Devon H. June 10, 2019
A new champion is set to hit the Rift.
AD assassin Qiyana, the Empress of the Elements, will arrive in League of Legends following a visual update to bruiser Mordekaiser.
The new champion looks to be a solo laner with a variety of elemental spells which are channeled through her large circular blade. She is a unique champion that can target and interact with specific parts of the map’s terrain.
Qiyana’s unique moveset is built around her W spell, Terrashape.
On its own, Qiyana’s moveset is fairly generic. Her Q spell, Edge of Ixtal, is a standard damage ability that deals damage in a straight line. Meanwhile, her Royal Privilege passive deals bonus damage on the first attack or ability used against a new enemy.
What makes her unique is when these abilities are used in conjunction with Terrashape.
Terrashape targets elements on the map including the river, brush, and walls. Upon activation, her W will gather the power of the targeted element and send her dashing towards it. While channeling that element, Qiyana gains bonus movement speed, attack speed, and damage.
With an element channeled, Edge of Ixtal gains additional effects. Channeling power from the river allows her to root enemies, brushes amplify her damage onto wounded targets, and walls create a trail that grants bonus movement speed to Qiyana. Her passive is also reset each time she channels an element, allowing her to string together powerful attacks.
Her E spell gives her even more mobility options, allowing her to dash towards a target and deal damage. Finally, her R sends out a shockwave that knocks back enemies. If the blast comes into contact with any of the elements, they explode and create further effects.
Qiyana is Riot’s first true AD assassin champion in some time. Where she fits into the ongoing meta and if she’ll see play at the pro level are questions that will have to wait to be answered.