We all know Yone as one of the hardest mid laners to beat in League of Legends. He’s a tough fighter that scales incredibly well in the late game and can often 1v9 games.
And while he has a perfectly good AD build for carrying, some players opt for a fun AP Yone build instead.
Buying ability power items is not what most players would even think of when they play Yone. But the AP build is an interesting spin-off to AD Yone that actually works.
It’s decently powerful and fun enough to make you want to play it twice.
And if you’ve never tried out AP Yone before, know that I made this guide just for you. Here you’ll find all the information you need, starting from the AP ratios and ending with the runes and items.
So if you’re ready, let’s learn how to play AP Yone in League of Legends.
AP Yone Explained – How Does it Really Work?
Since AP Yone is such an off-meta build in League of Legends, many players don’t know how the build works.
There are a couple of points I want to clarify here, so make sure to closely read everything if you’ve never tried to play AP Yone before.
AP Ratios
Yone is an AD champion and he doesn’t have AP ratios in his kit. So despite dealing magic damage as well as physical damage, he doesn’t benefit too much from raw AP early on.
However, if you have on-hit magic effects that scale with AP, like Lich Bane, you’ll want as much AP as possible.
In other words, you should first get as many on-hit magic effects as possible and then build raw AP. Items like Lich Bane and Nashor’s Tooth are your core items and should be built first.
And only after you have them you can go for items like Rabadon’s Deathcap or Void Staff.
Remember, magic effects such as magic penetration still work Yone despite him not having AP ratios.
Those effects are connected with the type of damage the champion deals which for Yone is both magic and physical.
Damage
If you’re worrying about not dealing enough damage with AP Yone, I’m here to tell you to not worry at all.
And even if you put 6 random items in his inventory, Yone can still do cray amounts of damage.
In all seriousness, the damage of AP Yone is decent but not overpowered. Yes, you can one-shot the enemy carry if you get ahead.
But don’t expect to shred tanks like Ornn the same way as you would with AD Yone.
What I really mean here is that AD Yone will always have more damage than AP Yone. Items like Infinity Edge makes it easier to melt down even the most defensive champions in League.
However, AP Yone still works well against most enemies, especially the squishy ones.
Playstyle
If you’ve never tried out AP Yone, you shouldn’t worry about the change of playstyle either.
AP Yone has a very similar playstyle to AD Yone. You’re still going to be using the same ability combos and the way of dealing damage.
So running around, auto-attacking, and spamming Q is what playing AP Yone feels like in a nutshell.
Of course, switching from AD to AP Yone requires a bit of getting used to. The power spikes are different and you’ll definitely notice that the pace is different.
But at the end of the day, it’s still the same champion with relatively similar power.
Survivability
The thing that stops most players from trying out AP Yone is the lack of survivability. And they aren’t all wrong.
AP Yone is squishier than AD Yone. Without items like Death’s Dance and Immortal Shieldbow, it’s difficult to survive burst damage.
However, with Riftmaker, you can still keep a decent level of self-healing.
Omnivamp is a great stat on Yone and the AP build provides that. Just don’t expect to have the same amount of tankiness as you would on AD Yone. Be more careful!
“Troll Build”
Since a large part of the League of Legends community is against off-meta builds, chances are that you’ll be called a “troll” in at least one game.
People generally don’t like to gamble on their chances of victory and they can be pretty hostile toward anyone that tries something new.
Remember, most players haven’t tried or even seen AP Yone in their games, so they don’t know what to expect from you.
That’s why muting your teammates is a good way to protect your well-being in LoL. And you should do it whenever you feel threatened.
Of course, being called a “troll” shouldn’t stop you from trying fun champions and builds like AP Yone. Just expect that this might happen in your games and you need to try your best.
Read Also: Full AP Yasuo Build – Guide
AP Yone Runes – Explained
- Lethal Tempo
- Triumph
- Legend: Alacrity
- Cut Down
- Conditioning
- Overgrowth
As I mentioned above, AP Yone’s playstyle is very similar to that of AD Yone. And as you can see, the entire rune page is nearly identical for both AD and AP Yone.
LETHAL TEMPO is the keystone of choice because of the extra attack speed it provides. It activates upon entering combat and stays with you for a long time if you keep fighting.
On the other hand, LEGEND: ALACRITY increases your attack speed permanently and both runes are essential here.
TRIUMPH can help you in those clutch fights because even an assist restores a bit of your health, often enough to save yourself.
I usually combine it with LAST STAND on Yone for two reasons – more damage while on low HP and high up-time because of AP Yone’s weaker self-healing.
For secondary runes, the best combination I can recommend is CONDITIONING and OVERGROWTH.
The first one grants bonus magic resist and armor for free. And the second helps you build more health and become tankier.
However, if you’re up against a bursty opponent, switching to Bone Plating is generally better.
And remember, don’t pick Revitalize because you won’t be building Immortal Shieldbow so you don’t need the extra shield power.
Read Also: AP Malphite Build Guide
AP Yone Items – Explained
- Berserker’s Greaves
- Nashor’s Tooth
- Lich Bane
- Riftmaker
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
When you’re ready to spend your gold, these are the rules you need to follow.
First of all, your starting items should either be DORAN’S BLADE + HEALTH POTION or DORAN’S SHIELD + HEALTH POTION. The Blade is generally better but the Shield can help you counter aggressive/ranged laners early on.
Second, I’d advise you to get BERSERKER’S GREAVES. The extra attack speed is essential for winning fights and actually dealing damage during the early game, so make sure you have them.
Your first core item is NASHOR’S TOOTH. This is the most important purchase because it gives you your key stats – ability power, attack speed, and bonus on-hit magic damage on each hit.
Your second core item is LICH BANE. I usually purchase it before my mythic item because it fits better to the whole playstyle of AP Yone. It also does on-hit magic damage and like Nashor’s Tooth, it scales with AP.
As for the mythic item, the best one you can get is RIFTMAKER. Besides the stats, this item allows you to deal a 9% bonus true damage and grants you a lot of self-healing which AP Yone clearly lacks.
After this, the best way to close the game is with RABADON’S DEATHCAP and ZHONYA’S HOURGLASS. The first one will boost AP Yone’s overall damage while the second can help you survive longer in fights.
Lastly, some situational items that work well on AP Yone are MORELLONOMICON and DEMONIC EMBRACE. Getting Grevious Wounds in LoL is always recommended and Demonic Embrace synergizes with Riftmaker.
On top of this, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter can also be a fun item to try out.
Skill Order and Summoner’s Spells
When it comes maxing out your abilities, the first one should always be Q. This is your most important spell on Yone and the one you’ll use it the most.
Remember, Yone’s Q also procs the on-hit magic effects from your items because it also counts as an ability.
After that, your E should be maxed out second while your W third.
There are multiple Summoner’s Spells combinations to choose from. My favorite is Flash + Ignite because it’s the best one for 1v1 fights. However, you can also swap the ignite for Exhaust and even Teleport if the situation demands it.
Conclusion
Please keep in mind that I wouldn’t recommend playing AP Yone if your goal is to climb in solo queue with this champion. You have an OP build when you go AD and you should stick to it if you’re looking for sheer power.
But if you’re looking for fun, definitely try out AP Yone.
I designed this guide both as an introduction and a general overview of how AP Yone works in League of Legends. And I hope it helped you too!
