PROJECT: Yi

First time I saw PROJECT: Yi load into a game I thought someone was playing a different champion entirely. Not even joking. The base Master Yi silhouette is completely gone, replaced by this sleek cybernetic swordsman that looks like he walked out of a mecha anime. Been running this skin since it dropped back in 2015 and honestly its still one of the cleanest Legendary skins Riot has ever shipped for a melee carry.

What PROJECT: Yi actually changes

This is a full Legendary package. New model, new VFX, new voice lines, new recall animation. Greg Chun voices the PROJECT version and the delivery hits different from base Master Yi. The voice has this filtered, almost detached quality to it. Feels like Yi got uploaded into a machine and lost some of himself in the process. Haunting stuff if you pay attention to the lines between fights.

The Q is where this skin earns the 1820 RP price tag. Alpha Strike gets these clean blue-white digital slashes that track across targets. Crisp. Not gonna lie, it feels faster than base even though the animation timing is identical. Placebo or not, I land more resets on PROJECT: Yi than default and I cant explain it. The W meditation has this hexagonal shield grid that forms around him, very on-brand for the PROJECT line. E gets trailing particle effects on the blade that make every auto feel weighted.

R is the showpiece though. Highlander activates and Master Yi’s visor flips down, the blade extends, and these afterimage trails follow you through the fight. In a late-game teamfight where you’re cutting through the backline, the visual feedback is just chef’s kiss. You actually feel like a machine executing a program. The recall animation has Yi doing this data-upload sequence where his body starts deconstructing into digital fragments. Short, clean, memorable.

Could be wrong here but I think the auto attack animations on this skin are some of the smoothest in the game. The blade has real weight to it. Every auto connects with this satisfying digital slice sound. Played maybe 200 games with this skin across multiple seasons and the audio design alone keeps me coming back. Little details too: the crit animation has a distinct overhead swing that reads beautifully in fights.

The PROJECT line and where Yi fits

PROJECT: Yi released September 7, 2015. Season 5. Right in the middle of the first PROJECT wave that basically defined what a modern skinline could be. Pan Chengwei nailed the splash, the composition puts Yi mid-Alpha Strike with those digital fragments scattering behind him. One of those splashes that still holds up almost a decade later.

The PROJECT skinline is probably Riot’s most successful sci-fi universe. Yi was part of the original batch alongside Fiora, Lucian, Leona, and Zed. Real talk though, Yi might be the most thematically fitting of the group. A swordsman who literally becomes one with the blade, uploaded into a machine that amplifies his combat protocols. The lore writes itself.

(Random sidebar: I used the PROJECT: Yi splash as my Discord avatar for like two years straight and nobody ever asked what game it was from. It just looks that good as standalone art.)

No chromas on this one. Legendary skins from this era almost never got them, and honestly I think the base blue-and-white color scheme is perfect for the PROJECT aesthetic. Doesn’t need variants. Shop has it permanently at 1820 RP, no vault rotation or loot-exclusive nonsense.

How it plays in ranked

Spammed this in Diamond last split and the thing about PROJECT: Yi specifically is how clean it feels during jungle clear. The auto attack sounds give you this rhythmic feedback that almost helps you track your DPS mentally. Might be overthinking it but I genuinely believe certain skins affect how well you play certain champs, and this is Master Yi’s best skin for that reason.

One thing I noticed around 1 AM last Wednesday during a late session: the VFX can get a little visually noisy in 5v5 teamfights where there’s already a lot of particle effects flying around. If your comp has something like a Brand or Lux dumping abilities, Yi’s blue particles can blend into the chaos. Minor complaint. In skirmishes and picks though, the visual clarity is excellent. You always know exactly where your Q landed and which target you’re resetting on.

The skin also has a subtle advantage in that the model is slightly slimmer-looking than base Yi. Doesnt actually change the hitbox obviously, but the visual reads differently. Seen maybe 5 people dodge my ganks pre-6 that I think they would’ve panicked on if they saw default Yi running at them. Could be coping but the sleek design just reads less threatening at a glance.

Should you buy it?

Verdict time. PROJECT: Yi at 1820 RP is one of those Legendary skins that actually earns the full price. New VO from Greg Chun, completely overhauled VFX on every ability, a recall that doesn’t get old after 500 games, and a model that still looks modern despite being from 2015. That’s rare.

If you main Master Yi or even have him in your jungle rotation, this is the skin. Eternal Sword and Cosmic Blade are solid alternatives at lower price points, and Spirit Blossom is the newer competition at the same tier. But PROJECT still holds the crown for me. The audio design, the Q feel, the Highlander visuals. S-tier Master Yi cosmetic. 1820 RP well spent for mains, and even worth it if you just play him occasionally. Been daily driving this for years and I keep coming back to it over every other option in his catalog. Hard to argue against that kind of staying power.