Ramp Yi - The New Contender in Riftbound!

The goal of these guides is to be a strong starting point for players wanting to play the deck.

So by the end of this guide, you’ll know how to pilot the most SOLID deck in Riftbound — Yi. You'll learn:

• The build
• The logic behind the card choices
• How to play the deck optimally
• Matchups
• Mulligans
• Battlefields etc etc

If you enjoy playing easy to play, easy to win decks, Yi is the deck for you!

At the core we are a combat focused value deck.

This Yi deck is about abusing your early game numbers, to make room for you to ramp to 8 drops FAST

This strategy is consistent and surprisingly oppressive

The deck asks the opponent the question “can you out this 8-10 might?” Every turn from turn 3.

As soon as they fail once, GG.

Ratios is THE MOST important aspect in deckbuilding.

The ratios this list is built around are:

2 cost units - 9 Ramp spells - 5 Top end units: 7

Along with all the most powerful cards in the colour combination such as Defy, Charm, Disclipine, First Mate etc etc.

These catergories ensure that we have get our optimal start without diluting other turns of the game.

T1: Poro, Pookie, Clockwork

T2: Find your Centre, Catalyst, Small Unit + Hold up mana

T3: Yi + spell, Deadbloom, Faefolk

T4: Whiteflame, Deadbloom, Faefolks for the rest of the game.

The key is that turn 2 play. We are abusing our OP legend ability as soon as possible, by instead of developing smaller units or holding up mana for our already unkillable unit, we use that small window to ramp.

This ramp is key because now you will be threatening even your Champion Zone Yi, meaning the opponent can't even reliably take the other point for free.

A toxic play pattern if you ask me.

Keep:

1. 2 drop
2. Ramp spell
3. 8 drop
4. X

Usually I will dig aggressively for the X card to be the matchup specific card I need, such as Charms or additional big guys.

The thing that keeps surprising me is how flexible we are able to make the rest of the deck, I am intruiged to see how the rest of the list develops.

• After our ramp turn, playing Yi to a field is often the first big dude to play, because of his power cost allowing for more rune development
• Yi first also makes our Whiteflames more threatening thanks to ganking
• Save your Zhonyas for this turn 3-4. Yi to a field + Hide Zhonyas lets us remain on 8 runes while getting a 1 power - Yi unit. Insane
• Catalyst is our best turn 1 play on Obelisk.
• Whiteflame can target itself, this is important for First Mate lines at 11 runes.
• Summon Faefolk to a field where you have a readied unit, then return the other unit to base.
• Late game Catalyst side quest of getting to 11 runes so that we can draw is a way to create value from a dead card.

Usually I would write the cards here that are hard for this deck to deal with. But I can't think of any serious ones that you have no outs to.

Deck broken? You tell me.

Decklist: https://piltoverarchive.com/decks/view/03a56f9b-da65-45b2-855d-e52f308f4a64