Over the past week at the Mid-Season Invitational, Yasuo has seen a drastic increase in competitive pick rate. Throughout the course of the tournament, Yasuo has been picked a total of 5 times, increasing his personal presence in competitive games by a whopping 42%.

Although first picked at the Play-in Stage by KaBuM e-Sports’ Matheus “Dynquedo” Rossini Miranda as a supposed troll pick in a meaningless game, Yasuo is quickly gaining traction at the tournament’s Main Event from Rasmus “Caps” Winthers of Fnatic and has even garnered a selection from Team Liquid mid laner Eugene “Pobelter” Park.

Over the course of the past 4 months, Yasuo had only seen 7 picks at the professional level, while only receiving attention from the major regions on 3 occasions. In 6 of those 7 instances, Yasuo had been taken into the top lane, but now, as the pros move on to the international stage, the Unforgiven’s presence is quickly becoming a major mid lane threat at MSI.

Through 12 games at the MSI Main Event, Yasuo has seen action in ¼ of them. And although the sample size may be small, Yasuo is still holding a sway over a good potion of the pick/ban phases at MSI, making him an unforeseen variable for certain players as the tournament continues.

Yasuo’s increase in pick-rate can mainly be traced back to the Conqueror Keystone, as pros have seemed to embrace the rune when playing the champion. Only Stephen “Triple” Li of the Dire Wolves mixed things up when he ran Press the Attack on Yasuo in the final game of the Play-in Group Stage against Pentagram.

With Caps putting on a Yasuo masterclass against Team Liquid on Saturday, it would make sense for Fnatic’s opponents to recognize the pick that has become a priority for the young mid laner. With an absurd DMG% of 35.3%, and a massive KP of 83.3%, Caps’ Yasuo even garnered attention from NA Solo Queue legend “Yassuo”.

And now, with Caps proving that Yasuo has potential to be a prominent pick in the meta, plenty of other mid laners could be picking up the champion before the Group Stage comes to a close. And although the first round robin is ending soon, 18 games remain in the MSI Group Stage, allowing for plenty of more opportunities for Yasuo to make an appearance, with more chances during the tournament’s Bracket Stage.

Photo Credit: Riot Games, Lolesports