Even if you are more of a dog person, it is hard to ignore the unmatched supportive power of Yuumi, a support who can easily jump between her allies to boost their power and health. So, how exactly does one master League of Legend's furry feline? We should first take a look at Yuumi's abilities and break them down, before looking at how to play Yuumi in lane and during teamfights.

Abilities

Pop N Block (Passive)

Periodically, when Yuumi attacks a champion, she restores mana and gains a shield that follows her, protecting her and the ally she is attached to.

One of Yuumi's key perks is her passive shield transfer. During laning phase, you will want to detach from an ally, quickly auto an enemy champion, and immediately re-attach to your ally. Careful when detaching if you are laning against a very stun or root-heavy lane matchup, with champions like Leona or Thresh. You will want to wait for them to use their abilities before getting close to grab your passive. This can be an important turn-around during a team fight, as you can quickly grab a shield for your ally to sustain longer. Again, be very careful for any enemy champions who can disable you, as it can be extremely fatal. An easy way to see when your passive is available is if the bulb on Yuumi's head is glowing. You also want to keep track of when you can re-attach with W, as it goes on cooldown once you leave an ally.

Prowling Projectile (Q)

Yuumi fires a missile, dealing damage to the first target hit. It deals bonus damage and slows if it takes at least 1 second to get to its target. While Attached, the missile can be controlled with your cursor.

Using Prowling Projectile can really help your ally catch-up to a target enemy. Keep in mind that when attached to an ally, your Q can hit the maximum range before you hit an enemy if your ally decides to move away from your target. Do not use Q in lane unless you know you can hit it, as it can really drain your mana over time. Keep in mind that if you find yourself alone and being chased down, you can throw a Q out behind you to try and slow the enemy and get to safety.

You and Me (W)

Passively, Yuumi increases her ally's Adaptive Force and her own. Actively, Yuumi dashes to a target ally, becoming untargetable from everything except turrets.

This is the bread and butter of Yuumi's tool kit, her unique attaching mechanic. Not only does it funnel power straight to your ally, but it also keeps Yuumi safe from harm. It is important to jump between allies to heal multiple targets, rather than sitting on one single ally. Once you start building items, Yuumi can really push an ally's power forward, and it can be very beneficial in a team fight to attach to your team's engager. For example, you can jump to Warwick as he engages with his Ultimate, giving him a boost as he singles out a target. Be careful to not attach to an ally who is separated from your team and trying to fight the whole enemy team, as you both can easily be defeated and give the enemy two free kills. Remember to always return to your team's ADC to keep them boosted and alive, as they will usually be the bulk of your team's damage.

Zoomies (E)

Heals Yuumi and boosts Movement Speed and Attack Speed. If she is attached, she passes it to her ally instead.

Yuumi's heal is another very important part of her tool kit, boosting her allies in more ways than one. Using Zoomies can push your ally's power up to get the edge in a teamfight, or speed them away to safety if the fight goes south. Try not to use E only to speed up your ally on your way to a team fight, as you will quickly run out of mana before you get there.

Final Chapter (R)

Yuumi channels seven waves of damage, rooting anyone hit by three or more. Yuumi can move, attach, and cast Zoomies! while channeling.

Keep in mind that you can detach and re-attach to allies during the cast of your Ultimate, which can help secure the root on the target enemy champions. You can combo a really powerful engage by attaching to an ally as they enter the team fight, for example, attaching to Malphite as he uses his Ultimate ability into the fight. You can also use this defensively if you and your allies are being chased down and would not win the fight. Only use Final Chapter if you can shut down more than one target, or a target that is key to the enemy's survival in the next fight, like their carry or their healer.

Laning Phase

Now that we have taken a look at her abilities, we can break down the rest of her gameplay, starting with laning phase. As you arrive in lane, grabbing a shield with your passive is a good start, if possible, as it will shield your ally from any incoming poke damage. You will want to grab your passive as often as possible, and whenever it is safe, to refuel your mana and protect your ally. If the lane matchup is especially difficult and can easily stun you, be very careful when detaching, and only do so if absolutely necessary. If you do not have your passive ready, you can still detach and re-attach to your ally to apply Aery, the Sorcery Rune, which will give them a small shield and it will still apply item abilities like Ardent Censer.

In order to not waste your mana, be sure to only use Zoomies if your ally has not used a Health Potion, and if your heal will not boost them over their maximum health. You will want to use Q whenever you can easily hit an enemy; keep in mind that the enemy can move behind and in-between minion waves to dodge your Q. You want to prioritize certain allies when attaching depending on the roles they play in your team. While laning, being with your ADC is going to be the best option, so you can help them survive as they farm up minions. Attaching to a split pusher, especially one with Teleport, will not be very beneficial, as they could Teleport away and leave you behind, or keep you separated from an important team fight.

When you decide to go and ward, be very cautious, and try to only ward when an ally can accompany you, so you can escape from harm's reach if an enemy spots you out. Remember that you can activate Oracle's Lens while attached to an ally to help them catch a stealthed target or search for wards as they move through the map. Roaming as Yuumi can be difficult due to your vulnerability, so try to only roam while attached to an ally, or if you can quickly attach to an ally who is going to roam.

Teamfights

Even though Yuumi can be easily stunned or rooted and shut down, do not be afraid to detach and protect your allies from things like Caitlyn's Ultimate, or to detach to help siege against a turret. If your ally gets stunned, you can detach and help attack the enemy, especially if you are out of mana, or your Zoomies is on cooldown. Her auto attacks are better than nothing when it comes to a fight in the botlane, and you can easily turn it around by moving between your allies and throwing in a few punches. Keep in mind that moving to attach to other allies still leaves your vulnerable between transfer, and you can be stunned mid-W. You want to constantly keep track of when your enemies use abilities that can instantly shut you down and gain the advantage in the team fight.

Champions like Sett and Olaf, who come in and deal sustained damage, are good targets to attach to during a fight. You will also want to jump back to your ADC to funnel their abilities, as well as anyone else who may need your Zoomies. It is important to constantly watch the team fight, what abilities are being used, and what position everybody is in. Having as much map awareness as possible is key to mastering Yuumi, as it will keep you and your team informed, and keep you out of danger.

Tips and Tricks

• Yuumi cannot attach to allies using Teleport, to an ally Mordekaiser during their Ultimate, or an ally who is being ulted by Mordekaiser.

• Yuumi can attach to allies who are returning to base and ultimate abilities using teleport capabilities on champions like Pantheon, Tahm Kench, Galio, and Nocturne.

• Yuumi's W will not go on its full cooldown if silenced by Soraka's E ability but will go on cooldown if you get rooted by it.

• You can disable Zed and Kayn's Ultimate ability and Lee Sin's Q by attaching to an ally before they finish casting.

• Dark Seal can be grabbed early on to help boost Yuumi's scaling but can be risky if you find yourself dying consistently.

• Yuumi can still funnel APCs if you do not have an ADC, but be sure to grab Athene's Unholy Grail rather than Ardent Censer if you have an APC.

• Tanky items are not very effective on Yuumi since she is usually attached to an ally, so focus on more AP based support items.

• Going Flash on Yuumi is not the most efficient choice, so be sure to select Ignite and Exhaust, or possibly Heal and Exhaust if your ADC does not wish to go Heal themselves.
  
  

To Summarize

Yuumi might seem like an 'easy' or 'underwhelming' champion at first, but a lot of thought goes into making the most efficient plays and she requires perfect decision making, especially in higher elos. Even though you might be stationary on an ally and not constantly moving, your team relies on you to keep map awareness and it gives you an opportunity to help your team strategize. You are the key to keeping your team alive and boosted through fights to help destroy your enemies and secure the win.