Xin Zhao Idea
I feel that Xin Zhao could use a couple adjustments to his kit.
I've read about the Seneschal quite a bit. Lots of questions arise. Do I build tanky DPS or assassin? AP/Attack Speed or AD? Etc... A couple tweaks to his kit might give him a more successful build and provide some unique strategy. Plus, a couple ideas I have seem to follow his lore a bit more. Let's get started I guess.
Passive - Challenge - No change. Unique ability that rewards XZ for targeting the right opponent.
Q - Three Talon Strike - No change. Rewards XZ for landing AAs. He is an AA-based champ, so it makes sense.
W - Battle Cry - Passive: No change. Active: Current: XZ increases his attack speed for 5 seconds. 40/50/60/70/80% increases. New: XZ yells. This rallies his allies to fight, increasing allies' attack speed for 5 seconds. 20/25/30/35/40% increases within his aura's range (maybe about 800 unit radius). If XZ dies within the 5 seconds of the active, his death empowers his nearest ally (must be within 600 units), healing them for 20/25/30/35/40% of XZ's bonus health. This fundamental change to W's active really makes more sense to me. A battle cry empowers those around, not just oneself. This is true in so many movies. Passive W remains the same: good sustain, good 1v1 ability, good split-push ability. Active W is now all about ganks or teamfighting. The ally HP bonus on the active promotes teamwork, risky initiations, and it follows XZ's lore. XZ took a poison dart for Jarvan II. Damn right his death would empower his team to seek vengeance.
E - Audacious Charge - Current: XZ charges at a target dealing AoE magic damage to a small radius (112.5 units). Deals magic damage: 70/110/150/190/230 (+ 60% AP) New: XZ charges at a target dealing AoE physical damage to a small radius (112.5 units). Deals physical damage: 70/110/150/190/230 (+ 40% bonus AD) This change helps when building XZ. His burst is maintained by building AD. It is a dash with a spear. Nothing magical about that. Spears int he face aren't magical (or are they?). This change promotes building tanky AD, which is what his build should be. Also, there is a slow attached to the E. I didn't include it above because I like it and it shouldn't be changed at all.
R - Crescent Sweep - No change. Unique ability with a lot of situational uses.
I believe these changes will help Xin Zhao scale better into late game. He is a unique character. These changes keep his strong dueling potential while giving him a slightly stronger teamfighting presence. I like XZ, and he is fun. But a few changes could make this player a stronger, more consistent pick.
These changes promote a tanky DPS build. I like items such as Black Cleaver, Trinity Force, BotRK, Spirit Visage, Ravenous Hydra, RIghteous Glory, Zeke's Herald, Zephyr, and Frozen Heart. They all seem to be viable options on the current XZ, but they would work even better on the new XZ. I would personally build TriForce, Statikk Shiv, Black Cleaver, Spirit Visage, Raduin's Omen, and Mercury Treads. This is a build that is mostly effective, but I just find it fun.
This is also my first post, so please feel free to leave comments on how I might be able to improve!