Is Soraka Better Than Yuumi? A Deep Dive into League of Legends Support Champions

In a nutshell, whether Soraka is better than Yuumi depends entirely on the context: team composition, player skill, and current meta. There is no universally “better” champion. Soraka excels in sustained healing and backline protection, offering immense value in drawn-out fights and providing resilience against poke compositions. Yuumi, on the other hand, thrives in hyper-carry compositions, amplifying a single strong teammate with adaptive force and potent crowd control. Ultimately, the ideal choice hinges on understanding each champion’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they align with the needs of your team and the prevailing game state. Choosing the right support can significantly impact your team’s performance, leading to victory in the League of Legends.

Soraka vs. Yuumi: A Detailed Comparison

Both Soraka and Yuumi are Enchanter supports, focused on keeping their allies alive and providing utility. However, their playstyles and impact on the game differ significantly.

Soraka: The Celestial Healer

Soraka is the quintessential healer. Her primary strength lies in her ability to consistently pump out massive amounts of healing, making her invaluable in prolonged skirmishes and teamfights.

• Strengths:
  • Global Healing: Soraka’s ultimate, Wish, provides a global burst of healing to all allied champions, turning the tide of battles across the map.
  • Sustain: Her Starcall (Q) not only damages enemies but also heals Soraka and grants her movement speed, allowing her to stay in lane and provide constant support. Astral Infusion (W) allows Soraka to sacrifice her own health to heal an ally, keeping them alive at critical moments.
  • Silence: Equinox (E) silences enemies in an area, preventing them from casting spells and creating opportunities for engages or disengages.
  • Strong in Extended Fights: Soraka’s healing output shines in long, drawn-out engagements, where she can constantly replenish her allies’ health.
• Weaknesses:
  • Vulnerable to Focus Fire: Soraka is incredibly squishy and relies on positioning to survive. If caught out, she can be easily eliminated.
  • Self-Sacrificing: Astral Infusion (W) requires Soraka to sacrifice her own health, making her susceptible to being bursted down if she’s not careful.
  • Limited Mobility: Soraka lacks mobility, making her vulnerable to ganks and difficult to reposition in fights.
  • Anti-Heal Effects: Champions with grievous wounds completely shuts down Soraka’s healing potential, rendering her nearly useless.

Yuumi: The Magical Cat

Yuumi is a unique support champion who attaches to allied champions, becoming untargetable and providing them with adaptive force and utility.

• Strengths:
  • Adaptive Force Buffs: Yuumi grants her attached ally a significant amount of adaptive force (attack damage or ability power), enhancing their damage output.
  • Untargetability: While attached, Yuumi is untargetable, making her immune to most forms of damage and crowd control.
  • Mobility and Positioning: Yuumi can quickly jump between allies, providing support where it’s needed most.
  • Versatile Utility: Yuumi’s Zoomies (E) provides healing and movement speed to her attached ally, while her Final Chapter (R) roots enemies in place.
• Weaknesses:
  • Reliance on Allies: Yuumi is entirely dependent on her teammates to deal damage and control the battlefield. If her carry is struggling, Yuumi will be ineffective.
  • Limited Vision Control: Yuumi struggles to ward independently due to her untargetable nature, relying on her teammates to provide vision.
  • Vulnerable When Detached: When Yuumi detaches to cast spells or ward, she becomes vulnerable to enemy attacks.
  • Low Damage Output: Yuumi’s damage output is minimal, making her reliant on her carry to secure kills.
  • Can Encourage Passive Play: Yuumi’s safety can sometimes lead to passive play from her carry, missing opportunities for aggressive plays.

When to Pick Soraka vs. Yuumi

• Pick Soraka When:

  • Your team lacks sustain and needs a reliable source of healing.
  • Your team is facing a poke-heavy composition.
  • Your ADC is a hyper carry like Kog’Maw or Jinx.
  • You need a global presence to support your team across the map.

• Pick Yuumi When:

  • Your team has a strong, snowballing carry who can benefit from increased adaptive force.
  • You want to provide untargetable support and amplify your carry’s strengths.
  • Your team composition lacks crowd control.
  • You are confident in your carry’s ability to carry the game.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Yuumi easier to play than Soraka?

While both are relatively easy to pick up, Yuumi arguably has a lower skill floor. Her attached state makes her immune to many dangers, simplifying positioning. Soraka requires more careful positioning and decision-making to manage her health and avoid being caught out.

Which champion is better in low elo?

In lower elos, Soraka can often be more impactful. Her consistent healing can compensate for teammates’ mistakes, and her global ultimate can turn the tide of chaotic teamfights. Yuumi requires a competent carry to be effective, which can be unreliable in lower ranks.

Which champion is better in high elo?

In higher elos, Yuumi can be a more powerful pick in coordinated teams. Her ability to amplify a strong carry and provide untargetable support can be devastating in the hands of skilled players. However, Soraka’s global presence and sustain are still valuable in certain team compositions.

Does Soraka counter Yuumi?

Not directly. While Soraka can heal through some of Yuumi’s poke, Yuumi’s untargetability makes it difficult for Soraka to target her. The matchup often comes down to which team’s carry is more effective.

Does Yuumi counter Soraka?

Also not directly. Yuumi cannot directly damage Soraka as long as she stays behind the minions, which is usually the case.

Which champion is better for climbing ranked?

It depends on your playstyle and the current meta. Both Soraka and Yuumi can be effective for climbing ranked if played well and in the right team compositions. Choose the champion that you are more comfortable with and that better suits your team’s needs.

Which champion is more fun to play?

This is subjective and depends on personal preference. Soraka players enjoy providing consistent healing and saving their teammates. Yuumi players enjoy the unique playstyle of attaching to allies and amplifying their damage.

How has Yuumi’s rework affected her comparison to Soraka?

Yuumi’s rework has made her more reliant on building bonds with specific allies. This has shifted her power away from being a generic stat-booster and towards being a more strategic support who needs to carefully choose who to bond with. She is more potent for scaling carries who are already capable of a lot of damage, as she provides safety and utility. On the other hand, Soraka remains a more reliable source of healing, independent of specific allies, so she is a better choice for supporting team fights.

Which champion is better against assassins?

Soraka is generally better against assassins. Her silence (E) can interrupt their engage, and her healing can help keep teammates alive through burst damage. Yuumi’s untargetability protects her but doesn’t directly prevent assassins from targeting her allies.

Which champion is better against poke compositions?

Soraka is typically better against poke compositions. Her consistent healing can negate the damage from poke, allowing her team to stay healthy and engage when the opportunity arises.

What items are best on Soraka?

Common Soraka items include:

• Moonstone Renewer: Provides healing and shielding power to nearby allies.
• Redemption: Provides a large area-of-effect heal to allies.
• Ardent Censer: Grants attack speed and on-hit damage to allies you heal or shield.
• Mikael’s Blessing: Removes crowd control effects from an ally.

What items are best on Yuumi?

Common Yuumi items include:

• Moonstone Renewer: Provides healing and shielding power to nearby allies.
• Staff of Flowing Water: Grants ability power and movement speed to allies you heal or shield.
• Ardent Censer: Grants attack speed and on-hit damage to allies you heal or shield.
• Mejai’s Soulstealer: A snowball item that grants ability power based on stacks earned from assists and kills.

Which champion is better in the current meta?

The better champion depends on the current meta. In metas where hyper carries are dominant, Yuumi can be a strong pick. In metas where sustain and teamfighting are key, Soraka can be more valuable.

What are some good team compositions for Soraka?

Soraka pairs well with:

• Hyper carries like Kog’Maw, Jinx, and Vayne.
• Tanks and bruisers who can protect her in teamfights.
• Champions who benefit from sustained healing, such as Vladimir or Swain.

What are some good team compositions for Yuumi?

Yuumi pairs well with:

• Strong, snowballing carries like Master Yi, Fiora, and Irelia.
• Champions who can benefit from increased adaptive force, such as assassins or mages.
• Teams that lack engage and need Yuumi’s ultimate for crowd control.

In conclusion, Soraka and Yuumi are both valuable support champions with distinct strengths and weaknesses. The “better” champion depends on the specific game circumstances and the player’s individual playstyle. By understanding each champion’s capabilities, players can make informed decisions and choose the support that best contributes to their team’s success. Further insights into gameplay strategy and team dynamics can be found at the Games Learning Society, where the intersection of games and education is explored. You can learn more at GamesLearningSociety.org.