In the current meta, Yone is one of the most frequently used champions in solo rank mid-lane. However, contrary to this positive sign, Yone’s loss rate also ranks among the top in this position. Noticing that some players complained about Yone’s power in League of Legends, a Riot employee revealed the first version of Yone, which had an absurdly strong skill set. After multiple nerfs and adjustments, Yone was finally balanced for the official release.
The “beta” version of Yone’s skill set shows terrifying mobility along with a ton of crowd control effects that this champion can unleash, showcased in a solo match against his brother Yasuo:
Specifically, the first complete skill set that Yone possessed was:
Passive: Similar to Way of the Wanderer (Yasuo).
Q: Stabs forward, accumulating 2 stacks to knock up on the 3rd activation.
W: Throws a whirlwind (similar to Yasuo’s Q3) forward while dashing slightly backward.
E: A “4-in-1” skill that includes Yasuo’s Sweeping Blade (E), activates Spirit Blossom (Yone’s current E) if used on enemy champions, sticks to enemies (similar to Akali’s E2). Lastly, it features Samira’s Show Off passive, dashing to increase the control time of knocked-up enemies.
R: Spins the sword and knocks up enemies in the affected area (similar to Yasuo’s E+Q3 combo but used on the spot).
After seeing Yone’s first version of the skill set being too “toxic”, even fans of this champion had to “breathe a sigh of relief”. If Riot Games hadn’t adjusted Yone to be as “weak” as he currently is, his brother Yasuo would have a hard time stepping into the official servers, simply because of the imbalance in gameplay it could bring to the Summoner’s Rift.