Diana Rework (Comprehensive Kit Alteration to Bruiser)

Diana is in a rough spot right now because of her dual-nature (fighter/assassin), and the inability to buff her damage without it being either feast or famine. I believe it was RiotVesh that stated he'd like to work on her if he got a spare moment. This will be as comprehensive as I can make it, but would require further tuning to work.

Diana [Fighter-Oriented Kit, Tank Secondary]

Thematic Vision: Diana, the Scorn of the Moon, is a woman who was labeled a heretic and cast from her society. Upon finding magical armor and scripture that proved her suffering was not in vain, she embraced that which had been entrusted to her by fate... and returned to pass judgment on those that had cast her away with their false beliefs and prejudices. Her judgment was wrathful, filled with passionate fury, and quite final.

Kit/Thematic Tie-Ins: The kit proposed below will keep with several current Diana "traits".

• Martyr - Diana's current kit, and the proposed one, will lack any form of escape. She commits to that which she believes must be carried out with everything she has, and no price is too high for the execution of that belief.
• Solitary/Alone - Currently Diana's assassin-half allows her to function without a group, but in group play she is a little too "martyr"y. The proposed kit will allow her to brawl as a fighter in both 1v1 duals, as well as front-line brawl for a group even if she's the first (and only) one to go in.
• Moonlight Debuff - Diana marks her targets, then follows through. Currently, the only follow-through option is through ult/all-in. The proposed kit will utilize the marks for brawling purposes, which allows them wider-use pre-6 and in fights.

Passive - Moonsilver Blade

• 20% Bonus Attack Speed
• Every 3rd attack cleaves nearby enemies for (Base Amt + [AP Ration]) magic damage.
• The Cleave will consume any Moonlight Debuffs it encounters causing a 20/30/40% reduced attack speed for 2/2.5/3 seconds.

Notes: The passive on live is an excellent building block to work from. Diana swings her blade to fell her foes, and as a fighter we want a more consistent damage tool to work with. I have removed the 3.5 second duration of the "3rd strike active", which can allow for lane threat similar to Caitlyn's headshot. The number of swings to trigger can be altered to adjust power if needed. The attack speed debuff allows for short engage windows, especially off a successful Q.

Q - Crescent Strike/Lunar Rush

• Initial Activation: Diana unleashes a bolt of lunar energy that travels in an arc. Enemies struck take magic damage and are afflicted with Moonlight (which is used with the Passive and the Ultimate), granting sight of them for 3 seconds.
• Second Activation: Upon striking an enemy champion, Diana can reactivate the ability to dash to the last champion affected. (utilizing the existing Lunar Rush animation)

Notes: The damage and cooldown for this ability are in a useable state as is. The skill can be ranked first in lane for ranged harass or zoning threat. With the ability to dash to the target (on successfully landing a Q), and having a Crescent Strike readied (or nearly readied), Diana can jump in for a burst of damage harass (two or three autos) while the enemy is "debuffed" from the moonlight being proc'd. Also, the "last target hit" can offer small counter-play should a target behind the desired one be hit, but is generally functional and easy to understand.

W - Pale Cascade or "Rising Fervor"

• Active: Diana gains a small shield (40/50/60/70/80 + 1% Bonus Health) for 3 seconds that absorbs incoming damage. She also creates three spheres that orbit her for up to 3 seconds that detonate on contact with an enemy unit marking those near the detonation with the Moonlight Debuff.
• If all three spheres detonate, a large shield (50/100/150/200/250 + 5% bonus health) is added and the duration of the total shield is refreshed.

Notes: Damage has been removed from this spell, so the ability will have the following benefits/restrictions...

• Can aid with longer 1v1 duels after following a Q to allow for a additional passive procs for the attack speed debuff.
• Allows for a close in mass-spread of the Moonlight debuff which could be proc'd by skillful AoEs from her passive, or for the Ultimate.
• Allows for counter-play by the larger, meatier shield only arriving after the tri-detonation condition has been met. (Some players will juke in the 3 second window to avoid allowing the larger shield to proc.)
• Shorter uptime on the shield encourages more decisive play (use it or lose it)

E - Moonfall

• Active: Diana begins channeling for .5 seconds, after which she draws in all nearby enemies to her location where they are rooted briefly (.5/.75/1/1.25/1.5 seconds).

Notes: The slow has been removed as the Q is now a reliable gap-closer (assuming you land the skillshot). The ability now has a very brief channeling time which allows for possible (though unlikely) escape/interrupt, but the range (and strength of the pull-in) on the ability should be increased. The addition of the root is both for team utility and to synergize with the Ultimate.

R - Shattered Dreams

• Active: In vengeful fury, Diana shatters the pale light surrounding those afflicted by her Moonlight. Every Moonlight Debuffed unit in sight explodes for 50/100/150 + [20% AP] damage in a small radius. Additionally, those whom were debuffed will be stunned for 1/1.25/1.5 second(s) after the explosion.

Notes: The ultimate can be used in a small variety of ways, and will have a brief learning curve as possibilities are explored. While the low damage on the ultimate may seem daunting, it can be used in both laning phase and team fights. For laning phase, it can be used in conjunction with a large minion wave (Q onto an enemy near the wave, pull them and the minions to you, shield to AoE debuff during the root and Ult.) For teamfights, the initation potential is also strong.

Tactics and Playstyles

• With only two damaging abilities, Diana will want to focus on basic attacks through attack speed and on-hit abilities that will synergize with her Moonsilver Blade's 3rd attack. Recommended items will certainly include a Nashor's Tooth for the versatility it offers, as well a Trinity Force. A Blade of the Ruined King cause be useful if sustained fights surpass the use of her W.
• The W shield is intended to allow her to enter a fight, and probably live long enough to blow her initial combo should she position well to pop all three orbs. Survivability will still be very useful, so a Sunfire Cloak would be a strong early purchase for her as well, despite the ironic Sun-reference. If she elected to stay in the bruiser vein, but needed MR, a Wit's End would work well.
• The ability to harass from range and go in by choice gives her a measure of versatility in choosing her battles. The mana cost of Q is decently prohibitive, so decisions would need to be made when she approaches half mana about whether she will commit or merely poke from safety.
• Once committing to a landed Q, she will want to drop her auto-attack burst quickly. Pre-loading a 3rd strike would be a good idea, so the attack speed debuff would proc immediately on the enemy. If she chooses to stay, she can try to activate the shield right before her second 3rd strike, allowing her to extend the attack speed slow for a longer window. If timed exceptionally well, the following orbs may even re-apply the debuff to allow for a third proc. Timing will allow a masterful player to choose a good time to go in and reap a solid pay-off.
• The shield's use can be two-fold during laning. It can be used aggressively to allow her to press the attack for another few swings, or it can be used to allow her to farm a little more safely. Diana can charge into a low-ish wave, proc the orbs quickly, and try to hack down a minion or two before retreating if dealing with a ranged opponent (Quinn/Teemo) or high threat melee (Riven) that she will not be able to lane well against under normal circumstances.
• The high strength of the shield's second application, but low strength of the first, allows a measure of vulnerability if caught at range and unable to commit. It also gives a chance to outplay should the enemy champion be able to kite for the few seconds (less time than on live).
• She can rank Q or W depending on how she needs to play the lane. Neither will grant her a win by themselves, but they both offer solid choices depending on how she chooses to play.
• The Ultimate is best used with as many debuffs surrounding as possible. During laning, minions can be used for extra damage (especially if the wave is very large and the enemy champion is plodding along with them). During teamfights, going in and drawing together the maximum number of enemy champions will allow for a nice addition of damage and CC.
• Moonfall can be used to aid your backline even if you are behind. With good positioning, the .5 second windup can be accounted for and still tug the enemy divers away from your carries for a brief moment.

Thanks for reading this if you made it all this way~ This was burning away in my head and wouldn't let me sleep, so I've spent the past two and a half hours typing it all up. Please feel free to comment and add suggestions. I will also accept "Thanks for posting this! :D"

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I'll add some Riot tags to hope for better visibility.

@RiotJatt - Because you were a balancer and I respect you, man!

@RiotIronStylus - Because Diana! <3

@RiotVesh - Reading what you said about Diana has made me ponder about what could be done for... hell, monthes now?

@RiotGirl - You just rock. I enjoy reading your posts and seeing how active you are. Much <3