Ionia · Unleashed · Intermediate
Master Yi
Wuju Master · XP threshold swarm
Calm
BodyUnleashed Master Yi gives all your units +1 Might at Level 6 and makes them enter ready at Level 11.
![Riftbound Legend: Wuju Master. [Level 6][>] Your units have +1 [S]. (While you have 6+ XP, get the effect.)
[Level 11][>] Your units enter ready.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2Fed9af55066593b4ee738b9529b847f2f738078e0-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Live data · our tournament results, last 14 days
Where Master Yi Stands Right Now
Tier
S
Midrange
Meta share
11.6%
237 tracked decks
Top 8s
19
across 13 events
CN / West share
11.5% / 13.8%
15 / 4 top 8s
The engine
What Master Yi Rewards
Wuju Master · printed ability
“[Level 6] → Your units have +1 Might. (While you have 6+ XP, get the effect.) [Level 11] → Your units enter ready.”
Master Yi asks you to care about combat math; the fun is setting up fights where your units survive because the Legend ability changes the numbers.
How it plays
The Game Plan
This Yi is about reaching XP thresholds. Level 6 turns every unit into a better combat body; Level 11 makes future units enter ready, so the deck shifts from survival to immediate pressure once the levels unlock.
Strengths
- Global +1 Might at Level 6
- Units enter ready at Level 11
- Excellent late-game board scaling
Watch Outs
- Needs XP before text matters
- Early turns can be underpowered
- Leveling plan is vulnerable to pressure
Turn by Turn
- 1Early: prioritize cards that gain XP or keep the board alive until Level 6.
- 2Midgame: use the global +1 Might to win fair fights and continue leveling.
- 3Late: after Level 11, play ready units directly into pressure or defense without waiting a turn.
New to this Legend? Pick Unleashed Master Yi if you like decks that visibly level up from fair combat into ready-unit pressure.
Know the field
Key Matchups
How Master Yi lines up against the decks that matter, based on results from our tournament database.
Tough
vs Falling Star decks
His power bonus only works in combat, which runs straight into the format's most played removal spell.
Proven lists · from our tournament database
What Winning Master Yi Looks Like
The full list below comes straight from a recent top-performing event run, runes and battlefields included. Use it as the reference build, then adjust for your collection.
离火弈长生
S3 Chengdu City Challenge · 2026-06-14 · 56 cards
Legend (1)
- Master Yi, Wuju Bladesman1
Units (20)
- First Mate3
- Lonely Poro3
- Rengar, Trophy Hunter3
- Ruin Runner3
- Scuttle Crab3
- Irelia, Fervent1
- Master Yi, Tempered1
- Sona, Harmonious1
- Vilemaw1
- Whiteflame Protector1
Spells (14)
- Charm3
- Defy3
- Discipline3
- Punch First3
- Alpha Strike1
- Back Off1
Gear (6)
- Zhonya's Hourglass3
- Blood Rose1
- Mask of Foresight1
- Trinity Force1
Runes (12)
- Body Rune6
- Calm Rune6
Battlefields (3)
- Grove of the God-Willow1
- Star Spring1
- Startipped Peak1
Also putting up results: dаmn quiri (S3 Chengdu City Challenge, 2026-06-14) and 玉麥大聖 (S3 Chengdu City Challenge, 2026-06-14).
The Cards Doing the Work
![Riftbound Unit: Scuttle Crab. (Units with 0 [S] can conquer and hold.)
When you play me, draw 1.
[Deathknell][>] Choose an opponent. They reveal their hand. You can look at their facedown cards this turn. Gain 1 XP. (When I die, get the effects.)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2F8c9a251b2deb21716fba0ac83c6aac96563fa19d-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Card advantage · 3x
Scuttle Crab
“When you play me, draw 1. [Deathknell] → Choose an opponent. They reveal their hand. You can look at their facedown cards this turn. Gain 1 XP. (When I die, get the effects.)”
![Riftbound Gear: Zhonya's Hourglass. [Hidden] (Hide now for [A] to react with later for [0].)
If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it. (Send it to base. This isn't a move.)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2Fdc38172c56f838b407fc9f170ba973da32d7cd4d-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Removal & reach · 3x
Zhonya's Hourglass
“[Hidden] (Hide now for 1 Power to react with later for 0 Energy.) If a friendly unit would die, kill this instead. Heal that unit, exhaust it, and recall it. (Send it to base.…”
![Riftbound Unit: Rengar, Trophy Hunter. [Ambush] (You may play me as a [Reaction] to a battlefield where you have units.)
I can be played to a battlefield where there are enemy units (even if you don't have units there).](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcmsassets.rgpub.io%2Fsanity%2Fimages%2Fdsfx7636%2Fgame_data_live%2F8e159fd8aa9bb349e32bda6a10b0178cc28ca8dd-744x1039.png&w=2048&q=75)
Core piece · 3x
Rengar, Trophy Hunter
“[Ambush] (You may play me as a [Reaction] to a battlefield where you have units.) I can be played to a battlefield where there are enemy units (even if you don't have units there).”
Your first build
How to Start Playing Master Yi
Master Yi has no preconstructed starter deck, so this is a singles build — start from the proven list above in the deck builder and trim toward the cards you own.