He’s either a wet blanket slowly tickling the enemy team until they pass out from laughter, or a literal god that can 1v5 without his feet ever touching the ground. So as a Yi main, you have to be prepared for those unfortunate games where you won’t be in alpha the entire time, and will actually have to look at your champion. Cosmetics it is. So let’s take a look at all of his skins and see which ones stand above the others.
12. Ionia Master Yi
Released: September 12th, 2010 Price: 975 RP Although this skin does have some cool design choices, it seems like the least valuable out of the bunch. First off, it’s one of Yi’s earlier skins. So there are no new particles or animations. Secondly, if you really want to feel like you’re Ionian, just splurge for Eternal Sword – since this skin just swaps some colors around, makes your blade a bit cooler, and adds some random metal wings on your back. Lastly, Ionia Master Yi is just too expensive for what you get. If it was a 520 RP skin, then I could see how one might be tempted… but 975 RP for a skin that isn’t even the best at doing what it does? That seems off.
11. Samurai Yi
Released: March 7th, 2011 Price: 520 RP Samurai Yi is pretty straightforward and pretty effective. It doesn’t give you any new particles or animations, but at least it handles the samurai theme rather well. You get some really cool armor that looks rather convincing, your blade looks like a proper katana, and your secondary blades are actually attached to your hip. You even get those sandals you always see in samurai movies! Overall, the samurai theme was an obvious choice for Yi. And while I can’t say this skin will blow you away with its quality, I think it is rather decent.
10. Headhunter Master Yi
Released: February 8th, 2012 Price: 975 RP Headhunter Master Yi has a similar issue as Ionia Master Yi – it just doesn’t seem worth the price tag. It’s not as dire as Ionia, though… especially since this one does look pretty cool. I mean, you get a giant jagged edge, some predator vibes with that helmet, and pretty sci-fi armor. That said, it is also worth pointing out that Master Yi has quite a few skins that hit this exact nail on the head already, offering more features that are generally cooler. So if budgeting is your number one priority and you want that badass sci-fi Yi, this could be a good choice. But if you want the best quality then keep reading.
9. Assassin Master Yi
Released: December 17th, 2009 Price: 390 RP This is one of the cheapest skins in the entire game – and it’s one of the only skins that you could have gotten back in the day without swiping your parents’ credit card. So it has a lot of sentimental value to a lot of us. Assassin Master Yi only changes the character model – but the changes are pretty impactful and well implemented, with your entire vibe feeling really badass and menacing. It’s like playing the base skin for people who don’t like to see a lot of color. But let’s face it, this can’t exactly outshine newer skin releases. It will always have a special place in my heart though.
8. Debonair Master Yi
Released: December 9th, 2021 Price: 1350 RP The whole point of skins is to transform your character, while still remaining true to the original champion fantasy/lore. Debonair Master Yi just doesn’t do that for me. It simply doesn’t feel like Master Yi anymore. The character model looks like some dude that rose to fame through TikTok. And his splash art looks like a Tinder flex pick. Granted, the skin does come with truly amazing animations, with it having one of my favorite Q animations and a really cool ult effect. But the character model just pisses me off too much. Not every single champion has to be hot, okay Riot?
7. PsyOps Master Yi
Released: September 3rd, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Although this skin also goes down the e-boy path, it’s not nearly as infuriating as the last one. That being said, this skin has a different fundamental problem. But let’s go over the pros first: The backing animation is dynamic and stylish, your sword glitching out while your E is active looks cool as all hell, and your auto-attacks are as smooth as butter. So what’s the problem? This skin is just way too flashy. Like seriously, if you activate your E, R, and then press Q, you might just trigger someone’s epilepsy. Or should I say epilepsYi – I will show myself out.
6. Chosen Master Yi
Released: June 3rd, 2010 Price: 520 RP I love these types of skins. Chosen Master Yi is just plain fun, but it also enhances your actual in-game experience. Besides the change in outfit, this skin also changes your sword so that it’s a lightsaber. It glows green in combat, red when you activate your E, and blue when your E is on cooldown during a fight. And the best part is that it even makes that signature lightsaber sound when you auto-attack. This skin goes above and beyond anything that 520 RP skins usually do. And for that reason I have to say it’s your best choice overall if you really don’t feel like spending a lot of money.
5. PROJECT: Yi
Released: September 7th, 2015 Price: 1820 RP This is Master Yi’s only legendary skin – and that makes it quite the headache to rank. Considering its price, it has some features that no other Yi skin can give you – like really well-made, brand new emotes, a new death animation, and a new respawn animation. Plus it has a really cool homeguard animation, a sick double blade feature, and a good voice filter. Of course, the character model is also just incredible and manages to make Yi feel new, but also still like himself. Although this skin also has its downsides. Yes, you get new features. But they’re all pretty tame compared to newer legendary skins. And this one can straight-up feel clunky at times, especially with auto-attack canceling. So I can’t really call it the best Yi skin considering its serious faults, but I also can’t deny that it looks sick as hell.
4. Blood Moon Master Yi
Released: February 20th, 2020 Price: 1350 RP Blood Moon Master Yi feels like everything Yone ever wanted to be, and I have to say it came out better than I expected. The whole Blood Moon/occult aesthetic fits Yi rather well, with his Q looking like straight-up magic, and his W being a summoning ritual for the tilt gods. And that backing animation looks like an anime villain introduction or something. Overall I can’t say that it’s my favorite Blood Moon skin, as Yi doesn’t have enough animations/particles to really flex those particle muscles… but it is definitely a good choice if you want to look edgier.
3. Cosmic Blade Master Yi
Released: April 26th, 2017 Price: 1350 RP The main thing about Cosmic Blade Master Yi is a sense of impact. Usually, Master Yi doesn’t look nearly as powerful as he really is. And this skin fixes that completely. Your character model lets everyone know that they’re facing a universal being. Your E makes your sword look like it’s harnessing the power of a black hole, and your ult makes you feel like a comet that’s falling towards Earth and destroying everything it its path. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that all sounds pretty powerful and dangerous, right? Granted I’ll add that the new backing animation is a bit tamer than I would have expected from such a flashy skin. But the overall design makes it into the upper ranks here regardless.
2. Snow Man Yi
Released: December 6th, 2018 Price: 1350 RP You would think this is just another joke skin that would be fun to throw on here and there during the winter season. But you would be dead wrong, because Snow Man Yi is a masterpiece. First off, the character model is everything it needs to be. And Yi’s little carrot nose makes me unreasonably happy. Secondly, the ability animations are incredible, with your W having a snow globe design and your E having actual crystals form around your carrot sword. Thirdly, the backing animation here is adorable – really this skin is precious. It even plays extremely well, believe it or not. So if you don’t take skins too seriously (or if you simply don’t vibe with my number one pick) then just get this one – you can’t go wrong.
1. Eternal Sword Yi
Released: September 27th, 2017 Price: 1350 RP I usually don’t like it when a skin takes away a champion’s signature characteristic (in this case it’s Yi’s goggles). But I just love this skin too much to care. Eternal Sword Yi feels very down to earth when it comes to the character model. But the animations are all pretty nutty, leading to a nice balance of badassery and emersion. The Q animation is beautiful, the W finally feels as powerful as it is in-game, and your ult makes you equal parts elegant and terrifying – which is what I think Yi is all about. And this skin also has a new auto-attack animation for your passive. I personally find it incredibly smooth and satisfying. But if all of that hasn’t caught your attention yet, just know that your homeguard animation has Yi flying on his blade. It’s great. Note: this content was created under Riot Games’ “Legal Jibber Jabber” policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.
