Mastering Yone Mid with the Perfect Rune Setup

Yone, the Unforgotten, has taken the Summoner’s Rift by storm since his release in 2020. As a high-damage melee assassin, Yone mid has quickly become a favorite pick among League of Legends players. However, to truly unlock Yone’s potential and dominate the mid-lane, understanding the runes that synergize with his kit is crucial.

Introduction to Yone Mid

Before diving into the optimal rune setup for Yone mid, it’s essential to grasp his strengths and weaknesses. As an agile champion with diverse mobility options, Yone excels at gap-closing and bursting down squishy targets. His kit is loaded with both offensive and defensive options, making him a formidable foe in the right hands.

To maximize his performance, we need to find the perfect rune combination. Let’s explore the different rune paths available and determine which one suits Yone’s playstyle the best.

Precision: The Classic Rune Path

The Precision rune tree serves as the foundation for Yone’s mid-lane dominance. With its focus on enhancing attack damage, attack speed, and sustain, this path complements Yone’s core abilities perfectly.

The primary rune choice for Yone is Conqueror. This keystone provides him with bonus adaptive force, which scales with damage dealt to champions. This rune significantly enhances Yone’s all-ins while allowing him to sustain through extended trades.

For the secondary rune path, Triumph proves its worth by granting Yone additional healing upon takedowns, ensuring survival during intense team fights. Pair this with Legend: Tenacity to reduce crowd control effects, making Yone more resilient in battles.

Lastly, Legend: Alacrity enhances Yone’s attack speed, crucial for maximizing his damage output. For the final slot, Last Stand provides a damage increase when low on health, giving Yone the opportunity to turn fights around at the brink of defeat.

Alternate Paths for Unique Playstyles

While Precision is the most popular choice for Yone mid, alternate rune paths can be explored based on individual playstyles and matchups.

1. Domination: The Burst Path

For players looking to maximize Yone’s burst potential, the Domination path offers a compelling alternative. Electrocute provides a burst of bonus damage, activating after hitting an enemy with three different attacks or abilities within a short time. This keystone is perfect for quickly eliminating squishy mid-lane targets.

Taste of Blood provides much-needed sustain in lane, while Sudden Impact grants bonus lethality and magic penetration upon using a dash or blink ability. Finish the path with Ravenous Hunter to increase spell vamp and further enhance Yone’s self-healing capabilities.

2. Resolve: The Tanky Path

For a tankier approach to Yone mid, the Resolve tree offers resilience and sustain during laning phase. Grasp of the Undying provides bonus magic damage on basic attacks while also increasing maximum health, making Yone unexpectedly tanky.

Demolish enables siege potential, allowing Yone to deliver massive damage to enemy structures. Paired with Second Wind, which provides additional healing based on missing health, and Unflinching, which grants tenacity after using a summoner spell, this build turns Yone into a resilient juggernaut.

Adapting Runes to Matchups

While the recommended rune paths provide a strong foundation, adapting your runes to specific matchups can give you an edge in lane. Below are some matchup-specific adjustments:

1. Against Heavy AP Mid-Laners

If facing a mage or heavy AP damage dealer in the mid-lane, swapping Legend: Tenacity for Nullifying Orb can provide an advantage. Nullifying Orb grants a magic damage shield upon taking a certain amount of magic damage, providing temporary protection against burst combos.

2. Against Melee Assassins

If your opponent is also a melee assassin like Zed or Talon, taking Bone Plating instead of Last Stand can mitigate their burst damage. Bone Plating reduces incoming damage from the next ability or auto-attack, helping Yone survive dangerous all-ins.

Conclusion

Mastering Yone mid requires a deep understanding of his strengths, weaknesses, and the optimal rune paths available. The Precision path, with Conqueror as the keystone, provides the foundation for Yone’s mid-lane dominance. However, players with unique playstyles can explore the Domination or Resolve paths to fit their preferences and adapt to different matchups.

Remember, runes are not set in stone, and adjustments can be made based on specific circumstances. Experiment, practice, and find the rune setup that gives you the best chance of achieving victory on Summoner’s Rift.

Sources:

• https://na.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/champions/yone
• https://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/champion/yone-150