Yorick: Shepherd of Souls

Yorick is a champion in League of Legends primarily played in the Top Lane, classified as a Juggernaut (legacy: Fighter/Tank). He uses Mana (300 – 1479.9 at max level) and deals Physical damage. Yorick was released on June 22, 2011, and is currently in patch V26.03.

📊 Base Statistics

💡 Unique Mechanic: Yorick’s strength scales with the number of graves he controls. The more enemies dying around him, the faster he builds his undead army — position yourself in the thick of teamfights or farming zones to maximize grave generation.

💀 Passive: Shepherd of Souls

Effect Radius: 1000 / 2500

INNATE – Final Service

Whenever Yorick uses Last Rites to score the killing blow on any enemy — or deals damage to an enemy champion or large monster — he raises a grave at their location. Graves are also passively raised for every 8th – 2nd enemy (based on level) that dies near him. Up to 4 graves can exist at once; the furthest is always replaced by the newest. Graves disappear when Yorick exits the area or dies.

Using Awakening or Mourning Mist’s mark, Yorick can raise 1 Mist Walker from each nearby grave after a 1-second delay, consuming those graves in the process.

INNATE – The Cursed Horde

Up to 4 Mist Walkers can be active at once near Yorick or near The Maiden. The nearest Mist Walker is always replaced when a new one is raised above the cap.

⚔️ Q: Last Rites

ACTIVE: Yorick empowers his next basic attack within 5 seconds to have an uncancellable windup, gain 50 bonus range, deal bonus physical damage, and heal himself. The heal is reduced by 50% against non-champions. Last Rites resets Yorick’s basic attack timer.

While there are at least 3 graves nearby and Last Rites is active or on cooldown, Yorick can cast Awakening.

Awakening

Cast Time: NONE  |  Range: 1000

ACTIVE: Yorick exhumes a Mist Walker from each nearby grave, raising them under his command.

🔵 W: Dark Procession

ACTIVE: Yorick summons a ring of spirits around the target location after a 0.75-second delay. Enemies hit by the walls are knocked aside over 0.25 seconds (not through terrain). Enemies within 210 units are pulled inside; those outside are pushed away. The ring persists for 4 seconds as impassable terrain and grants sight inside the ring.

Dark Procession can only be targeted by enemy champion basic attacks and turrets. Champions deal 1 damage per attack to the wall; turret attacks destroy it instantly.

🌫️ E: Mourning Mist

ACTIVE: Yorick hurls a globule of Black Mist that splashes at the target location, dealing magic damage based on the target’s maximum health. Enemy champions and monsters are slowed by 30% for 1.5 seconds and marked as Cursed for 4 seconds.

CURSED: The marked target is revealed and inflicted with armor reduction. Mist Walkers and The Maiden gain bonus movement speed while facing Cursed enemies, and Mist Walkers leap to nearby Cursed champions and large monsters upon arrival. Cursed targets also continually raise Mist Walkers from nearby graves, up to a maximum of 4.

👁️ R: Eulogy of the Isles

ACTIVE: Yorick summons The Maiden of the Mist over 1.5 seconds, along with a number of Mist Walkers surrounding her at the target location. They remain on the battlefield until The Maiden or Yorick dies. Eulogy of the Isles can be recast once while The Maiden is alive, after 10 seconds of activation.

RECAST: Yorick sets The Maiden free, allowing her to push the nearest lane independently until she dies.

💡 Pro Tip: Setting The Maiden free with the recast creates a permanent side-lane pressure that forces the enemy team to send someone to deal with her — exploiting this 4v4 or 4v3 situation is the core of Yorick’s split-push strategy.

🎯 Strategies and Gameplay Tips

Early Game (Levels 1–6)

• Last Rites (Q) sustain: Use Q on every minion kill. The self-heal keeps you healthy against all-in top laners and stacks your grave count simultaneously.
• Grave generation: Every 8th minion death near you spawns a grave at level 1. Farm efficiently to hit 3 graves ASAP and unlock Awakening.
• Dark Procession (W) trades: Trap the enemy inside your W ring during level 2–3 trades and follow up with Q empowered attack. The knockback plus the wall prevents escape.

Mid Game (Levels 7–13)

• E → Awakening combo: Tag the enemy with Mourning Mist, instantly spawn Mist Walkers from graves, and watch them leap to the Cursed target. The armor shred amplifies all damage.
• Split-push pressure: With R summoned, push a side lane while The Maiden provides constant DPS. Force 1v1 situations where your undead army gives you a permanent numbers advantage.
• Objective control: Use W to block enemy escape routes near Dragon or Baron. A well-placed ring prevents smite steals and locks opponents into unfavorable fights.

Late Game (Level 14+)

• Recast R for global pressure: Sending The Maiden free to push a lane while your team takes Baron or Elder Dragon is often game-winning. The enemy must respond or lose a tower.
• 4-man army: With a full 4 Mist Walkers and The Maiden active, your effective 1v1 power reaches its peak. Isolate key targets with W and overwhelm with the undead pile.
• Don’t over-extend: Yorick is strong in isolated duels. In full teamfights without graves, he loses a lot of damage. Manage grave generation proactively.

❌ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• Wasting graves: Never pop Awakening when you have fewer than 3 graves. Wait for the full stack so you maximize the Mist Walker burst from a single activation.
• Forgetting to E before Awakening: Always use Mourning Mist first. The armor reduction and the Cursed buff that makes Mist Walkers leap to the target dramatically increases your burst output.
• Bad W placement: Placing Dark Procession at your own feet instead of around the enemy is a critical error. The goal is to trap them inside the ring, not yourself — use it at mid range to pull enemies in.
• Abandoning The Maiden: Once R is active, pay attention to The Maiden’s position. Letting her die without accomplishing a lane push or fight engagement is wasted ultimate value.
• Ignoring Mist Walker cap: You can only have 4 Mist Walkers active. Popping Awakening when you already have 4 walkers wastes graves. Track your undead count before committing.

⚙️ Recommended Build and Itemization

Core Items

• Sundered Sky: Synergizes directly with Q’s empowered attack. True damage proc + heal makes Yorick unkillable in sustained 1v1 duels — his bread and butter item.
• Overlord’s Bloodmail: HP scaling into AD means every grave and walker you have passively amplifies your own damage. Perfect for scaling into late game.
• Titanic Hydra: AoE cleave helps push waves alongside your Mist Walkers and The Maiden. The HP to AD conversion stacks well with Bloodmail.

Situational Items

• Sterak’s Gage: Survival tool against burst-heavy compositions. The shield triggers while your Mist Walkers keep dealing damage.
• Heartsteel: For a snowballing HP stacking approach. The more HP you stack, the more damage you deal via your scaling items.
• Thornmail: Against heavy healing or AD-based enemies. Pairs well with Mourning Mist’s armor reduction for anti-tank matchups.

⚔️ Counter Picks & Matchups

✅ Yorick Counters

1. Nasus

Why: Yorick’s graves generate faster than Nasus can sustain through Q. Dark Procession traps him during his scaling phase. The undead pressure forces Nasus to play defensively, preventing his infinite Q stacking.

2. Garen

Why: Garen relies on short trades and regeneration. Mourning Mist’s armor reduction shreds his passive regen advantage, and persistent Mist Walker pressure denies his quiet farming. Yorick wins extended fights decisively.

3. Malphite

Why: Malphite is immobile and easy to cage with Dark Procession. Mourning Mist’s percent-max-HP damage bypasses his armor stacking. With enough Mist Walkers, Yorick simply overwhelms him with numbers.

❌ Yorick is Countered By

1. Fiora

Why: Fiora’s Riposte blocks Q’s empowered attack completely. Her mobility via Bladework and Grand Challenge means she can dance around Mist Walkers. Her healing through Vitals makes Yorick’s percent-damage less impactful.

2. Tryndamere

Why: Tryndamere’s Undying Rage makes it nearly impossible to secure kills even with your full undead army. His split-push speed rivals Yorick’s and he can simply outrun the Mist Walkers.

3. Vayne (Top)

Why: True damage from Silver Bolts scales directly into Yorick’s HP-stacking build. Condemn can stun Yorick against walls mid-combo. Her mobility makes her difficult to cage with Dark Procession.

FAQ

Q: How many Mist Walkers can Yorick have active at once?

A: Up to 4 Mist Walkers can be active at once — near Yorick or near The Maiden. When a 5th is raised, the nearest existing one is replaced.

Q: What’s the best way to generate graves quickly?

A: Use Last Rites on every last-hit you can. Beyond that, every 8th nearby enemy death (scaling down to every 2nd at higher levels) passively generates a grave. Farming dense minion waves is the fastest method early.

Q: When should I use the R recast to free The Maiden?

A: Free her when your team is about to engage a major objective like Baron or Elder Dragon, or when you need side-lane pressure to split the enemy team’s attention. Don’t free her if you need her damage in the current fight.

Q: Is Yorick good for beginners?

A: Yorick has a moderate learning curve. His individual abilities are straightforward, but managing graves, Mist Walkers, and The Maiden simultaneously requires practice. He’s rewarding for players who enjoy split-push strategy.

Q: Does Dark Procession block allies too?A: No — Dark Procession is only impassable terrain for enemies. Your allies and Mist Walkers can freely pass through the ring.