Yuumi + Tears of the Goddess = Infinite items.
In patch 13.5, Riot buffed Yuumi but somehow inadvertently bugged her ability. Now, LoL account holders are taking advantage of this bug, skewing the statistics on the hero’s usage. She’s being used more often now but getting banned more often due to the exploit.
A Brief Overview of Yuumi’s Abilities
As a magical cat, Yuumi empowers allies with a unique mechanic. She can attach (and detach) herself onto a partner, making her untargetable. Also, her attacks will come from the ally’s position, which can lead to fakeouts and misdirections. Lastly, she has minor healing abilities to help keep her partners alive.
The first ability is the one we’ll focus on, as that is the primary mechanic of the exploit.
About Tears of the Goddess
This is a starter item for most champions that use mana. However, it is recommended for Ryze, Karthus Ezreal, Kog’Maw, and Nidalee. Its effects provide bonus damage on basic attacks and bonus mana through Mana Charge.
It also increases mana capacity every time you use an ability. If it has a charge, it saves mana by using those up instead.
What About the Exploit?
The exploit is simple. When Yuumi attaches to (or detaches from) an ally holding a Tear of the Goddess, it provides a stack of the item’s effects. That means they can spam the “You and Me!” skill and buff allies before the match starts.
This allows allies to have a ton of extra mana at almost no charge. It won’t even take much time to do it. Things are always easier when your abilities are always available and have little to no cost. Of course, this is unfair to everyone else, so this is something that needs to go. After all, who thinks getting effortless mana for free is fair?
This explains the rising usage rate and ban rate for Yuumi. The combination of Tear users and this magic kitty can be explosive. Even if having more than one might look useless, it can be sold back for more gold or upgraded into a Winter’s Approach, Archangel’s Staff, or Manamune.
Okay, So When’s the Fix?
Well, that’s hard to say for sure. Riot has noticed and been notified, but it’ll take time to find the issue and fix it. Theoretically, they can look through the patch code to find and isolate the bug. However, it’s not as clear-cut as that.
There can be interactions with the previous patches along with the base code. That means more things to check and look through, and test. For now, this Yuumi bug will stay a while.
To Use or Not To Use
You can’t deny it’s tempting to use. It’s easy Tear stacks, and that’s a mighty helpful thing for users of the item. Still, it’s an unintended effect of the Yuumi rework. They might’ve succeeded in making the kitty cat stronger, but this is too much.
Most players still want fairness, so Yuumi bans are also increasing. Others want to exploit the bug before it inevitably disappears and the code is fixed. LoL boosting service providers might like it to make matches go faster. Whichever group you fall into, the most important thing is to enjoy the game.
Also, don’t overuse the bug. It can be detrimental since over-reliance will cripple you when it’s gone. A fix will come up soon, and it’ll be gone. Battles that once were a breeze will no longer be easy. Then you have to adjust to the new mechanics. That part is easier when you barely used the exploit.
Lastly, there could be penalties for those who exploited this bug. Though some cases might not have intended to use it, a blanket punishment would mean not having to differentiate. This will depend on the developers, as it could range from losing some wins to dropping in rank. The best-case scenario would be no punishment, but that’s very unlikely.
Nothing to Do But Wait
For some players with LoL accounts, this ruins the game, and for others, it makes it more exciting and fun. Still, to practice fairness, it will have to go. It’s unfair to have one side do this and the other not, but you can’t expect every match to have Yuumis on both teams. Let’s hope the fix comes sooner than later.
At any rate, we must live with it for now. Bugs like these are part and parcel of game development, especially for live service. With all the consistent patches they release, there will be unintended results.