camp clearing, neutral secure, and role-defining tempo. It is mainly taken to manage jungle routes efficiently and to give reliable finishing power on monsters that decide map control. Ignite is an offensive finishing spell that adds immediate kill pressure and punishes healing during an all-in. It is mainly chosen to turn close trades lethal and to force respect from opponents who survive on narrow health margins.
How to Play Master Yi (Early, Mid & Late Game)
Master Yi Laning Phase (Early Game)
In the early game as Master Yi in the Jungle lane, prioritize consistent farming and map awareness. Aim to secure your Kraken Slayer as quickly as possible to establish a lane advantage and create opening opportunities.
Master Yi Mid Game Strategy
During the mid game, utilize your 3 item power spikes to control lane transitions and objective contested zones. As Jungle Master Yi, your roaming potential and skirmishing power are at their peak.
Master Yi Late Game Strategy
In the late game, focus on teamfighting effectiveness and critical positioning. As Master Yi, your role is to maintain utility and pressure in final sieges, coordinated and protecting objectives with your full item build.
Master Yi Mechanics & Gameplay Tips
Good Master Yi players use Alpha Strike to dodge the exact spell that would stop their engage, time Meditate for burst reduction instead of only healing, and choose targets in an order that keeps resets flowing. Bad Yi players run straight at the nearest champion, burn Alpha Strike for damage with no defensive value, or commit before key crowd control has been drawn out.