Immortal Yi Sun-Shin

Back when Yi Sun-Shin (YSS) was released he was largely disregarded by players in favor of other immortals such as Charles, etc. But YSS isn’t “underrated” anymore. He’s firmly in the spotlight now, mostly because his kit stacks insanely well with modern healing/mitigation comps, as he turns your whole team into a pain sponge that just won’t die. If you’re running Himiko meta or any sustain-heavy earth core, YSS is not just optional — he’s the key.

---

Profile (Quick Facts)

• Element: Earth
• Role: Frontline Tank
• Troop: Cavalry
• Ultimate: Guard of Devotion — reduces damage taken by all allied immortals by 30% for 6s.
• With Unique Artifact: Guard of Devotion also increases healing received by affected allies by 30% for the same duration.

What that means in real fights: he’s a mitigation anchor that turns on a team‑wide wall for six seconds, and the artifact turns that wall into a massive sustain window. You’ll see it most when your healers ramp or your defensive procs overlap.

---

How to Use Him (the short version)

YSS shines when you stack multiple sources of damage reduction and time your heals to land inside his ultimate window.

• Stacks nicely with: Oaken Guard, Resist, Weakening Curse, other flat or % DR sources, and Earth Dragon’s Sandstorm Breath. These are all separate lanes of ‘take less damage,‘ and multiplicative stacking here is what makes your march feel immortal.
• Heals love him: the +30% healing received from the artifact supercharges Theodora and Fu Fei. You’ll notice Vitality Touch and similar skills pushing bars back up way harder when YSS ult is up. Read more about his artifact here.

Practical note: you get the most value when your team is under burst. If you see enemy alts cycling (Himiko/Tomyris/Matilda spikes), YSS’s window is the difference between surviving the volley or folding.

---

Immortal talents (s2 and onwards)

Generally speaking Fearless Stance will be your go-to as you stack damage mitigation to turn enemy damage skills into wet noodles. However, there are some players who swear to Sturdy Barrier, I am not one of them and as far as I have seen you will always get superior results running Fearless Stance.

---

Team Compositions where YSS is S‑tier

Honestly, he’s mostly a Himiko meta piece right now, but he’s flexible.

Earth Himiko cores (spend level changes who heals, not whether YSS is there):

• Fu Fei / Himiko / YSS / Bjorn
• Theodora / Himiko / YSS / Bjorn
• Theodora / Himiko / YSS / Charles
• Zenobia / Himiko / YSS / Charles

Read more here.

All of these are variations of the same idea: Himiko handles pressure/DPS, YSS covers the damage mitigation, and you pack a premium healer.

Earth–Wind hybrid (dev path):

• Zenobia / Qin / YSS / Alexander

While I am sure there are many more builds he can work in, these are some of the best ones I’ve seen so far. The main takeaway here is that he has a top place in the current meta and can be used in most comps past season 1. For example you could run a Water with Ragnar / YSS / Merlin / (Matilda | Fu Fei | Artemisia | Theodora). Not meta‑standard, but if your water artifacts are ahead, YSS can still carry the defensive core.

Why he fits: YSS doesn’t care who’s doing damage; he cares about creating safe windows. Any comp relying on sustained heals or mid‑fight ramp loves that.

---

How to Obtain

Fragments

• Mysterious Pearl Shop (from Season 2): 1 Pearl per fragment, daily limit 30 fragments. Reliable drip if you log in daily.

• Elemental Bonds event: available in that pool as well.

• Golden Path (monthly/seasonal): 300 fragments per season at 200 Golden Path coins per 60 fragments (total 1,200 coins if you buy all five stacks).

---

Practical Synergy Notes (what you’ll feel in battles)

• Earth Dragon timing: If Sandstorm Breath lands during YSS ult, you get that comfy “we just don’t die” stretch. The more the enemy tries to spike, the better it feels.

Read more about skills and builds here and in other build guides.

---

Conclusion Summary

YSS is meta for a reason: team‑wide 30% DR on demand, and with his artifact, team‑wide +30% healing received for the same six seconds. Stack that with Earth dragon and standard DR skills and you get a comp that sails through burst windows while your DPS keeps working.

Bottom line: if you’re building Himiko meta or any heal‑centric earth shell, get YSS + his artifact effect online. The rest is just optimization.

---

Published: 03-10-2025

Recommended readings