Guide · Legend Research series
Master Yi Deck Guide 2026: Build Data + Standard Decklist
Subject of Legend Research #2 (2026-09-15): the Proving Grounds starter legend and the biggest usage gainer of the 1-4 city event (10.9% → 17.1%). Best result so far: 5-1, 6th place at the 1-3 city event.
Direct answer
Master Yi is the fastest-rising starter legend: across 24 decks, City Fall, Struggle, Discipline, Zhonya's Hourglass, Deathbloom Predator plus Yi himself appear in every list; runes are 6 Calm / 6 Body with zero exceptions, led by Wyvern Lair (79%).
Source: research post (2026-09-15) · Data: TopCut HK Hong Kong event deck records
Build data: core cards
- Six cards in every one of 24 decks: City Fall, Struggle, Discipline, Zhonya's Hourglass, Deathbloom Predator, plus Yi himself
- The three spells average near-3 copies each
- Zhonya's Hourglass and Deathbloom Predator average 2.4 — the deck's biggest fork (more protection vs more predators)
Flex slots and findings
- Self-Discovery (96%) and Whitefire Wyrm (96%) are nearly the 6th and 7th core cards
- Qiyana sits in the main of only 54% of decks but in the sideboard of 9 — a veteran flex card
- 9/28 top-8 stats (11 Yi decks): the build has converged hard, with Scrumptious Tumatoad, Clockwork Steward and Steadfast Poro all core
Runes and battlefields
Runes: 6 Calm / 6 Body in all 24 decks without a single exception. Battlefields: Wyvern Lair leads (79%); the other two slots split between Sacred Grove (54%) and Starfall Peak (38%). The 9/28 top-8 version runs Wyvern Lair + Sacred Grove, then Tomb of the Lost / Starfall Peak.
Sideboard
Undying Spirit appears in 20 of 24 sideboards — a clear #1; the rest is split among Sabotage, Primal Power, Rune Prison and Wind Wall.
Domain pair
Calm
CalmDefensive counterplay. Reaction, Shield and Tank all rank near the top, on one of the cheapest curves (avg 3.6). Hold battlefields with an inexpensive line, bank points every turn, and punish attacks with reaction cards.
Body
BodyBig-unit beatdown. Average Might 5.1 — the highest in the pool by a clear margin. Unit quality is itself the weapon; straight fights rarely go wrong. Ganking redeploys the army between battlefields. Direct plan: biggest troops, honest fights.
Champion units (4 versions)
Official preconstructed decks
Master Yi Proving Grounds Deck
List verified — loadable in the deck builder
Matchup notes (data observations)
Derived from our card-pool domain statistics — observations, not win-rate predictions.
FuryAvg Might even (4.5)ActionLegionAccelerateReactionTools in your colors: Tank / Shield / Ganking / Accelerate / Reaction
MindTheir avg Might is lower (3.9)HiddenReactionActionVisionTools in your colors: Tank / Shield / Ganking / Accelerate / Reaction
ChaosTheir avg Might is lower (3.8)ActionHiddenGankingVisionTools in your colors: Tank / Shield / Ganking / Accelerate / Reaction
OrderTheir avg Might is lower (4)ActionReactionLegionDeathknellTools in your colors: Tank / Shield / Ganking / Accelerate / Reaction
Hong Kong data: research and event reports
All posts below were published on TopCut HK; deck data comes from Hong Kong / Traditional-Chinese event archives.
- Legend Research #2: Master Yi — the starter deck strikes back, 24-deck dataResearch post · 2026-09-15
- City event report: Master Yi 38% overtakes Kai'Sa 33% — a complete reversalResearch post · 2026-09-28
- Deck study: the settled 40 cards of top-8 Kai'Sa and Master Yi listsResearch post · 2026-09-28
- Macau RQ report: Kai'Sa takes 5 of 8 top-cut slots; Sett wins (Yi 2nd most-played at 57/300, 19%)Research post · 2026-10-12
Standard and public decklists
"Standard" lists were built from event data in the research posts; the rest are public decks sorted by likes.
FAQ
Is Master Yi good?
Rising: 10.9% → 17.1% at the 1-4 city event was the field's biggest gain, and at Kakapu (24 players, 9/27) Yi hit 38% vs Kai'Sa's 33% — a full reversal in one week. At the 512-player Macau RQ he was 2nd most-played at 57 of 300 decks (19%).
What are Master Yi's core cards?
Six cards in all 24 decks: City Fall, Struggle, Discipline, Zhonya's Hourglass, Deathbloom Predator plus Yi himself; Self-Discovery and Whitefire Wyrm follow at 96%.
Which runes and battlefields?
6 Calm / 6 Body, zero exceptions across 24 decks. Battlefields: Wyvern Lair 79% first, Sacred Grove 54% and Starfall Peak 38% for the other slots.
Where is the standard Master Yi list?
The research post (2026-09-15) ends with a standard build; two public versions exist on the platform (9/15 and an updated 9/28). Links in the "Standard decks" section on this page.
Content updated: 2026-10-13 · Data current as of each cited post. Unofficial fan community — not affiliated with Riot Games; check card numbers against your physical cards.