Gala Secures the 1st Yunara Pentakill Shortly Into Her Professional Debut

Yunara is the newest champion released into League of Legends. She has been out for a little under a month now, but has surged in priority for professional teams. Rarely does a series go by without her appearance in drafts. Invictus Gaming’s Gala became the first player to secure a Pentakill on the new champion. Is Yunara’s surge in pick rate down to her balance state, or is she a new champion?

The First Yunara Pentakill Goes to Gala

During a teamfight around the Atakhan objective, Invictus Gaming wiped the reigning LPL champions, Anyone’s Legend, from the right. Gala secured all five kills for the first professional pentakill on Yunara. The Chinese AD carry is no stranger to carry performances, often being a highlight maker and now securing his tenth pentakill. IG soared to a 2-0 series victory after the fact, putting them in 3rd place in the LPL Ascend Group, while AL are 2-4. We are no strangers to new AD carry champions recording pentakills after release, with Zeri and Smolder individually breaking records. It is unlikely that Yunara will reach those numbers, unless she is as broken as pros perceive her to be.

Is Yunara Broken or Just New?

Professional drafts often see the same champions appear. Players stick to comfort more than what is perceived as broken by the wider audience. LS, a previous LCK caster and analyst, has remained vocal regarding drafting by teams, especially in the East. Yunara is another champion who has sparked debate regarding her viability. In a recent post on X, LS stated: “Since the champ is new, it’s easier for the ADC player on the team to get teammates to buy-in to it, since they don’t have preconceived bias.” He mentioned that if Vel’Koz got released this year, he would be a permanent ban/pick given his outrageous numbers and flex viability.

Yunara’s pick rate may be symptomatic of being a new champion, and over time, she may decline if the balance team nerfs her. However, her scaling and ability to output damage, while being relatively safe in team fights, make her a viable pick in professional play. We will be keeping a keen eye on Yunara’s success and if the League balance team chooses to nerf her in the upcoming weeks.