In previous updates, several “unusual” champions have made their debut in the jungle role, with Morgana and Rumble being prime examples. In fact, these champions appeared so frequently in professional matches that Riot had to nerf them in updates 11.13 and 11.14. However, as Morgana and Rumble have seen less play, another unexpected name has emerged as a rather “quirky” jungle option: Yuumi.
Recently, gamer and YouTuber Phylaris uploaded a clip where he used Yuumi to test the jungle position. Phylaris purchased Yuumi the Frostfire Gauntlet, skipped the Refillable Potion, and leveled Yuumi’s E – Zoom. The healing ability, along with the attack speed and movement speed boost from Zoom, are key factors that enable Yuumi to be a viable jungle champion. Additionally, using Smite at the right moment also aids Yuumi in clearing the jungle and healing like any other jungle champion.
In Phylaris’s clip, Yuumi’s full jungle clear time is around 4 minutes. Even if we account for the time the YouTuber spent pulling and clearing the wolf camp—which, according to community feedback, also depends on skill—it still wouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to clear a full jungle. This can be considered quite fast, even in the context of a professional match, where this could be seen as an efficient jungle clear time. Additionally, Phylaris took a short time to recall and clear the wolf camp right after finishing off the Chameleon, so the actual time may be even shorter.
Of course, this choice leans towards the “unorthodox” side, so its actual effectiveness depends on many factors, both objective and subjective. Not to mention, Yuumi in the jungle may struggle to gank early game without leveling up the W – Prowling Projectile and not having the R – Final Chapter. Nevertheless, if you are a skilled player looking for something fresh, taking Yuumi into the jungle will be a very interesting experience.