Chosen Master Yi

First time I saw Chosen Master Yi loading in, I thought someone was trolling with a custom skin. Nope. Riot actually made a lightsaber Yi skin back in 2010 and it still holds up as one of the funniest concepts in the game. Been running this in Diamond flex queue off and on since maybe season 5, and the reactions never get old.

What Chosen Master Yi actually changes

So this is a 520 RP Standard tier skin, which means you’re not getting new VFX or a recall animation. Voice lines stay base. What you do get is a completely different model and a glowing sword that looks suspiciously like a certain weapon from a galaxy far away. Not gonna lie, the blade glow is the whole selling point here.

Master Yi trades his usual Wuju gear for robes that scream space monk. Brown and cream tones, hood up, the whole aesthetic. The sword itself shifts color, and when you activate E or pop Wuju Style the glow intensifies. Its not a dramatic change but in motion during a teamfight it reads clean enough. Q alpha strike still uses base particles, same with W meditation heal. No changes to ult visuals either.

Kinda feels like Riot could have done more with the lightsaber fantasy on ability VFX, but for 520 RP in 2010? Fair. The auto attack animations with that blade just feel satisfying even if its purely cosmetic perception. Had a ranked game last Thursday where I went 14/2 with this skin and my support literally said “the force is with you” in all chat. Peak League moment right there.

Release and the Legacy line

Chosen Master Yi released June 3, 2010. Season 1 era. That puts this skin at over fifteen years old now, which is wild. Part of the Legacy catalog. Shop has it for 520 RP, permanent availability.

No splash artist credited in the data, which tracks for skins from that era. Riot wasnt exactly documenting their art pipeline back then. The splash itself is simple: Yi in the robes, blade ignited, dark background. Gets the job done. (Random aside: I used this splash as my Discord avatar for like three months in 2023 and nobody recognized the champion.)

Zero chromas available. Not surprising for a skin this old at this price point. Could be wrong here but I dont think Riot has ever gone back to add chromas to 520 RP skins from 2010. Would be cool though. A red blade chroma? Take my money.

Should you pick up Chosen Master Yi?

Real verdict: this is a novelty skin and it knows what it is. If you’re a Master Yi main climbing through ranked, you probably want something with actual VFX work like Project Yi or Eternal Sword Yi. Those skins change Q and R visuals, give you new sounds, the full package.

But if you one-trick Master Yi and want something funny for normals or ARAM? Chosen Master Yi at 520 RP is a no-brainer. Cheapest laugh in the shop. Been spamming this in Diamond during late night sessions around 1 AM when nobody cares about comp and its always a good time. The skin reads as a meme pick and your team knows you’re here to have fun.

Master Yi has better skins for tryhard games. Spirit Blossom, Heavenscale, even Blood Moon all offer more. But none of them have a lightsaber. 520 RP feels fair for what you get. Hard to argue with a meme skin that still makes people laugh in 2026.