To designers: From a CN Azir player, please please please take a look
Apologies first, I’m not a native English speaker, so if I use some wrong or weird words by mistake please be kind and forgive me for my bad English. Then I’d like to discuss Azir in this order, as I may talk a lot, feel free to skip.
- Why I love Azir and how I feel about him now
- Azir’s features
- Azir’s current status(strengths and weaknesses)
- Azir’s core problem and why it always seems impossible to balance him
- Specific suggestions for how to balance Azir
- Another suggestion for jungle
1. Why I love Azir and how I feel about him now
As a Azir main player(Diamond-Master League), I’ve played this champion since the very first time he was available in the game, went through his highs and lows all these years, he used to have everything that everyone could want in just one champion, he could make his enemy’s life bar disappear with high burst damage(Q multi soldier damage) like a Mage/Assassin, he could destroy the turrets way faster than any Fighter in the game (W’s direct damage to turret), he could shift through two jungle walls to gank his enemy (let alone the E airborne CC) like a Jungler(former Zac No.2), he could/can continuously bring damage into team fight with high Attack Speed from a (faraway) safe position like a Marksman, ultimately he could/can protect his teammate and himself or start the fight like a Support/Tank. Put aside all his old problems, his unique mechanism is where all the magic is, with Azir and his sand soldiers, in the entire game, there are all kinds of ways to interact with your enemy and all kinds of satisfactions from being different roles as I said above. And also importantly, the unique charm due to what this champion stands for, the emperor of the sands. But to be honest, even love him so much and know him so well as I do, if he showed up in the enemy team, he could truly be a trouble to play against with and could make you feel frustrated sometimes, he was OP for being good at almost everything and there was little chance/space for his enemy to fight back, which is also the very reason why you needed to nerf him so many times and eventually a rework, it was the right thing to do, which I accept and agree. Sadly nowadays, after all his previous nerfs and a not so tiny rework and again several nerfs, his pick/win rate says it all, it’s so difficult to win with him in solo queue and it’s also a very risky choice to pick him in pro games. I’ve been forced to practice and play so many other mid lane champions just so I can more likely to win in solo queue instead of having fun with my favorite champion and win at the same time. Still, I’m crazy about Azir, I long for his returning, which is why I’m posting this discussion, hoping to seek some help for him.
2. Azir’s features
There’re two features about Azir that shouldn’t be changed or taken away ever: First, the turret summoner(Passive), which connects him deeply with his background story; Second, the Shurima shuffle(EQR combo), which is the coolest and most satisfying way of playing him. His problems lie in somewhere else.
3. Azir’s current status(strengths and weaknesses)
• Azir’s current strengths: Firstly, he is still a relatively good champion during 1v1 laning phase in early game if played correctly, he can relatively push the lane fast and then poke his enemy bit by bit with acceptable Q/W basic damage and Mana cost, meanwhile relatively stay safe in fierce 1v1 fight or escape from enemy gank due to his E and R, after level 6, he can still Shurima shuffle back his enemy from a relatively faraway distance for solo kill or teammate gank. Secondly, also like before, he is still one of the best carry champions in late game due to his high AS continuous damage output abilities, if he gets all the items he need. • Azir’s current weaknesses: Firstly, also in early game, both 1v1 laning phase and jungle collision(far more than previous days due to the jungle resources change like the new Rift Scuttler), if he misses his Q, he will not able to relocate his soldiers in 10 secs or more due to his Q CD nerf, and everyone knows to stay away from his soldiers, after some hit and run by his enemy, he will be pretty much a minion himself who has only his own auto attack. And even if he doesn’t miss his Q, the nerfed Q/W range allows a lot of champion to fight back with equal/higher poke/burst damage. Secondly and more importantly, in mid game, he needs far more Gold compare to other mid lane champions, he needs more AP to compete with others on poke/burst damage due to his Q 0.3 AP ratio and champion-level-related W basic damage, he needs AS to increase his continuous damage, he may need some HP/MR/Armor to protect himself again due to his Q/W range nerfs and his own very fundamental way of dealing continuous damage(standing there still to command his soldiers), and he needs Mana, CDR and MP like every other Mage does. The situation got worse after the Mage items rework and Mage Mana adjustments(including Runes adjustments like Manaflow Band and Presence Of Mind). While everyone else is happy with his/her first item, Azir is frowning. With Nashor’s Tooth as first item, no Mana, no Defense; With Luden’s Echo as first item, no AS, no Defense; With Rod of Ages as first item, no AS, no CDR; Let alone others(I tried). And with the fast game process nowadays, usually there is no chance/space/time for him to gain more Gold in mid game. In general, he’s not a smart pick in solo queue, and also not a popular pick in pro games.
4. Azir’s core problem and why it always seems impossible to balance him
Before I analyze Azir’s core problem, I want to talk about one irrefutable underlying concept. That is now in LOL, mid lane is the most important lane(due to its geographic position and map resources around it, followed by jungle), its player/champion’s performances can affect all over the map in relatively shorter time(with great influence also comes great responsibility), if a mid lane player/champion has/gain advantage over/against the enemy one, at the same time his/her team could/would benefit from better gank/support/cover/vision control/map resources control etc, therefore higher chance to win when engaged in fight, which eventually lead to victory, and vice versa. So unlike Marksman in bot lane(they are allowed to keep farming till late game), mid lane itself require its player/champion to stand up for his/her team, maybe not in early game but definitely in mid game.
Then with a review of Azir’s performances in the past, I will get to the conclusion about his core problem and why it always seems impossible to balance him. • In his oldest strongest patch, due to his long Q/W range with good basic/AP ratio damage and E airborne CC, he was an overwhelming champion during laning phase in early game. And with his second CDR-AS bonus Passive, he would be able to stay strong in mid game. Then benefit from strong mid game abilities, he would inevitably reach his high power spike in late game. At that time, he was OP in both solo queue and pro games. • After some nerfs(before rework), due to his Q basic damage, W range(soldier’s auto attack range) nerfs and E airborne removal, he became mediocre during laning phase in early game. And with his second CDR-AS bonus Passive gone, he was no longer able to transit so fast in mid game. But nothing much changed about his power spike in late game. At that time, he was weak/good in solo queue but still strong/OP in pro games. • Again after some nerfs(before rework) and environment changes, due to his low Q/W damage, he became one of the weakest mid lane champion during laning pahse in early game. And suffer from his terrible early game abilities, his transition became very difficult in mid game. It didn’t matter that his power spike stayed the same in late game. At that time, he was weak in solo queue(almost disappeared) and barely OK in pro games(risky pick). • Finally his rework(before Mage items rework and Mage Mana adjustments), due to his Q/W range nerfs, he was no longer super safe all the time, which opened up some space for his enemy to fight back and it’s actually easier to kill him if he made the wrong moves in the entire game(right thing to do as I talked above), but with his Q/W basic damage buffs, he gained competitive abilities back during laning phase in early game. And there is new additional AS from W to help him transit through mid game. Same as ever, he has high power spike in late game. So at that time, he did take a seat back in solo queue and fully return to his throne in pro games for quite a time. • Once again due to Azir’s dominant performances in pro games(after rework), you got no choice but to nerf him, one by one, his Q basic damage nerfed, his W basic damage nerfed, then his Q CD nerfed, his E shield nerfed(acceptable), his R basic damage nerfed(acceptable). So nowadays, his abilities become questionable during laning phase in early game(as I talked above about his current status). Plus with Mage items rework and Mage Mana adjustments, his transition requires more Gold/time in mid game(as I talked above about his current weaknesses). Again it doesn’t matter that his power spike is still high in late game. So deja vu, he becomes weak in solo queue(almost disappeared) and barely OK in pro games(risky pick).
So I think the pattern has become clear now. • If he is strong in early game, then his transition can be managed all by himself in mid game, then he can inevitably reach his power spike in late game, or worse, he can move it forward to mid game(power-curve: high-high-high). So he will be strong/OP in both solo queue and pro games. • If he is mediocre in early game, even though he is strong in late game, still his transition could need a lot of work in mid game(power-curve: medium-low/medium-high). So there comes in his performance gap. He will be weak/good in solo queue, depends on his transition in mid game, fast/smooth transition leads to victory in late game, slow/rough transition leads to defeat in late game, or worse, no late game at all because the game is already lost in mid game; But he will still be strong/OP in pro games, because pro team will pick more balanced/better champion composition, has more efficient/better communication and formulate cleared/better strategies. So by allocating more resources for him, avoiding some unnecessary/dangerous fight or gaining advantage from organized fight, pro team can always or at least try to manage him a faster/steadier transition in mid game, therefore a much higher chance for him to reach his power spike in late game. • If he is weak in early game, then his transition will be very difficult in mid game, it’s even questionable if or when he can reach his power spike in late game(power-curve: low-low/medium-high). So also shows a performance gap. He will be weak in solo queue, because he will highly likely lose the game in early-mid game due to his terrible abilities during that time; Meanwhile he will remain a practical but somehow risky pick in pro games, because even with better team work, his transition could still be long/difficult(low mistake tolerance), and there’re always some other better picks.
And even though having fun is one of the most important meaning of playing a game, victory is always the ultimate goal(you can’t be smiling if you keep losing). So for the purpose of winning, one player picks Azir because his power spike in late game is worth betting on(never changed). But the reality(as the pattern shows) is, his overall performances(pick/win rate) are mostly decided by his abilities in early-mid game instead of his power spike in late game. So his core problem is revealed, in a manner of speaking, his power-curve disassociates his performance with his real strength, which is unhealthy. Eventually, with his unhealthy power-curve, he will always end up in one of two extreme unbalanced situations, he is either very strong/OP in pro games(power spike unstoppable) or very weak in solo queue(power spike unreachable). There is no middle ground, hence the balance dilemma. And that’s exactly why it always seems impossible to balance him. Then the questions next are what exactly is/are responsible for his unhealthy power-curve and what is the ideal healthy power-curve for him? The answer for the first question is obvious, it’s nothing else but his Q/W skillset. With these two skills’ current simple/straightforward mechanism, his power-curve stay high in late game no matter what, but their stats directly affect his power-curve in early game(they go low or high together), also indirectly but significantly affect his power-curve in mid game. The answer for the second question is a little bit tricky, because there’re many different combinations(early-mid-late), but I think we can agree two things without further explanations: If his power-curve in early game is low, then his overall performances could be controlled by counter picks; If his power-curve in mid game could be fixed on medium, then his performance gap between solo queue and pro games could be narrowed.
Therefore my balance suggestions below will focus on adjustments/rework of Azir’s Q/W skillset and explain how they could form him a healthy power-curve in the entire game. PS: By the way, I think Caitlyn suffer from the same problem: unhealthy power-curve.
5. Specific suggestions for how to balance Azir
Before any suggestions, I’d like to remind you the fact again, that is Azir’s power-curve is unhealthy(low-low-high) in current patch in public server(as I explained above about his current status). Then here we go.
5.1. Easy, passive-aggressive, and dangerous suggestions(upset, jealousy and anger speaking) I’ve seen the “rework” you did with LeBlanc, so how about • Plan 5.1.1: Give Azir back his old second Passive(CDR-AS bonus) • Plan 5.1.2: Give Azir back his old Q/W(range) • Plan 5.1.3: Give Azir back his old E(airborne CC) • Plan 5.1.4: Give Azir back his old R(faster charge and follow-up knocking back) Any(some/all) of these could make him a stronger champion than he is now, at the price of back some of his old problems. However… why can’t he get the same “rework” like LeBlanc did(even with some adjustments and got nerfed again on her W CD recently)?
5.2 Explorative, exciting but also dangerous suggestion For the most time of an entire game, the emperor’s sand soldiers did all the work for him(of course) with their auto attack, something come into my mind, since all champions can benefit from on-hit effects with his/her auto attack, and Azir basically replace his with his soldiers’, so how about • Plan 5.2.1: Apply Azir’s sand soldiers’ auto attack with on-hit effects I think you must have considered this during his design process(or maybe not?), but things have changed so much since then, he no longer has his high burst Q damage, his Q/W range also got fairly nerfed, and there’s the brand new Rune system. You don’t need buff his Q/W damage or anything(even nerf some if really installed and make him too powerful). It can make him benefit from more Runes like Press the Attack, Glacial Augment and Kleptomancy, and also more unique item passive like Nashor’s Tooth, Lich Bane and Guinsoo’s Rageblade. This plan could create more ways of playing him and buff his abilities in mid game by increasing his damage from Runes and items. And with the unchanged weak abilities in early game, his power-curve would be adjusted to a healthy one(low-medium-high). Unfortunately this could need a lot of test work and there is a chance of creating a new unhealthy power-curve(low-high-high), but still, it could be a positive and workable change for him.
5.3 Small and conservative adjustments/rework suggestions After some strange suggestions, I’d like to talk about some more serious ones. Let’s first say you still want Azir to be a super carry champion in late game(remain high power-curve in late game). Then the work is to adjust his early-mid game power-curve to a healthy one(low-medium). How about • Plan 5.3.1: Q adjustments/rework Compare to the public server, you reduce Azir’s Q CD, basic damage and Mana cost by half; Or only reduce basic damage by half but within 3(X) secs of its first cast, Q can be recast again with 0(X) Mana cost. This plan could adjust his abilities in early-mid game. His power-curve in early-mid game stays objectively as low-low due to even lower one-time poke damage, but gain flexibility, each part of this power-curve could be subjectively leveled up to medium; Because if his enemies choose to engage in a long-time fight or jungle collision with him(willingly or not), he could be stronger than he is now in the same situation, therefore a chance for him to perform better in early-mid game. And even if the worst case scenario happens, that is his power-curve in early-mid game do become medium-medium and he soon becomes strong/OP later in that game, it wouldn’t be solely his responsibility but also the game strategies carried out by both teams(this situation is avoidable). • Plan 5.3.2: Q adjustments/rework Compare to the public server, you reduce Azir’s Q basic damage by one-third, and make his Q multi soldier damage available again. Meanwhile increase his W basic damage a bit(so one-time poke damage wouldn’t be totally ignorable in early game). This plan could adjust his abilities in early-mid game. His power-curve in early game would be fixed on low due to even lower one-time poke damage, but his power-curve in mid game would be increased to medium(equal/higher poke damage with first/second big items).
5.4 Big and progressive adjustments/rework suggestions In Azir’s unhealthy power-curve, one part of which seems never change, that is no matter what, his power-curve in late game is objectively insanely high(due to his abilities benefit from not only AP but also AS), he possess the ability to take down even the most tanky champion with full build within secs, like the most scary monster in late game(especially in pro games). Is that really what he is meant to be? How about take away some of his abilities in late game once for all, and give these strengths to his abilities in early-mid game? Then build him another kind of healthy power-curve: medium-medium-medium. How about • Plan 5.4.1: W adjustments/rework Compare to public server, change Azir’s W basic damage to skill-level-related like 60/90/120/150/180(reduce AP ratio by 0.2), also reduce basic additional AS to like 0/5/10/15/20(still double by three/above soldiers) or total removal(if so, leave some additional AS ratio). This plan could take down his power-spike in late game, so to give you some buff his abilities(basically Q) in early game, and he will be stronger in mid game. So he would have a healthy medium-medium-medium power-curve in the entire game. • Plan 5.4.2: W adjustments/rework Compare to public server, reduce Azir’s W basic additional AS, remove three/above soldiers gain additional AS, change to with each successful auto attack, Azir gain additional X AS, max 6/(X) stacks, last until out of combat. This plan could slow down his damage output when engaged in fight, especially in team fight in late game, his enemies will have more time to fight back before he reaches his highest output, so to give you some buff his abilities in early-mid game. So he would have a healthy medium-medium-medium power-curve in the entire game. • Plan 5.4.3: New Second Passive/Q adjustment/W total rework/E adjustment New Second Passive – Azir always summons at least one soldier(summons 2/3/4 soldiers when reach Level 6/11/16) stands around/near him. In combat, his soldiers will move fast/slowly to the target which his auto attack command on, and eventually replace his own auto attack with soldiers’ auto attack. Soldier deal X basic damage, AS related to Azir’s AS. Q adjustment – Can be leveled up at level 1. W total rework – No longer summons sand soldiers, and basic additional AS removed. New Active: Azir gain additional AS for X secs, X secs CD. New Passive: Azir’s sand soldiers gain additional X basic damage(X AP ratio). Per skill level up, Active: increase X AS; Passive: increase X basic damage. E adjustment – Can be leveled up at level 1. This plan could take down his power spike in late game, by taking away his continuous almost non-stopping high AS damage output ability, so to give you some buff his abilities in early-mid game. So he would have a healthy medium-medium-medium power-curve in the entire game.
6. Another suggestion for jungle
As you can know from pick/win rate(Tier), the jungle has been dominated by carnivorous champions like Xin Zhao, Camille etc, while herbivorous champions like Amumu, Sejuani etc, not doing so well. Due to carnivorous champions’ stronger early game abilities, compare to herbivorous champions, they stand a higher chance of controlling some/more significant jungle resources like Rift Scuttler in early game, therefore more likely gain advantage for themselves and their team for an entire game. It can’t be said as an ideal balanced situation, right? So after some analysis, I come up with this suggestion. • Plan 6.1: Rift Scuttler/Gromp/Ancient Krug adjustments In the first round of Rift Scuttler spawn, reduce to spawn one only like following round, and delay its spawn time also remove Minimap tip before its actual spawn, so players won’t know which side of river it will show up(PS: Let alone pro games, now in high tier solo queue, a responsible mid laner will put his/her first Warding Totem in the river bush near mid lane, whether left or right side, sometimes both with another member’s Warding Totem. So to secure vision for his/her own jungler and gain information about if/when the enemy jungler reaches the Rift Scuttler, therefore jungle strategy in early game becomes pretty predictable). Meanwhile increase Rift Sucttler’s Exp(cut from Gromp and Ancient Krug), but increase Gromp and Ancient Krug’s Gold(cut from Rift Scuttler). Then with these jungle changes, when it’s carnivore vs carnivore, the winner of aggressive actions(Rift Scuttler fight and jungle invasion) can still take the lead with higher Exp/Level, while a safety net is set for who loses in those actions, so he/she won’t be left behind an entire game just because he/she lost one or two fight. When it’s carnivore vs herbivore, the herbivorous champion can choose not to engage in Rift Scuttler fight at all in early game but defensively farm more camps, so he/she might be low on Exp/Level, but with a chance of gaining a fair amount of Gold, he/she can still have fairly good performances in team fight in mid/late game. And when it’s herbivore vs herbivore, it’s all up to their strategies. Do you think if these changes could make jungle/jungle champions more balanced, therefore more jungle champion choices and game strategies(unpredictability increased also)?
In the end, thank you for click into this discussion and read it, whether fully or partially. Regarding my suggestions, I have to say I remember read one Riot Q&A news, which I quote said “We’ve dedicated so much effort into balancing Azir, Ryze and Kalista all these years, and still no right solutions for them, we think if we move this part of our resources to other stuff, we might achieve more, so for now we will just leave them there, and for those summoner who like them, we’re sorry”, and so I know it’s possible you will not think or consider these suggestions and do nothing for Azir at all, it’s understandable but hard for me to accept, I’m not trying to talk you into making him all powerful and even toxic again, I just think there’s a possibility for him to be a balanced champion, even if it do require some more work… Anyway, thank you again, and please leave comments for discussion, I will check them out and reply with all my respect.
