Champion Sneak Peek - Zyra, Rise of the Thorns

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Are you ready to meet one of the fiercest and deadliest champions ever to step foot out of the Valoran wilds? Meet Zyra, Rise of the Thorns. This floral femme fatale packs a lot of petals and punch, planting seeds directly on the battlefield and springing them to life into deadly plant allies.

Abilities:

• Queen of Thorns (Passive): Upon dying, Zyra transforms into a vengeful plant that fires one last shot before expiring.
• (Q) Deadly Bloom: Zyra grows a bud at target location. After a brief delay it explodes, launching damaging thorns at all nearby enemies. If cast on a seed, Deadly Bloom grows a Thorn Spitter plant, which fires at enemies from afar.
• (W) Rampant Growth: Zyra plants a seed, granting vision of an area for up to 30 seconds. Other spells cast on seeds will turn them into plants who fight for Zyra.
• (E) Grasping Roots: Zyra sends forth vines through the ground to ensnare her target, dealing damage and rooting enemies they come across. If cast on a seed, Grasping Roots grows a Vine Lasher, whose short range attacks reduce enemy Movement Speed.
• (R) Stranglethorns (Ultimate): Zyra summons a twisted thicket at her target location, dealing damage to enemies as it expands and knocking them airborne as it contracts. Plants in the area are enraged, increasing their Attack Speed.

Lore:

Longing to take control of her fate, the ancient, dying plant Zyra transferred her consciousness into a human body for a second chance at life. Centuries ago, she and her kind dominated the Plague Lands, using thorns and vines to consume any animal that set foot in their territory. As the years passed, the animal population steadily died off. Food became increasingly scarce, and Zyra could only stand by helplessly as the last of her kin withered away. She thought she would perish alone, until the appearance of an unwary sorceress presented her with an opportunity for salvation.

It was the first time in years Zyra had sensed a creature wander so close. Hunger drew her to the sorceress, but some other, deeper instinct compelled her. She enveloped the woman in thorns with ease, but as she savored this final meal, foreign memories invaded her thoughts. She saw great jungles of metal and stone where humans and animals thrived. Potent magic surged through her vines, and she devised an elegant but risky plan to survive. Using the woman’s memories, Zyra poured her newfound magic into the creation of a human-shaped vessel. She didn’t know what sort of world awaited her, but she had nothing left to lose. When Zyra opened her eyes, she was overwhelmed by the raw power ready at her fingertips. It wasn’t until she noticed the shriveled remains of the plant she once was that she realized how vulnerable she had become. If this body died, there would be no network of vines to retreat through, no roots to regrow her...but she felt truly alive. She beheld the world for the first time as animals did, and a dark smile crept across her lips. She was reborn, and there was so much now within her grasp.

“Closer to the flower, closer to the thorns.” - Zyra

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Riot teases 101st League of Legends champion, Zyra

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For many, League of Legends' 100th character is a milestone of sorts. For many, this next champion is a landmark for the game, which released back in 2009 and has since become one of the most successful MOBA games on the market.

Unfortunately, not everyone was happy about Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow. Many wanted something epic for the 100th release, but as Riot Games' lead champion designer Ryan 'Morello' Scott points out, "every champion needs to be a milestone of some kind".
Morello defended Jayce, while emphasizing Riot's stance of "if there was something more special we could have done here, why aren't we doing that for every champion?"

"While I maintain that Jayce's whole weapon-transforming thing is really fun, it's really not about some big mega-release milestone. It's a nice round number, sure, but I think it'd be kind of ****ty of us if we were holding something back for this that we'd had been capable of doing previously," Morello said in a post.

If we've learned anything from the release of Pulsefire Ezreal, it's that Riot will not release something unless they are 100% confident it's the best they can offer.

"I kind of see it as every champion needs to be a milestone of some kind - just trying to do something we hadn't done before in regards to gameplay, art, lore, or any mixture of them," he explained. "I'll talk more about a couple of the big issues (monsters, why 3 masculine-style males so close) in a future post, but for this I wanna focus on the specific "champ 100 thing." I feel if there was something more special we could have done here, why aren't we doing that for every champion?" 

A new video that takes a look back at the first 100 champion in League of Legends champions will be released next week. It will show some of the processes they use and reveal "the man behind the curtain". 

He didn't stop there though...He also revealed the 101st champion coming to League of Legends: Zyra - a rather sexy looking plant-like champion. 

"I probably shouldn't do this, but what the Hell. I'm really stoked about champion 101 too because I got to work much much more directly on it than I usually do and it's an archetype I think we've needed. I'll..," Morello teased, "plant a little teaser for you." 

"Hint, she's not made of flesh," he added. Morello didn't spoil any details about the new champion, but did tease she will have "something you've never seen before in MOBA." 

Small boobs maybe? You're guess is as good as ours. Judging from his not-so-subtle hint and the image, she will be plant-like. A female Maokai maybe? On first glance at the image, she looks like an AP character which is kind of cool since we've had so many bruisers and AD carries released recently. I'm excited for Jayce, but I have to say, Zyra look amazing! 

What do you think of the teaser for Zyra? What could her secret ability be!?

As much as I love Riot and League of Legends so far, there are times I question their creativity. In this case, the 101st champion being plant-like. I don't know about you guys, but a botanical humanoid sounds awfully familiar *cough cough* Guild Wars 2 race, the Sylvari.

Maybe she won't exactly look like a Sylvari, but you know I'm pretty sure their presence (especially of late as Guild Wars 2 is finally being released) has had some influence on it. Perhaps Morello has a secret love for them? Who knows. I am just now more curious to what she'll look like and where her skills will be rooted from.

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Champion Sneak Peek - Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow

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Riot's League of Legends' 100th is coming! Here is a preview of Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow:

Abilities (Mercury Hammer):

• Hextech Capacitor (Passive): Jayce gains a quick burst of movement speed and ignores unit collision each time Transform is cast
• To the Skies!: Jayce leaps to an enemy dealing physical damage and slowing enemies.
• Lightning Field:
• Passive: Jayce restores mana per strike.
• Active: Jayce creates a field of lightning damaging nearby enemies for several seconds.
• Thundering Blow: Jayce deals magic damage to an enemy based on their maximum health and knocks them back a short distance.
• Transform: Mercury Cannon (Ultimate): Transforms the Mercury Hammer into the Mercury Cannon gaining new abilities and increased range. The first attack in this form reduces the target's Armor and Magic Resist.

Abilities (Mercury Cannon):

• Hextech Capacitor (Passive): Jayce gains a quick burst of movement speed and ignores unit collision each time Transform is cast
• Shock Blast: Jayce fires an orb of electricity that detonates upon hitting an enemy (or reaching the end of its path) dealing physical damage to all enemies in the area of the explosion.
• Hyper Charge: Jayce gains a burst of energy, increasing attack speed to maximum for several attacks.
• Acceleration Gate: Jayce deploys an Acceleration Gate increasing the movement speed of all allies who pass through it. If Shock Blast is fired through the gate the missile speed, range, and damage will increase.
• Transform: Mercury Hammer (Ultimate): Transforms the Mercury Cannon into the Mercury Hammer gaining new abilities and increasing Armor and Magic Resist. The first attack in this form deals additional magic damage.

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RIOT: You Sneaky Snakes

Upcoming Ahri skin:

Firefox Ahri

But it all makes sense... when you put these other skins together

Explorer Ezreal

Chrome Ramus

Safari Caitlyn

Browser references FTW!

So which Champion will be Opera? I would like to think Leblanc, Karthus or Sona.

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Champion Sneak Peek - Draven, the Glorious Executioner

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Draven is brother to the previously released Champion Darius. Also, this will be the 99th Champion to be released by RIOT. I wonder what they have in store for their 100th.

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Champion Sneak Peek - Darius, the Hand of Noxus

If you’ve ever been frustrated by your progress in a given position, you might want to look to Darius, the Hand of Noxus, for inspiration. In order to secure his own advancement, this determined champion has repeatedly employed the foolproof method of lopping his boss’ head off. So whether you believe that the road to power is paved with the headless bodies of your enemies, or you simply think that a good beheading is a rather expedient method of dealing with red tape, we think you’ll agree that Darius makes a fine addition to the League of Legends.

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Varus, the Arrow of Retribution Revealed!

Full post here

Abilities:


Living Vengeance (Passive): On kill or assist, Varus temporarily gains Attack Speed. This bonus is larger if the enemy is a champion.


Piercing Arrow: Varus readies and then fires a powerful shot that gains extra range and damage the longer he spends preparing to fire.


Blighted Quiver: Varus' basic attacks deal bonus magic damage and apply Blight. Varus' other abilities detonate Blight, dealing magic damage based on the target's maximum health.


Hail of Arrows: Varus fires a hail of arrows that deal physical damage and desecrate the ground. Desecrated ground slows enemies' Movement Speed and reduces their healing and regeneration.


Chain of Corruption (Ultimate): Varus flings out a tendril of corruption that immobilizes the first enemy champion hit and then spreads towards nearby uninfected champions, immobilizing them too on contact.


Lore:


For his incomparable skill with the bow and his unquestioned sense of honor, Varus was chosen to be the warden of a sacred Ionian temple. The temple was built to contain an ancient pit of corruption so vile that Ionian Elders feared it could envelop the island in darkness. Varus prided himself on his position, as only the most exceptional Ionian warriors were selected for the role. He lived with his family in a nearby village and led a quiet life of disciplined routine until the day the forces of Noxus invaded Ionia. Their shock troops left nothing but death and desolation in their wake, and the temple lay in their path. Varus was forced to make a decision. He was bound by honor to stay and defend the temple, but without him the village's few inhabitants could offer little resistance against the oncoming war machine. Gravely, he chose to fulfill his duty as a warden. The corruption could not be allowed to escape.


His arrows sundered the troops who tried to wrest the temple from him that day. However, when he returned to the village, he found that it had been reduced to a smoldering graveyard. Remorse at the sight of his slain family gave way to overwhelming regret and then to seething hatred. He swore to slaughter every Noxian invader, but first he needed to become stronger. He turned to that which he had sacrificed everything to protect. The pit of corruption would consume him wholly, as a flame devours a wick, but its abominable power would burn within him until he was lost. This was a path from which there could be no return. With grim resolve, he condemned himself to the black flames, feeling malevolent energy bond to his skin...and with it, the promise of ruin. He left, seeking the blood of all Noxians involved with the invasion, a grisly task that eventually led him to the invasion's most infamous perpetrators in the League of Legends.


''The life of an arrow is fleeting, built of nothing but direction and intent.'' - Varus


I've actually been waiting for this champ. Will buy :D

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