Yordles Guide

Yordles Guide

Latest posts by Dominikas Pupkevicius (see all)

Many of us have encountered the Yordle terminology while playing League of Legends. For those who played Teamfight Tactics, Yordle is a more familiar term. However, not many of us know about Yordles in detail.

Most Yordles reside in a mystical place known as Bandle City. Other Yordles found their home around Runeterra, also known as Magic Earth. However, a smaller number of Yordles wander around Runeterra compared to Bandle City. Therefore, Bandle City is considered the main home of Yordles.

Yordles are perceived as a positive and enthusiastic species. They are known for their shortness compared to humans. Yordles use abilities to blend in with people, turning themselves into short versions of humans. Yordles do not like to venture a lot, but when they do, they use various gateways across Runeterra to get in and out of this mythical city.

Bottom Line Up Front

Yordles

Yordles have an in-depth lore about their history, character traits, and their roles in Runeterra. Despite their harmless appearance, these tiny creatures possess high-carrying abilities on the Rift. Most of the champions that lack height in League belong to the Yordles species, and we are going to introduce them with their environment to you in this guide. 

Moreover, we’ll cover Bandle City, the Yordles home city. You will also learn about the way Yordles write, travel through different places, and what is the official form of governance in Bandle City. Continue reading this guide if you are interested in learning about these exciting species.

Bandle City – The Native Yordles Home City

This city has been described as magical by non-Yordles. Everything inside seems alive, the colors are brighter, and the food is intoxicating with its deliciousness.

The waters found in Bandle City are crystal clear, the sunlight sheds golden rays over its inhabitants, and the harvests of fruits are always fertile. The quality of life in Bandle city is high, and time passes differently compared to the outer world. This is why Yordles often describe mortals who come back to this city as aged.

This city needed gateways to communicate with the outer world. This flaw has been noted by the Yordles, as they started constructing an intricate system of gateways that enabled them to travel primarily to Runeterra. The gateway system became more complex as Runeterra was replaced with different civilizations during the centuries. 

Not many mortals know where the locations of these pathways are or the city itself. According to Lulu’s lore, the origins of Bandle City are most likely to be found in The Glade. The Bandle Tree connects Bandle City to the material realm, but as said above, not many people know the exact location. 

Certain circumstances open these portals, so they’ve managed to go unnoticed by mortals. The portals open to those who can read and interpret the language of Yordles, while others open after performing a series of specific gestures. 

The writing system in Bandle City remains mysterious. It’s suggested that Yordles communicate through elegant wave patterns and connected geometric shapes. These writings can be seen on specific gateways that connect Bandle City to Runeterra, one of them being the Book of Thresholds.

The Bandle City has no official form of governance, but they do have a mayor. However, nobody ever recalls an election taking place for electing the mayor. The Yordles say that a plump Yordle with a funny hat decided to lead this nation one day and nobody disagreed. Anyone who had doubts about his legitimacy was quickly relieved of his concerns. This process was performed by the mayor shaking hands and twirling his long mustache. 

Many of the Yordles who stayed in Bandle City were active in other realms, becoming appreciated members in those nations. For example, Kennen and Heimerdinger were directly connected in reshaping the histories of Ionia and Zaun. Kennen was part of the Ionian defense against the Noxian Invasion, while Heimerdinger was one of the most innovative inventors in Zaun.

History and Physical Appearance of Yordles

Yordles 1

Yordles are isolated in the world of Runeterra, as most of their homes have no interaction with the outer world. The origin of this race is unknown, but some traces of their past are available. These traces lead to a prehistoric time when civilizations were not existing on land, thanks to sources of characters like Yordle Fizz living.

At the time when civilizations were non-existing, Yordles were considered nomads, traveling from one part of Valoran to another. Also, some records are available regarding their presence in Ancient Freljord. 

Yordles tend to live in family groups and continued to do so when the first civilizations started to emerge. Due to their lack of height, Yordles were mostly prey for many animals.  They possessed tails and front canine teeth, allowing them to chew on raw meat more efficiently. As evolution happened, these features were gone from Yordles.

As civilizations advanced, Yordles had to blend in with human areas to survive. So they started using abilities that made their appearance look similar to humans. The spell was called “Glamour,” giving Yordles the look of short humans.

The Yordles aren’t the only species in Runeterra that use magic, but they do possess a physiological consistency not found in other species. Yordles rarely exceed 1-meter height, with the average between 0.5 and 0.8 meters.

The texture of their skin varies depending on the family species. Some are lightly covered in fur while others have moderate amounts of fur. When it comes to the number of fingers on their hands and feet, Yordles differ from the humans they blended in with. They are born with four fingers on their hands, while their toes possess a different number of fingers depending on the individual.

Even though Yordles blended with humans, they did not procreate with them. As a result, they kept their bloodlines pure, and the species hasn’t changed much during the years. 

Furthermore, Yordles consider the broad spectrum of fur colors to be the consequence of these species’ magical nature. On the other hand, scientists agree that this trait is strictly evolutionary, with male Yordles possessing more fur to impress female Yordles for mating purposes. 

Although they possess large eyes with circular iris, their vision is inferior to a typical light spectrum compared to humans. However, Yordles can see infrared light, and their hearing is much more developed than humans. Their large ears enable them to have super hearing capabilities.

The Yordle race is mainly divided into males and females regarding their sexes. However, they have shown the possibility to be amphibious, like Fizz. It’s unknown if Fizz has chosen this form or if he is part of an unknown Yordle species.

The weakest point of a Yordle is Runic Iron. Yordles lose their magic when they touch anything made of this material, receiving an electrical shock. Therefore, Runic Iron prisons were constructed to hold Yordles to prevent them from escaping. 

When it comes to aging, Yordles are near-immortal since the aging process takes much more time than other races. That’s why they keep almost the same physical appearance as centuries go by. Yordles also show independence regarding their interests.

This is shown by the appearance of Yordles in different realms. For example, Poppy fights for Demacia, Kled is the commander of Noxian forces, and Kennen fights alongside Akali in the Noxian invasion of Ionia. 

Easiest Yordle Champions To Play

Vex

Vex

Vex is one of the newest champion additions in League of Legends. However, mastering Vex in the mid-lane does not take too long. Vex is a female Yordle, born and raised in Bandle City, but never seemed to fit in the Yordle role. She never liked the city’s bright colors and struggled to find the spirit of Yordles in her soul. Vex spent most of her free time with her shadow because it was dark and silent. 

The Black Mist visited Bandle City soon, and Vex did nothing to aid the city. She found her personality in the Black Mist, following it until the Shadow Isles. She found her soul in this gloomy place, and soon enough, she was able to cast dark spells.

After a short period, Vex met Viego, and they developed a friendship in this dark world. However, Vex found the real nature of this pact, which was Viego trying to bring his dead wife back to life. Afterward, she left the Shadow Isles and went back to her home in Bandle City.

Vex is considered an easy champion to master due to the pokes, engages, and disengages she possesses. Most of her abilities revolve around fear and interrupting dashes, with her passive. Her Q launches a rocket that accelerates mid-flight, dealing damage to enemies on its way.

The W – Personal Space gains Vex a shield and damages nearby enemies on imploding. Looming Darkness – E is an ability that damages Vex’s enemies and summons a slowing zone, applying Gloom when it’s casted. Shadow Surge – R fires a missile that marks an enemy champion. After marking the champion, Vex can recast her ultimate, dashing to the marked enemy, dealing significant damage.

Vex’s abilities are all long-range, allowing you to stay safe while poking and fighting. They do require some precision since all her abilities are skill shots. However, after a short amount of time, you will learn to hit these abilities without a problem. Vex is a mage, so her damage will depend mostly on her Ability power. Unfortunately, Vex falls off rapidly in the mid and late game if she feeds in the early game. So, this champion must achieve early game domination in her lane.

Runes

Domination

  • Electrocute
  • Taste of Blood
  • Eyeball Collection
  • Ultimate Hunter

Inspiration

  • Biscuit Delivery
  • Time Warp Tonic

Itemization

Lulu

Lulu

Lulu is one of the Yordles that wander through Runeterra with her companion, Pix. She can shape reality, being perceived as a dangerous Yordle by most mortals due to this ability. However, Lulu believes that everyone could use a touch of enchantment. She is the oldest Yordle, and Lulu maintains a friendly relationship with Gnar and Tristana due to their playful nature. 

Lulu’s passive ability fires magical energy bolts from her companion, Pix. Glitterlance – Q allows Lulu and Pix to fire a bolt of magical energy, dealing damage and slowing enemies it encounters. Her W – Whimsy can be applied both to enemies and allies.

If casted on an ally, it grants movement and attack speed for a short period. On the other hand, if Lulu casts Whimsy on an enemy, it polymorphs them into critters that cannot attack or cast spells. The next ability allows Pix to jump on an ally and grant them a shield, following them for a short amount of time and attacks along with the champion.

If Lulu casts this ability on an enemy, Pix follows them and gives you vision of the enemy while dealing damage. The Ultimate of Lulu enlarges an ally, granting them bonus health and knocking nearby enemies into the air. For the next few seconds, the ally is granted an aura that slows nearby enemies.

Lulu is mostly played as support, so learning how to play this champion should not be a problem. The ranged abilities and the high sustainment this champion provide in the game make her one of the top picks for this role. She had short stints on top and mid-lane, but the utilization of Lulu is mainly in the support role. Lulu’s skills are mostly point and click, excluding the Q, which is a skill shot.

Runes

Sorcery

Inspiration

  • Biscuit Delivery
  • Cosmic Insight

Itemization

  • Ionian Boots of Lucidity
  • Chemtech Putrifier
  • Shard of True Ice
  • Staff of Flowing Water
  • Mikael’s Blessing
  • Ardent Censer

Tristana

Tristana

This Yordle carries the warrior spirit wherever she goes, along with the Boomer – a cannon Tristana uses to blow up enemies! Like Lulu, Tristana loves to wander in Runeterra and is impressed by the beauty of this world. She is close friends with Teemo, Corki, and Lulu, all of them being ready for an adventure at any given time! 

When Graves captured Teemo for a Yordle Bounty, Tristana was one of the three champions that fought him for Teemo’s freedom. Tristana is perceived as a mischievous little Yordle that is always ready to leap into a battle. 

The passive of this champion increases the range of her basic attacks. Rapid Fire allows Tristana to output more auto-attacks by boosting her attack speed. Rocket Jump propels her to a distant location, dealing damage and slowing the surrounding units on the landing-place. The ability is primarily utilized in escaping or engaging in team fights.

Moreover, Explosive Charge has two components, active and passive. The passive allows the cannonballs to burst into shrapnel when Tristana kills a unit, damaging the surrounding enemies, while the active places a bomb on a target enemy. The bomb can deal extra damage if Tristana deals auto-attacks on the affected target. Her ultimate, Buster Shot, is an ability that fires a massive cannonball toward an enemy target. This cannonball knocks the target back, and if the target is carrying the Explosive Charge bomb, it doubles the detonation radius.

Tristana is a champion that can be easily managed and played due to her high escape and kiting skills. If you kill a champion or detonate a bomb with basic attacks, the cooldown of Rocket Jump resets, thus enabling you to escape/engage in team fights. 

Although Trist is easy to master, the requirement of kiting and mechanical abilities is a must for this champion. Tristana is a beast in the ADC role, relying mostly on basic attacks and attack speed. Apart from auto-attacks, Tristana is a champion that relies on her abilities to deal damage or clear waves faster. The bomb also procs on turrets, so this champion also possesses high lane-pushing, kiting, and killing potential.

Runes

Domination

  • Hail of Blades
  • Taste of Blood
  • Eyeball Collection
  • Ultimate Hunter

Precision

  • Legend: Alacrity
  • Triumph

Itemization

  • Berserker’s Greaves
  • Phantom Dancer
  • Lord Dominik’s Regards
  • Infinity Edge
  • Stormrazor
  • Rapid Firecannon

Poppy

Poppy

This tenacious, brave Yordle is always ready to charge into a battle. It’s strange how Poppy caries her hammer Orlon due to its massive size. Poppy is responsible for building Demacian human civilization, as she carries the nickname of “Demacian Hero”. Orlon was a historic human that gave Poppy his hammer while on his deathbed. In addition, Poppy was also present in the fight against the Black Mist attack led by Viego.

Her passive, Iron Ambassador, throws the buckler that bounces off the target. The buckler is pickable, gaining Poppy a temporary health shield. She deals damage and slows the enemies in a cone-shaped area with her next ability, exploding after a short delay. 

Steadfast Presence allows her to gain Armor and Magic Resist passively. The active part gains Poppy movement speed and prevents enemy dashes around her. If an enemy tries to dash towards Poppy during Steadyfast Presence they are stopped and knocked up temporarily.

Heroic Charge dashes Poppy into an enemy target, pushing them back. If the target is pushed into a wall, they are stunned. The ultimate of Poppy, Keeper’s Verdict, allows her to channel a hammer strike that knocks enemies far away from her. 

Due to her ultimate and the prevention of enemy dashes from her W, Poppy is relatively easy to play. Although her ultimate requires precision regarding the landing position of the enemy, there are not many other difficulties revolving around this champion. Steadfast Presence allows her to safely escape ganks or unpleasant positions in team fights, while Heroic Charge enables her to make efficient plays.

Runes

Domination

  • Predator
  • Cheap Shot
  • Eyeball Collection
  • Relentless Hunter

Sorcery

  • Waterwalking
  • Celerity

Itemization

  • Plated Steelcaps
  • Thornmail
  • Force of Nature
  • Dead Man’s Plate
  • Randuin’s Omen
  • Sterak’s Gage

Hardest Yordle champions to play

Fizz

Fizz

The amphibious Yordle wanders around Bilgewater, ready to cause chaos to the sailors of this region. Due to Fizz’s physiology, he’s often considered a weird-looking fish with no actual powers, a fatal mistake for many captains. Fizz can command the beasts of the deep and can breathe both air and water.

However, Fizz entered a deep hibernation when the aquatic nation was destroyed. When he woke up from this hibernation, Fizz became the trickster of Bilgewater, able to sink ships and cause massive amounts of casualties. He mainly focuses on protecting the Oceans’ laws, punishing those who fail to abide by them.

His passive allows Fizz to move through units and receive a flat amount of reduced damage from all sources. The Urchin Strike enables a dash through his target, dealing magic damage and applying on-hit effects. Seastone Trident powers Fizz’s next attack to deal bonus damage, empowering his further attacks for a brief period, thus causing his enemies to bleed.

Playful/Trickster is his next ability, allowing Fizz to hop into the air, becoming untargetable for a couple of seconds. When landing on his spear, he deals AoE damage. Chum the Waters tosses a fish that attaches to any champion it touches.

Depending on the range, the AoE damage of this ability is different. After a short delay, a shark erupts from the ground. The shark deals magic damage and knocks up surrounding enemies.

Fizz is a melee champion, so the early game is challenging for him. He needs to endure the pokes from ranged mages, such as Ahri, Viktor, etc. After reaching level 3, Fizz can charge and make a play for the kill. However, if you can’t manage to dodge the pokes, this aggressive stance will likely be unsuccessful.

Fizz is considered one of the strongest playmakers in League of Legends due to his one-shot potential. Therefore, managing successfully through the early game is crucial for you to impact in later phases of the game. Ensure you know how to sustain your lane with Fizz before picking him as your mid-lane choice.

Runes

Domination

  • Electrocute
  • Sudden Impact
  • Eyeball Collection
  • Treasure Hunter

Precision

  • Coup de Grace
  • Triumph

Itemization

  • Sorcerer’s Shoes
  • Lich Bane
  • Rabadon’s Deathcap
  • Mejai’s Soulstealer
  • Zhonya’s Hourglass
  • Morellonomicon

Gnar

Gnar

Gnar is considered an excitable Yordle who can use his anger to transform into a massive beast. He was frozen in True Ice for millennia, and he wanders over the world now completely free. His main weapon is a boomerang or an uprooted tree, throwing them whenever he can toward what he perceives as an enemy. Due to the prehistoric nature of this Yordle, he possesses sharp fangs and a tail, something modern Yordles do not have.

Gnars’ passive generates Rage, transforming him into Mega Gnar when the bar reaches its peak. Mega Gnar has different abilities compared to calm Gnar. Boomerang Throw allows Gnar to throw a boomerang that damages and slows enemies before returning to him. Boulder Toss is the same ability on Mega Gnar, with him throwing a boulder that stops on the first unit it hits. 

Gnar uses Hyper as an ability to deal bonus damage and gain movement speed, providing rage as a result. Wallop makes Mega Gnar rear up on his hind legs, smash down the area in front of him and stun the enemies in that same area. 

Hop enables Gnar to leap to a certain location, bouncing off the head of any unit he lands on. However, Mega Gnar lands with earth-shattering force, damaging the area around him. The Ultimate is only available on Mega Gnar, allowing him to throw anything in a chosen direction, dealing damage and slowing enemies. If the opposing champion hits a wall, they are stunned for a short duration.

Gnar is a champion that requires attention to his Rage bar. This champion is mostly utilized in his Mega Form, but the fact that you need to achieve a certain amount of Rage to become Mega Gnar makes it hard for you to plan team fights. His Rage expires quickly, so you don’t have much time to make plays while in Mega Gnar form. Also, you need to be careful when in calm Gnar’s form because he is mostly squishy and easy to kill. Gnar is considered a strong champion for the top lane, highly utilized in team fights, and a good split pusher.

Runes

Resolve

  • Grasp of the Undying
  • Demolish
  • Bone Plating
  • Overgrowth

Domination

  • Treasure Hunter
  • Taste of Blood

Itemization

  • Plated Steelcaps
  • Sanguine Blade
  • Trinity Force
  • Sterak’s Gage
  • Black Cleaver
  • Thornmail

Heimerdinger

Heimerdinger

The professor enjoys a high statute in Piltover, being recognized as one of the most innovative inventors the city has ever had. Always busy with science, Heimerdinger has crafted one of the most miraculous and lethal machinery for Piltover, making this place safe and dangerous at the same time.

Heimerdinger is a skinny Yordle with lush blonde hair on his head, blue eyes, and a white mustache. Also, he appears in Arcane, an animated series that revolves around several League characters.

Heimer’s passive allows him to gain movement speed while running near allied towers and turrets deployed by him. His Q lays down a turret that shoots lasers towards enemies, while his W enables Heimer to fire long-range rockets. CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade lobs a bomb at enemies, dealing damage, stunning, and slowing enemies hit directly. His Ultimate empowers and grants increased effects to the next spell Heimer casts. 

Heimerdinger is hard to master because his abilities are skill shots and highly situational. His Ultimate can be hard to master because you have several possibilities with casting it. You can choose to plant a huge turret, blast numerous rockets toward your enemy, or improve the effects of grenades thrown at your enemies. 

Moreover, the turrets are not active when Heimerdinger is not near them, so his gameplay mainly revolves around this mechanic. His enemies can predict his movements, making him less powerful in lane or team fights. His laning phase is strong due to the turrets helping him clear waves and poke enemies more frequently.

Runes

Sorcery

  • Arcane Comet
  • Manaflow Band
  • Transcendence
  • Gathering Storm

Domination

  • Treasure Hunter
  • Taste of Blood

Itemization

  • Sorcerer’s Shoes
  • Morellonomicon
  • Zhonya’s Hourglass
  • Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
  • Rabadon’s Deathcap
  • Mejai’s Soulstealer

FAQs

Question: What are Yordles?

Answer: Yordles are a race that lives mostly in Bandle City. They are recognized for their physique, appearing as small creatures with big eyes and ears. Although their appearance may portray them as fearful and scared creatures, that is not the case. Yordles are brave species, and most of them were part of other realms’ wars. They love to wander outside Bandle City and go on adventures exploring the world.

Question: Which champions are Yordles?

Answer: There are 14 Yordles on the Rift: Corki, Fizz, Gnar, Heimerdinger, Kennen, Kled, Lulu, Poppy, Rumble, Teemo, Tristana, Veigar, Vex, and Ziggs. It is rumored that Amumu is a Yordle, but any reliable source has not approved this information.

Question: Which roles do Yordles have on the Rift?

Answer: The champions mentioned above can be played in almost any role. Most of the champions have multiple roles that you can play. For example, Tristana can be played both on mid and bot lane. Ziggs has been a meta champion when it comes to bot-lane lately, and we know his primary role is mid-lane as a mage.

Lulu AP mid-lane was a force to be reckoned with, apart from her support role. Other champions like Kled, Kennen, and Rumble are mostly played on top lane, with their abilities having little impact on other roles.

Yordles Guide: Summary

Yordles are a fascinating species that bring a lot of attention to themselves on the Rift. Their physical appearance makes them seem cute and harmless. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth, as most of them have advanced combat skills and have participated in many wars. 

If you main some of the Yordles, we hope this guide taught you something new about their lore and their place in League of Legends. If you’d like to learn anything else please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below.

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