[Champion Concept] Yaga-Yaga, The Scarab of Shurima

BUGS

Super colorless sketch

LORE

When Icathia's walls broke and the void poured into Valoran, many assumed that every single creature that emerged from that hole torn wide leading to this otherworldly place was a nightmarish, powerful, intelligent beast with the sole purpose of consuming, adapting and taking over this world. With creatures like Vel'koz, Cho'gath, Kog'maw and Kha'zix, countless more would assume this thought is entirely right.

They were wrong.

*Years ago, when the void first opened and these creatures ran free? Nearly every single one was weak, frail and attempting to escape from the far superior predation found within the neather that was the void. Many of these hapless, weak-of-mind void creatures barely survived a week. Torn apart by the predators of Valoran. From the tens of thousands of miniscule, crawling creatures, only a thousand lived past a week. Of that thousand, only a hundred made it past a year.And of those hundred, only one survived in this new world. *

What Yaga-Yaga lacked in size and stature, she instead made up in intellect. At first she followed the basic void laws: Consume, adapt, conquer. Yet as time went on, Yaga found that this world was just as dangerous as the void. Countless times she had escaped by the frail spike of her mandibles and countless more times she succeeded only when learning of the land. The longer she lived in this world, the longer she adapted.

Soon, she migrated from near the void portal to the Shurima desert, where her carapace darkened from the standard violet of the void to a darker, more earthen tone. Every day Yaga-Yaga learned something new of this world and soon came to realize just how very weak her void brothers and sisters were. Forced to evolve or die in this new world, Yaga found that this place had it's own aspect of beauty and wondrous danger. Eventually, however, she discovered that the stronger beasts of the void had begun to seep into this world. HER world.

She had scurried under their massive feet long enough. Now was the time that Yaga staked her claim and proved to these void beasts that she had done what they had yet to do: She had evolved.

Kit (WIP)

I'm forging numbers for this kit because I wish to focus more so on the actual skills than attempting to balance a WIP. For critique, please try to focus on how the kit would "feel" to you/allies/enemies and if the kit will require balance in a numerical sense or a mechanical sense.

• General Statistical Notes: Melee Range, Low base stats for HP/Mana/Defense but high damage scaling. At all stages of the game, very easy to insta-gib. Model size has small hit-box similar to Fizz/Teemo/other yordles.

• (Passive) Dust Cloud: Upon reaching 30% HP, Yaga-Yaga beats her wings as fast as possible, kicking up a massive dust cloud. This cloud grants invisibility while in the cloud but quickly dissipates after only 5 seconds. Enemies in the cloud have reduced vision. (CD= 30 seconds)

• (Q) Mandible Crunch: Yaga-Yaga latches onto a target and viciously chews them. For five seconds she chews at the target, reducing armor every second but is unable to move from being attached to the target. While chewing, Yaga can be moved with the target through movement effects. (Flash, Thresh Lantern, Blitz Pull, etc) Can be canceled early.

• (W) Pheromone Trap: Yaga-Yaga lays an invisible, pungent trap on the ground. Any enemies who trigger it are blasted with a noxious spray. While no damage is dealt, enemies have reduced vision and leave behind a "scent trail" (Similar to Singed's poison trail in terms of particles). Lasts ten seconds. Only five traps can exist on the map at any given time.

• (E) Scavenge: After killing a unit, Yaga-Yaga can activate this ability to take a small portion of the target's armor, MR and AD. (1/2/3/4/5%) These bonuses last for one minute or until Yaga's death. Reactivating this ability discards the current bonus and replaces it with the current corpse, if applicable. (This skill above all others will likely be replaced, as it is likely a balance nightmare)

• (R) From All Angles: Passively, Yaga-Yaga either burrows underground or flutters high into the air, becoming "invisible". While undetectable by wards, Yaga will leave either a trail of dust (If underground) or a small shadow (if in the air) as she flies. While invisible, Yaga slowly gains a rising damage boost up to 100% bonus damage. If underground, Yaga's next attack will slow the target up to a maximum of 99% at max damage. If in the air, Yaga is immune to projectiles (Untargetable) but will not slow on attack. Using this skill toggles between underground and sky, but will reset the ramping damage and reveal Yaga for 5 seconds.

• (The particles for her ultimate will ALWAYS be enabled regardless of graphic options. In terms of underground, think Singed's chemical trail for the dust trail but with a lightbrown color. In terms of shadow, think Vlad's blood pool)

Play-style

Yaga-Yaga is a cunning assassin who has to wisely make use of her skills to secure kills. While lacking quick escapes and having low stats, Yaga makes up for this in a kit that rewards clever planning, biding her time and waiting for the perfect time to strike while the enemy is distracted.

Lane phase is the worst time for Yaga but that is not to say she is helpless. Thanks to pheremone traps, Yaga can lower the eye-sight of an enemy who dares to tread on her turf while also preventing problematic stealth champions from getting the jump on her...if she can notice the trail of pheromones that is. While susceptible to burst, Yaga-Yaga's passive will afford her just enough time to escape while her enemies sputter and wave their hands in the dust to attack her.

Upon hitting 6 and in the subsequent mid-game, Yaga can now start planning out her assault. While he ultimate's passive allows her to safely move past wards, one must always be aware of observant enemies who spy that little bit of dust or that small, beady shadow. One must always be cautious when playing against Yaga, however, for the moment one gets too complacent and lax is when she will strike. While her mandible crunch is quite deadly in terms of sticking power, enemies can just as easily use this to their advantage and displace Yaga in the exact place she doesn't wish to be.

In the late game, Yaga is adept at striking when the attention is focused elsewhere and subsequently reducing high-value targets to mere blood splatters. In addition, Yaga's scavenging only improves as the game goes on, getting more and more access to even stronger enemies including large neutral monsters and well-farmed enemies. Teams must always keep one eye open and take special precaution when dealing with pheromone traps. Least they stumble blindly into her waiting mandibles...

Playing against Yaga, one has to shut her down as quickly as possible. While the stealth certainly makes her dangerous, this does not make her immune to true sight nor will she be able to adequately attack a target who notices her dead giveaways. Just as Yaga players are always looking for an opening, so too should enemies always be looking for a moment where they can turn the tables on the sneaky bug. Dangerous as she may be, Yaga's carapace is far from durable and one stun is all it can take to tear her limb-from-limb-from-limb-from-limb.

Personality Notes

Unlike other void beasts who are still adapting and learning, Yaga has staked out her claim in this world for years. Her carapace has dulled to brown, her compact eyes have adjusted perfectly to the burning sun of Shurima and her stance speaks of someone who is always careful about being murdered in cold blood. The base for Yaga-Yaga was a scarab, the "beetle"-like wings and large back serving to give her a hunched appearance while giving her a different enough look from her closest "counterpart", Kha'zix.

While the two also have very alternative silhouettes, the playstyles also reflects vastly different creatures and do well not to tread on the toes of each other. Whereas Kha'zix has no qualms with diving into battle, killing the target he needs to and adequately escaping, every battle for Yaga is a fight for her life and requires just the right planning. Kha'zix in playstyle is an apex predator: He is strong, he is fast and he has no problems murdering whatever he deems beneath him. Yaga in playstyle is a survivor: Wait for just the right moment or suffer the consequences.

Sample Quotes

Upon selection: "This world is MY world! Shshshshshshshschk!"

Movement

• "Ssssssssh. Don't let them hear us."

• Chkchkchkchk.

• "Do you see that? On the ground?"

• "Skitter quickly."

• "Such beauty in such an odd place..."

Attacking

• SKEEEEEEEE!

• "Bite, tear, kill."

• "Either they die or -I- die."

• "You have things I can use."

• "I have learned to thrive in this world. You have not."

Following trail left by W trap triggering

• "I seeeeee yoooooooou..."

• "Such traps have saved my life many times."

• "How careless of yooooou." Schschschschsch

Emerging from Ult

• "CARELESS!" ACHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHK

• "How can you fight what attacks from everywhere!?"

• (From underground) "Watch your feet!"

• (From underground) "Such fleshy tendons!"

• (From air) BzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

• (From air) "I am no cloud!" Schschschschschschschsch

Taunt

• "You will die but don't worry at all. I promise nothing of you shall go to waste."

• "Watch your step...and your head...better yet, I wouldn't even leave the base. I might not be able to get you...might."

Joke

• "You? You merely adopted Valoran. I was molded by it. Raised by it. I did not see the rift until I was already fed..."

• "What did the void beast say to the human? SKREEEEEEE AHCAHCAHC SKSKSKSKSKSKT. It's funnier when translated, trust me."

Special Interactions

• "Adaption doesn't mean survival, Kha'zixxxxxxxxx."

• "You do not use every part. How utterly wasteful of you..."

• "Oh how much you could learn from me, Kha'zix, if you did not consider yourself the greatest."

• "I admire that you waste nothing, Kog'maw."

• "You can try to eat me. If you can even find me, that is."

• "Try not to eat my pheromone traps. I don't need you throwing up false tracks."

• "Size means nothing, Cho'gath."

• "The bigger you are, the easier you are to track."

• "Your carapace makes you so very easy to see, Cho'gath."

• "The nape of your neck is exposed, Cho'gath. Easy kill."