Cai Yan
Cai Yan is a recommended climb pick this patch:
- Tier S in current meta
- 1.3% pick rate — popular in ranked
- 1.9% ban rate — draft priority
Based on Camp HOK tier, win/pick/ban rates — not a guarantee in every draft.
See all lane climb picks →Cai Yan: Periodic Passive Effect: Restores Health and gains a Movement Speedbonus when taking damage.
Build core
Rush Boots of Tranquility, Holy Grail, Augur's Word, then complete Venomous Staff, Splendor
Combo
Healing Hymn → Earworm → Tune of Tranquility → weave basic attacks
Draft
Cai Yan excels into Diaochan, Arke. Avoid blind picking into Gao Changgong, Mulan without team peel.
Best Build for Cai Yan
End-game item order with gold costs and slot notes. Purchase path may differ in-match.
Build philosophy
Cai Yan benefits from Survivability, Cooldown reduction, Movement speed — match items and runes to kit scaling.
Passive: Periodic Passive Effect: Recovers Health and gains Movement Speed when taking damage.
Arcana: Prioritize runes that boost Survivability, Cooldown reduction, Movement speed for this hero's passive and skill scaling.
| # | Item | Gold | Stats | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Boots of Tranquility | 700g | Reduces Skill CD | Fits Cooldown reduction priority — Passive - Swift — Grants 50 Movement Speed. |
| 2 |  Holy Grail | 2,020g | Rapid Health & Mana Regen | Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Mana Spring — Restores 1.5% max Mana and 0.5% max Health per second. If Mana is full, restores an extra 0.5% max Health per second. |
| 3 |  Augur's Word | 2,150g | Offense & defense | Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Hero's Reward — Leveling up restores 20% of max Health and max Mana over 3s. After reaching max level, this effect triggers once every 45s. |
| 4 |  Venomous Staff | 2,040g | Lowers Health regen | Fits Cooldown reduction priority — Passive - Imperil — When a Basic Attack or skill hits an enemy, it reduces their Health recovery and Lifesteal by 35%. Lasts 2.5s. |
| 5 |  Splendor | 2,080g | Temp. invincibility | Temp. invincibility supports your Cooldown reduction focus. |
Best Arcana & Spells
| Slot | Choice | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Fate | Recommended for Support Roaming |
| Spell | Smite / Heal | Adjust Purify/Execute based on enemy dive. |
Skill Order
Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Tune of Tranquility (max Skill 2 first)
Max primary utility/damage skill first, then Healing Hymn, and Tune of Tranquility on cooldown.
Combos
1. Standard trade
Healing Hymn → Earworm → Tune of Tranquility → weave basic attacks
When: Roaming skirmish or objective fight
Abilities
Passive
Can't Touch This
Periodic Passive Effect: Recovers Health and gains Movement Speed when taking damage.
Skill 1
Healing Hymn
Gains Movement Speed and continuously heals teammates within a certain range.
Skill 2
Earworm
Fires a sound wave in the target direction, stunning and damaging enemies hit. Sound waves bounce between nearby enemies.
Ultimate
Tune of Tranquility
Continuously heals the teammate with the lowest Health within range, while granting them Physical and Magical Defense.
Counters & Matchups
Cai Yan is strong into
Pick Cai Yan when the enemy drafts these heroes.
Cai Yan struggles into
Avoid Cai Yan or ban these when they appear on the enemy team.
Playstyle & Ranked Tips
Laning Phase
Help marksman crash wave, then rotate mid for picks. Return before Tyrant if your carry has no escape.
Teamfight Role
Peel carry first, then look for pick on out-of-position enemies. Ward Tyrant 30s before spawn.
High Rank (Diamond+)
Cai Yan is a Tier S staple in high-elo (Diamond+) on the international server — worth mastering for climb. Ban rate 1.9% — expect Cai Yan to be removed in tryhard lobbies; have a backup in the same role.
vs Similar Heroes
- Cai Yan vs Dolia (Support, Tier S): Dolia is 1.8% pick / 46.1% WR. Cai Yan has +4.3% WR vs Dolia in Camp data. Choose Cai Yan when you need Roaming identity; choose Dolia for Roaming comfort.
- Cai Yan vs Yaria (Support, Tier S): Yaria is 1.1% pick / 48.0% WR. Cai Yan has +2.3% WR vs Yaria in Camp data. Choose Cai Yan when you need Roaming identity; choose Yaria for Roaming comfort.
FAQ
What is the best Cai Yan build?
Recommended: Boots of Tranquility, Holy Grail, Augur's Word, Venomous Staff, Splendor, Data unavailable.
How to counter Cai Yan?
Pick Gao Changgong, Mulan. Strong into Diaochan, Arke.
Is Cai Yan good in current season?
Cai Yan is Tier S Support with 50.43% win rate, 1.28% pick rate, and 1.86% ban rate (Camp HOK international).