does anyone else feel bad for Azir right now?

Totalis·Sep 6, 2015·22 votes·3,815 views

Champion.gg - Azir Middle Stats, Builds, Runes, Masteries and Counters

I mean, I don't know about other people, but for a while now I thought Azir was pretty balanced. Strong in the right hands (but then again, who isn't?) but really hard to use, and takes a lot of practice. He's good at a lot of things (Poke, strong lane, zoning, excellent sustained damage for teamfights) but despite all of these things whenever I played against him I never thought he was that oppressive. Champions like leblanc and fizz are way more infuriating to play against.

I understand he was really strong in pro play, but that would have been the best opportunity to bring other champions up rather than bring him down. I mean, he was already pretty harshly nerfed in 5.14 and 5.16 as well.

30 Comments

NemeBroSep 6, 201513 votes

No, not even a little bit.

A champion who scales that well into late game shouldn't be a fucking lane bully.

JofeyySep 7, 20151 votes

They messed up though. They ruined his late game instead of nerfing his early game. His biggest nerf is not being able to poke with a multi soldier dash any more. When did azir ever have more than one maybe two soldiers in the early game? Thats a late game nerf. Being strong late game was his whole gimmick. However i do agree that being an early game bully is too much. They just nerfed the wrong thing.

MiraweaveSep 7, 20153 votes

{quoted}

They messed up though. They ruined his late game instead of nerfing his early game. His biggest nerf is not being able to poke with a multi soldier dash any more. When did azir ever have more than one maybe two soldiers in the early game? Thats a late game nerf. Being strong late game was his whole gimmick. However i do agree that being an early game bully is too much. They just nerfed the wrong thing.

They didn't. He can still easily hit you with multiple soldiers and then autoattack once, they just reduced the burst damage, which is totally fine because a champion with absurdly high dps shouldn't have burst damage.

SohleksSep 7, 20159 votes

Absolutely not. People in my elo actually know how to play him and the game. Azir deserves the nerfs.

MiraweaveSep 7, 20155 votes

{quoted}

Absolutely not. People in my elo actually know how to play him and the game. Azir deserves the nerfs.

He's like Ryze. Low winrate, but actually obscenely overpowered in the hands of a player who knows how to use him.

Slamurai JackSep 7, 20157 votes

They honestly should just remove his E and give him a new one that isn't a mobility spell. A long ranged ranged dps mage with his cockblocking ultimate should not also have an escape/gap closer. You don't see people playing chess use their Kings to lead the charge into battle, so why does Chessmaster Azir do so? Make him manipulate his soliders in a new and more interesting way rather than just giving him a mobility spell just because.

Jungle Lux GodSep 7, 20151 votes

Actually, in the late game in Chess players will actually start using their King to start attacking, especially in pawn endgames.

However, in League of Legends, Azir always has his pieces on his board, and should never lead the charge. Which is in direct conflict with an E ability that lets him do just that. Thematically, Azir should not be doing anything by himself, and should let his soldiers do all his dirty work, but his E is particularly a selfish ability. Mechanically, Azir shouldn't have high DPS, high amounts of mobility, and his giant wall of shielding sand soldiers, and expect to be balanced.

redniwediSSep 6, 20154 votes

Personally I'm fine with every single nerf that has hit him except for one. That knockup should come back once his damage is in the right place.

StrayXLSep 6, 20154 votes

No, He is a Safe Lane Bully Who Scales Into Late Game. He pokes you and farms with his soldiers safely behind the wave only a recently new Azir will farm anywhere close enough to even be hit by anything, and if he gets ganked he can use a soldier and dash away. Yes you can interrupt his escape by being between him, but by the time he sees you he will just dash a different direction and hide under tower. AND HIS ULT Is Literally A Safety Device to keep Champions away from him while he pokes you to death with his soldiers. ALSO RYALIES You Can't Escape

Mr Broken WingsSep 7, 20154 votes

This posts here are hilarious. "he is good in lane and he scales, thats why he deserves a 30% winrate QQ" This silver board is so stupid sometimes, he isnt a lanebully earlygame, he has manaproblems. People are so bad on this board it hurts.

RatbertSep 7, 20151 votes

But lux is going to be broken for some reason. Yeah ok.

pacifishstickSep 7, 20152 votes

He is absolutely a lane bully.

JofeyySep 7, 20153 votes

I dont care if hes slow as a turtle because thats a needed nerf, but his Q nerf... That was too far. Whats the point of having three soldiers anymore lategame if only one does dash damage on Q?

NapaImSep 7, 20153 votes

I have no pity for Azir. No matter who I play he zones me super hard and has a crazy long range harass combo with fantastic pushing and a cockblock ult. If I need help in lane, well that's too bad. Both his ult and his e make that very difficult. I agree with Slamurai Jack, make his e different, like not an escape. The Chess analogy was spot on.

pacifishstickSep 7, 20151 votes

Viktor seems to do pretty well into him (I know - Viktor pretty much does well into anyone). Have you tried that match up?

NapaImSep 7, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Viktor seems to do pretty well into him (I know - Viktor pretty much does well into anyone). Have you tried that match up?

I dislike Viktor's gameplay, and I do not play him. The only person I can beat Azir with is Ahri. My mid mains are Ahri, Elise, Vel'Koz, and Orianna. Most of those have a hellish Azir lane.

IxtaliKingSep 7, 20152 votes

They better figure out some way to fix him in the pre season. They've nerfed his fun bits while making his more toxic patterns stronger. All they needed to do was gut his poke damage and maybe even tone his range down a little. All I know is that e nerf needs to be reverted, it looks and feels stupid, fix it or give him a new skill. Azir has made so many haters (understandably) that people are just happy for any nerf he gets, which is sad.

GigahappytownSep 7, 20152 votes

nope not at all zeds been worse a much longer time.

JofeyySep 7, 20151 votes

They're both so close to being perfectly balanced. They dont need heavy nerfs or buffs just tweaks.

MiraweaveSep 7, 20152 votes

Azir is still cancer, and he's also still overpowered as all hell in the hands of anyone who actually knows how to play him.

There's a reason he's been pick/ban in professional play since they fixed his bugs.

FowusSep 7, 20152 votes

Shurima's second fall

TotalisSep 7, 20151 votes

LMAO!

pacifishstickSep 7, 20152 votes

Pretty sure it's in response to his new build. The standard seems to be Nashor's into Rylai's, so his sustained damage appears to have gone up since he can proc the slow off of his soldiers and get in more auto attacks. I didn't do any math nor do I play him much (I watch the pros play him a lot though) but that's just my two cents. I'm aware that I could be completely wrong.

HäßlichSep 7, 20151 votes

Yup. Good post.

IxtaliKingSep 7, 20151 votes

So basically it's okay to nerf a champ out the hands of anyone who isn't high elo, and even beyond recognition? Regardless of whether or not you like a champ that should never be the case. I don't care who can still use Azir, he has been handled without consideration and that is profoundly disappointing.

DivewingSep 7, 20151 votes

Yeah, but I don't think for the reason you do. I just feel bad that his whole kit has basically been nerfed because his poke (Q) was too much, and I honestly never really liked the Q as much as the soldier AAs

MyrddinSep 7, 20151 votes

I made a post similar that it was just sad before the nerf even went live

people replied with it would do nothing

41% win rate and falling boys, good times.

SlaktarTaskenSep 7, 20151 votes

"He's good at a lot of things" that's the issue, very good at alot and has no meaningful weakness that his kit doesn't overcome, he isn't strong in good hands, he borders on to broken and massively oppressive.

You either get a versatile kit or strong numbers, you can't have both. The nerfs are well deserved.

Only Play DariusSep 7, 20151 votes

His ridiculously high skill requirement is what allows him to be so strong, but unfortunately if you have ever met someone who has truly mastered Azir you are going to feel helpless against him. It's the same problem with Yasuo LeeSin , Riot needs to find a way to make high skill requirement champs worthwhile to learn and play without them outright shitting on other more simple champions.

LVL 5 POROSep 8, 20151 votes

He needs a damage nerf really badly. It doesnt take skill to poke someone and shredding someone down to 10% hp with 3 soldiers and one hit is broken. It takes skill to position Azir like in the LCS, it takes skill to make the plays they do. Which no one is SoloQ is doing but they are poking you to death for obscene damage. Which should be nerfed hard.