League of Legends Yorick Guide: Best Build, Runes, Combos

Yorick is one of the most underrated split-pushers in League of Legends, known for his ability to control lanes, summon powerful minions, and take towers with ease. He may not have flashy mechanics, but in the right hands, Yorick becomes a relentless force that’s hard to stop once he gets going. Whether you’re looking to dominate top lane, pressure objectives, or carry through macro play, this guide covers everything you need to know—from the best build and runes to Yorick’s strongest item path and key combos to crush your lane and snowball into a win.

Yorick Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Yorick is a juggernaut-style top laner built around split-pushing, summoning minions, and overwhelming enemies with relentless pressure. His kit is simple but powerful, especially when played with strong macro awareness. Here’s a breakdown of how each of Yorick’s abilities work:

Passive – Shepherd of Souls
When enemy units die near Yorick, their souls are collected. Once enough souls are gathered, Yorick can raise them as Mist Walkers to fight alongside him.
Why it matters: Mist Walkers are your core damage dealers and pushers. In trades or when pushing towers, having them active gives you a huge advantage.

Q – Last Rites / Awakening
Yorick’s next basic attack deals bonus damage and heals him. If the target dies, a grave is created. When enough graves are nearby, Yorick can use Awakening to raise Mist Walkers.
Pro tip: Use Q to last-hit and sustain in lane. Once you have a few graves, summon Mist Walkers before engaging for maximum pressure.

W – Dark Procession
Yorick summons a circular wall of stone that traps enemies inside for a few seconds.
How to use it: Use W to trap squishy targets or prevent escapes. It combos well with your E for guaranteed damage.

E – Mourning Mist
Yorick throws a glob of mist that marks and slows the first enemy hit. Marked targets take bonus damage from Mist Walkers and the Maiden.
When to use it: Always start fights with E. It gives your minions a damage boost and helps lock down fleeing enemies.

R – Eulogy of the Isles
Yorick summons the Maiden of the Mist along with Mist Walkers. The Maiden follows Yorick or pushes a lane, helping to deal constant damage.
Why it’s strong: The Maiden is key to Yorick’s split-push power. She can 1v1 towers, melt minion waves, and turn trades in your favor.

Mastering Yorick means knowing how to play around his summons, when to split-push, and how to turn even a small lead into massive map pressure.

How To Play Yorick In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells for Yorick

The best summoner spells for Yorick are Teleport and Flash, giving him both map control and the tools to stay safe or make aggressive plays.
• Teleport is essential on Yorick. It lets you split-push confidently, apply pressure in side lanes, and quickly join your team for objectives or team fights. Yorick’s strength comes from controlling the map, and Teleport helps you do that better than any other summoner spell.
• Flash is a must for repositioning, escaping ganks, or pulling off surprise engages with your wall (W – Dark Procession). Yorick doesn’t have built-in mobility, so Flash is key to surviving sticky situations or securing kills.

In some very specific matchups, you can take Ghost for longer chase potential, but 99% of the time, Flash + Teleport is the go-to combo for dominating lane and split-pushing like a pro.

Best Runes for Yorick

The best rune setup for Yorick focuses on durability, lane control, and scaling for late-game split-pushing. The ideal choice is the Resolve primary path with Inspiration as the secondary. This setup helps you survive lane, win extended trades, and pressure the map nonstop.

Primary: Resolve
• Grasp of the Undying – The best keystone for Yorick. It gives you bonus damage, healing, and permanent health when you trade. Perfect for short trades and scaling tankiness over time.
• Demolish – Lets you take down turrets faster, which is key to Yorick’s split-pushing playstyle. It synergizes perfectly with your ghouls and the Maiden.
• Second Wind or Bone Plating –
• Take Second Wind against poke-heavy lanes (like Teemo or Kennen) for better sustain.
• Choose Bone Plating against melee bruisers for more durability in trades.
• Overgrowth – Gives bonus max HP as the game goes on, helping you become tankier and harder to kill in the late game.

Secondary: Inspiration
• Magical Footwear – Free boots give you more gold efficiency and help you scale into your first items quicker.
• Minion Dematerializer or Cosmic Insight –
• Use Minion Dematerializer if you need better waveclear or you’re against push-heavy lanes.
• Cosmic Insight is great for extra Summoner Spell and item cooldowns, which helps with more frequent Teleports or Flash plays.

Stat Shards
• • Adaptive Force
• • Adaptive Force
• • Armor or Magic Resist (based on lane matchup)

This rune page gives Yorick strong trading power, excellent tower pressure, and enough durability to survive tough lanes and scale into a split-pushing monster.

Best Build for Yorick

Yorick’s best build in League of Legends focuses on durability, sustain, and split-pushing power. You want items that help you stay alive in long trades, take down towers fast, and keep your Mist Walkers and Maiden active as long as possible. Here’s the ideal item path:

Core Items
• Trinity Force
The best Mythic for Yorick. It gives you attack damage, health, attack speed, and movement speed on hit—everything Yorick needs to trade, push, and chase down enemies. The Spellblade passive also boosts your damage after casting abilities like Q.
• Hullbreaker
A must-have for split-pushing. It gives bonus resistances and damage when you’re alone, and buffs your minions to help melt towers faster. This is what turns Yorick into a true side lane monster.
• Sterak’s Gage
Great for survivability. The bonus health and shield help you stay in fights longer, especially during team fights or 1v2 situations when you’re split-pushing deep.

Situational / Late Game Items
• Death’s Dance – Gives you damage, healing on takedowns, and delayed damage intake, which helps Yorick win extended fights.
• Spirit Visage – Boosts all healing and shields, making your Q and runes like Second Wind or Grasp of the Undying even more effective.
• Thornmail – Strong against healing-heavy champs and auto attackers like Aatrox or Fiora.
• Maw of Malmortius – A good option if you’re facing heavy AP burst.
• Guardian Angel – Extra safety in late-game team fights or split-push plays.

Example Full Build
• Trinity Force
• Hullbreaker
• Sterak’s Gage
• Death’s Dance or Spirit Visage
• Thornmail or Maw of Malmortius (depending on matchup)
• Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads

This build gives Yorick everything he needs—sustain, damage, defense, and insane split-push pressure. With the right items, you’ll be able to control side lanes, melt turrets, and force the enemy team to constantly respond to your pressure.

Best Combos to Learn for Yorick

Yorick isn’t a flashy champion, but he has a few simple and deadly combos that let you trap enemies, summon minions, and chunk down health bars quickly. Mastering these will help you dominate lane, win 1v1s, and pressure towers effectively.

1. Basic Trade Combo

Q → Auto → W → Auto
Use Last Rites (Q) to poke or heal, then follow up with a basic attack and trap them with Dark Procession (W). This combo is great for short trades and controlling melee opponents in lane.

2. All-In Combo (With Mist Walkers and Maiden)

Summon Maiden (R) → E → W → Q → Auto spam
Start with R to summon the Maiden and activate your split-push power. Use E (Mourning Mist) to mark and slow the enemy, then W to trap them. Follow up with Q and basic attacks while your ghouls and Maiden shred them. This is Yorick’s main kill combo when fully set up.

3. Tower Dive Combo

E → W (Trap Under Tower) → R → Q → Auto → Leave with Mist Walkers
If the enemy is low and near tower, use E first to slow and damage, trap them inside with W, then summon the Maiden to help finish them off. Your ghouls will tank a few hits while you clean up.

4. Chase Combo

E → W → Q → Auto → E (again if needed)
Use this combo to lock down fleeing targets. The slow from E and trap from W make it hard for enemies to escape, and your Mist Walkers will do most of the damage.

5. Lane Control Combo

Last-hit minions with Q to create graves → W to zone enemy → Raise Mist Walkers → Push hard
Use this to take full control of your lane. Zone enemies with your wall, summon Mist Walkers, and pressure tower with Maiden when possible.

Conclusion

Yorick might not be the flashiest champion in League of Legends, but when played right, he becomes a relentless split-pushing powerhouse that’s incredibly hard to deal with. By using the best build, rune setup, and combos, you can control the pace of the game, dominate your lane, and apply constant pressure in the side lanes. Whether you’re trapping enemies with your wall, pushing towers with the Maiden, or winning 1v2s with your Mist Walkers, Yorick rewards smart, patient, and strategic play. If you’re looking for a champion that can carry through sheer map control, Yorick is the perfect pick.