==Azir Sha'll Rise==
This thread is going to be long so stick with me guys. I am going to be explaining why this is a general buff to Azir and only a nerf at the highest level of play.
Shift on what he gets Attack Speed from
First off, he lost his passive's ability to get attack speed from CDR. This means theres no point in getting CDR blues anymore....
But this is where it gets fun. He actually gets 20% AS on his W OFF THE BAT, meaning his ability to early game CS and pressure is actually higher. Oh, and now it is logical to go scaling AP blues instead of scaling CDR blues so you'll get all that AP off of that.
The only point where he is weaker Attack Speed wise is around levels 7-10ish where he'd normally have like 40%ish from CDR yet still has 20% from his W. You are going to want to max W second now and once it is maxed, at around level 13... He gets 60% attack speed, which is even higher than before's maximum (50%).
Pro's: -20% attack speed off the bat at level 1 (makes csing and pressure easier) and stays advantageous up to like level 5-6 (stronger early game). -More total AS when W is maxed so stronger late game. -You can get AP/ scaling AP blues now, which means more power in general.
Con's: -SLIGHTLY weaker midgame (Will be only weak for around levels 7-11 and by a minor difference). -Without CDR blues he will be stuck at 25% CDR (Unless you build Nashor's Tooth which I am currently experimenting with).
The Knockup
And you guys thought I forgot about the knockup? I've done some experimenting on Azir's truffle shuffle in custom games and it is actually still fully possible if you know how to play him properly. The way Azir's ultimate works he is actually to pick up people in the opposite direction he is using his ultimate from. If you collide someone and ult immediately as you do so it is very unlikely the opponent can still react in time (This will take practice to Azir ult quickly).
Theres obviously no buffs in this, my point here is that this does not exactly affect Azir's viability that much and only makes it seem even more impressive to pull of the infamous shuriman shuffle. It is harder, yes, but hey everyone has to adapt.
Why this is problematic at high level of play/ LCS
Azir now has a point at which he is weaker by default and has lower DPS (mid game). Pro's will know to capitalize on this heavily because his DPS will show to be alot lower.
You can now react to the shuriman shuffle. Most normal players do not have the reaction times to do it provided the Azir knows what hes doing but I guarantee you a professional will flash the second they hit contact with Azir. There is a window of opportunity to escape now, and I actually like this because it gives the opponent counterplay.
Lasting Thoughts
Overall guys, I thought this would be a devestating blow to Azir but I genuinely think this is almost a buff to him. There's obviously things that he can't do as well anymore such as the shurima shuffle but you shouldn't give up hope there. For anyone who mains Azir please make sure to reconsider throwing him in the trash.
I believe Nashor's Tooth might rise into favor with him since now, without CDR blues, he can use that to get his 40% CDR just for spells while benefiting from the 80% AP and also maxing out his attack speed completely (40% from Nashor + 60% from W = Shuriman supremacy).
Don't forget to switch your blues guys and make sure to max W second!
