Yan — Patch 1.62 Verdict
[Liquipedia RPL: C] Pro play (RPL 2026): 6 picks, 33.3% WR, 2.1% pick/ban rate. Note: pro meta may differ from ranked.
Yan — Warrior Guide
Yan is not a warrior you can autopilot. He is a rotating, stacking, energy-management machine built around a passive that rewards disciplined skill sequencing and punishes button-mashing. Simple to describe and brutal to execute: weave Splash Ink and your W to charge Flash of Inspiration, crash an empowered auto into your target's face for attack speed and healing, then detonate Coiling Dragon or Crushing Mountain to tear the fight apart. Every ability feeds back into every other ability, and the player who understands those loops looks like a different hero from the one who doesn't.
So why is he S+ tier on the Thai server right now despite a modest-sounding 33.3% win rate? Because that number is deceptive: he sees only 2.1% pick rate and 0% bans, meaning he is almost exclusively played by specialists farming LP off opponents who have no idea what the matchup looks like. He is genuinely broken in the hands of someone who has put in the reps: his untargetable dash on Coiling Dragon, his stacking armor-penetration during Crushing Mountain's empowered state, and his self-sustain through the passive make him one of the most self-sufficient carries in the slayer lane. Diamond-and-above players who grind the Yan matchup properly will find one of the highest skill-expression ceilings in the entire roster.
Strengths
- +Yan's passive sustain through Flash of Inspiration means he wins prolonged slayer-lane trades against most non-burst matchups without needing a lifesteal item in his core build.
- +Coiling Dragon's untargetable travel window makes him one of the few slayer-lane warriors who can dodge targeted CC mid-combo, effectively countering hard-engage supports in team fights.
- +The Crushing Mountain empowerment stack is a genuine armor-penetration scaling engine, against tanky frontlines in the mid-to-late game, each empowered auto compounds his damage in a way that most slayer warriors cannot replicate.
- +With a 0% ban rate on the Thai server, Yan is a first-pick-safe specialist pocket pick that opponents will almost never prepare for or counter-pick against.
Weaknesses
- −His damage before Flash of Inspiration is fully stacked is surprisingly low, meaning he loses hard if he burns Q and W and then misses the empowered auto, each failed stack costs him a full trade cycle.
- −Coiling Dragon is a curved projectile, not a point-and-click dash, and its arc direction can be counter-intuitive under pressure, leading to frequent misplays where you dash past your target and out of melee range.
- −Yan has no reliable hard CC of his own outside the airborne on the empowered Q auto, making him dependent on ally setup to lock down highly mobile targets like Nakroth or Butterfly.
- −His item path, Leviathan into Glided Greaves into Longinus, is relatively slow on gold, so a lane bully who forces him under tower in the first three minutes can stunt his power spikes enough to make him irrelevant for the midgame.
Abilities
PFlash of Inspiration
Each time Yan uses Skill 1 or 2, he gains 1 stack of energy. When 2 stacks are accumulated, his next auto attack is enhanced and triggers additional effects based on the previously used skill. If the enhanced attack hits an enemy, Yan's attack speed increases and he recovers HP.
1Splash Ink
Deals damage and slows enemies. Auto attack buff: Yan jumps and charges forward, slamming the ground ahead to deal damage and knock enemies airborne.
2Splash Ink
Deals damage and slows enemies. Auto attack buff: Yan jumps and charges forward, slamming the ground ahead to deal damage and knock enemies airborne.
RCoiling Dragon
Yan dashes forward in a curved path (cannot be targeted during this). Deals damage to enemies he passes through. Auto attack buff: Yan charges at enemies, dealing bonus damage and triggering Skill 2.
1Coiling Dragon
Yan dashes forward in a curved path (cannot be targeted during this). Deals damage to enemies he passes through. Auto attack buff: Yan charges at enemies, dealing bonus damage and triggering Skill 2.
1Crushing Mountain
Yan unleashes power (immune to crowd control during cast) and unlocks Skill 3 Stage 2, entering enhanced state. LV 1: Increases armor penetration and enhances Skill 1 and 2 damage. LV 2: Enhanced auto attacks hitting enemies extend buff duration and allow multiple uses of Skill 3 Stage 2. LV 3: Enhanced auto attacks grant 1 stack of energy.
1Crushing Mountain
Yan unleashes power (immune to crowd control during cast) and unlocks Skill 3 Stage 2, entering enhanced state. LV 1: Increases armor penetration and enhances Skill 1 and 2 damage. LV 2: Enhanced auto attacks hitting enemies extend buff duration and allow multiple uses of Skill 3 Stage 2. LV 3: Enhanced auto attacks grant 1 stack of energy.
How to Use Yan's Kit
This is your entire rhythm section. Every time you land Q or W you bank one energy charge, and hitting two stacks empowers your next auto attack, triggering bonus effects tied to whichever skills you used, plus attack-speed steroid and HP restoration on contact. The most common Diamond-level mistake is using an empowered auto when the target is out of range or already dashing away; you lose the stack for nothing. Train yourself to read the charge indicator and delay the auto by a half-step so it lands cleanly, especially in trades.
Splash Ink's basic form deals damage and applies a slow, but its real value is the empowered-auto follow-up it enables through Flash of Inspiration: a forward leap that crashes into the ground and launches enemies airborne. That airborne window is your free damage window, don't waste it by queueing abilities during the animation when you could be landing a buffed auto. The slow on the base cast is narrow, so use it as the opener to close distance rather than as a standalone poke.
Functionally paired with Q in the energy-stacking loop, the W version of Splash Ink mirrors the slow-and-damage pattern but occupies a separate slot so you can charge two stacks without waiting on a single cooldown. Understanding that Q and W are two distinct inputs feeding the same passive system is the key insight most Yan beginners miss, they think of one as filler. Rotate them deliberately in trades: Q into auto, then W into empowered auto chains faster than any opponent can react at close range.
This ultimate has two distinct phases and you must treat them as separate tools. Coiling Dragon is a curved untargetable dash, use it aggressively to dodge CC mid-fight or to reposition through a target rather than away from one; the damage on enemies you pass through is real and often ignored. Once you land Crushing Mountain by hitting the empowered auto during the enhanced state, you unlock escalating LV1-to-LV3 empowerment tiers that stack armor penetration, extend the buff on further empowered autos, and eventually grant passive energy on each empowered hit. Play toward LV2 as your primary fight goal; reaching LV3 in a sustained skirmish means you are almost certainly winning.
Skill Order
Priority: R > Q > W| Skill | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Splash Ink | 1 | · | 3 | · | 5 | · | 7 | · | 9 | · | · | · | · | · | · |
2Splash Ink | · | 2 | · | 4 | · | · | · | 8 | · | 10 | · | 12 | · | · | · |
RCoiling Dragon | · | · | · | · | · | 6 | · | · | · | · | 11 | · | · | · | 15 |
Loadout
Awake
Spirit
Dragon's ClawStandard Build
1
2
3
4
5
6Core Combos
Standard Lane Trade
12POpen with Q to apply the slow and bank the first energy charge, weave an auto, then immediately W for the second charge, triggering the empowered Flash of Inspiration auto, use this whenever the enemy laner steps up to last-hit.
All-In Burst
R12PRDash through your target with Coiling Dragon phase one to proc mid-air damage and reposition, immediately chain Q and W to hit two stacks, land the empowered auto to trigger the airborne, then use the buffed Crushing Mountain follow-up before they land.
Flicker Kill Confirm
R12PPop Coiling Dragon to become untargetable, Flicker mid-dash to redirect toward a fleeing target, then immediately lock into the Q-W-empowered-auto chain before they can create distance, this works specifically on enemies who flash away the moment they see your ultimate animation begin.
Crushing Mountain Extended Fight
R1P2PRPOnce Crushing Mountain hits LV2 and empowered autos extend the buff duration, loop Q and W alternately to keep generating passive stacks and re-proccing the Coiling Dragon phase two repeatedly, this is your sustained skirmish win condition against tanky frontliners.
Gameplan
Yan is weakest before level 4, when Coiling Dragon is unavailable and his energy-stack loop can't be completed at combat speed. His first genuine spike is level 4 with Leviathan partially stacked, where he can reliably complete Q into W into empowered auto chains in lane. The real breakpoint is Leviathan plus Spear of Longinus: the penetration on Longinus feeds directly into Crushing Mountain's LV1 armor-pen bonus, creating a multiplicative damage window in the mid-game that most opponents have no answer for. Force 1v1 fights aggressively between the 10- and 18-minute marks. Fall back to objective-trading rather than dueling once the enemy assembles a full frontline that can soak your combos.
Early Game
Levels 1–6- →Levels 1-3: Play conservatively and focus on CS — your damage without a full Q-W-passive chain is not threatening, and burning skills carelessly means you enter trades with no energy stacks.
- →At level 4, start short trades using the standard Q → auto → W → empowered-auto pattern to poke the enemy laner down and establish lane dominance before Coiling Dragon is leveled further.
- →Ward the river brush on your side immediately after your first base so the enemy jungler cannot set up a dive while you are stacking Leviathan.
Mid Game
Post Broken Spear- →Rotate to the first Dragon contest after you complete Leviathan — your passive sustain and untargetable dash make you one of the better 1v1 fighters at this objective and your team should use you as the smite-fighter.
- →Split-push toward the top or bottom inhibitor tower while your team applies vision pressure; your Coiling Dragon lets you disengage from a collapse faster than most warriors, making split pressure lower risk than it looks.
- →The moment Spear of Longinus completes, look for a 1v1 on the enemy carry or off-laner — this is your peak window and you should be spending tempo on picks rather than safe farming.
Late Game
Teamfight phase- →In full team fights, engage with Coiling Dragon's dash aimed through the enemy backline, not the frontline — reaching their marksman or mage in the first second of a fight is worth more than the frontline chip damage.
- →Prioritize stacking Crushing Mountain to LV2 as fast as possible in each fight: LV2's auto-extension is the difference between a two-second burst window and a sustained fight you win.
- →If the game goes to a defensive base-siege scenario, use your Frost Cape proc and Medallion of Troy's tankiness to absorb turret hits while holding the empowered-auto charge for whoever walks up to contest — you are unkillable under tower with full build.
Matchups
Because Yan's kit lives and dies on landing the Splash Ink slow to set up his empowered auto, any hero who evades, outranges, or out-sustains that window gives him serious trouble. Butterfly and Veres are the two matchups to actively avoid in draft; if both are open and you intend to lock Yan, think twice. In a bad matchup, play for Coiling Dragon's untargetable window defensively and focus on objective trading rather than lane dominance. On synergy, Baldum and Grakk are the priority picks to first-pick around Yan: both remove the gap-close problem entirely and let you play the empowered-auto game on a stationary target. In scrims, Thai specialists pair him almost exclusively with a hard-CC support for exactly this reason.
Yan gets countered by
ButterflyHer passive evasion procs directly negate Yan's empowered auto attacks, the core of his damage loop, and her dash speed makes it nearly impossible to land the Splash Ink slow reliably.
QuillenQuillen can burst Yan between energy stacks when Flash of Inspiration is on cooldown and his invisibility makes it trivial to cancel Yan's Coiling Dragon by simply stepping out of the arc path.
AllainAllain's sustained melee output and self-healing outpace Yan's passive sustain in a straight extended trade, and his crowd control can interrupt the Q-W-empowered-auto rhythm before stacks complete.
VeresHer long-range poke combined with her own untargetable movement makes landing Splash Ink's narrow slow extremely difficult, and she can poke Yan to half-health before he ever completes an energy cycle.
Yan synergizes with
BaldumBaldum's long-range grab sets up a perfectly still target for Yan to walk up and land the full Q-W-empowered-auto chain without needing to land the slow himself.
AnnetteAnnette's knock-up and wind-field extend the CC duration on enemies Yan has already launched with his empowered Q auto, creating a kill window that neither hero could sustain alone.
GrakkGrakk's hook pulls enemies directly into Yan's face, removing the one thing Yan genuinely struggles with, closing the initial gap against kite-heavy opponents, and the follow-up chain is essentially a guaranteed kill.
PreytaPreyta's persistent AoE damage zones force enemies to clump or stand still, which is all Yan needs to complete his slow-into-chain setup without chasing.
Pro Tips
- →During Coiling Dragon's dash, you are untargetable, use it deliberately to eat incoming skillshots (Veres spear, Diao Chan bind, Natalya meteor) rather than always aiming it at a target.
- →At Crushing Mountain LV2, landing an empowered auto on ANY enemy, including minions, resets the buff timer, so in a losing team fight you can tag a nearby minion to extend your empowered state and stay dangerous longer.
- →The Frost Cape item synergizes specifically with Yan's empowered auto: the Cape's slow proc and the Splash Ink slow stack in application timing, effectively making the empowered hit a double-slow that gives you a third of a second more to land your follow-up ability.
- →Most opponents at Diamond rank will try to use Flash the moment they see Coiling Dragon's animation start, pair your Coiling Dragon cast with Flicker immediately after to redirect mid-arc and punish the instinct-flash with your landing position already updated.
Yan is a specialist's reward, an S+ tier warrior hiding behind a 33.3% win rate that filters out everyone who picks him on a whim. The thing to master is Flash of Inspiration timing, specifically the habit of holding the empowered auto for a half-beat to guarantee it lands rather than firing it into air. Players who do that consistently while navigating Coiling Dragon's arc direction under pressure find one of the most oppressive 1v1 carries in the slayer lane. He is best for Diamond-plus players who have already mastered a simpler warrior, are willing to lose games while the muscle memory builds, and want a pocket pick opponents will never ban or prepare for.
Yan — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Yan good in the current ROV patch?+
Yan is rated S+ tier on the Thai server this patch, one of the strongest slayer-lane warriors in the game right now. His 33.3% win rate looks low at first glance but is misleading: with only 2.1% pick rate and 0% ban rate, he is almost exclusively played by specialists farming unprepared opponents, not a general-population sample. Invest the time to learn his energy-stack loop and you are tapping into one of the most underrated carry picks in Diamond-plus ranked.
What is the best build for Yan?+
Core path on the Thai server is Leviathan into Gilded Greaves into Spear of Longinus into Frost Cape into Medallion of Troy into Rock Shield. Leviathan gives the early tankiness to survive laning while stacking passively, Longinus's armor penetration feeds directly into Crushing Mountain's LV1 bonus, and Frost Cape's on-hit slow layers with Splash Ink's slow to extend the empowered-auto window. Don't deviate from this path in ranked until you are comfortable with the fundamentals.
How do you counter Yan?+
The most reliable counter is a hero with innate evasion or extended poke range who can stop him from completing the Q-W-empowered-auto cycle; Butterfly's passive dodge and Veres's ranged harassment are the primary answers on the current roster. In lane, force fights immediately after Yan burns both Splash Ink charges without connecting the empowered auto, since that is his weakest window. Hard-CC chains from heroes like Baldum or Grakk that he can't dodge with Coiling Dragon also shut him down.
Is Yan hard to play / good for beginners?+
Hard, and not recommended for beginners. His entire damage and sustain output is gated behind correctly sequencing Q and W to build Flash of Inspiration stacks and then landing the empowered auto on a moving target, a chain that needs real muscle memory under pressure. New players find him frustrating and weak until those habits set in. Comfortable with the slayer role and want a high-ceiling specialist opponents never prepare for? He is absolutely worth the investment.