Atlantean Syndra's Update

As someone who plays Syndra avidly, I'm glad to see that she's finally getting a new skin. I've always enjoyed water-themed changes made to most anything video game related. When she was pulled from the PBE, it was disappointing to see her go, but, with her return, some noticeable things have changed.

Changes that I have noticed:

1: The character model has changed. Not as in there's been an addition to, say, her "armor" or a removal per say, but the color has changed slightly. Now, as Syndra moves, or just stands there even, a slightly iridescent shift occurs, making her skin(?) shine several colors. An interesting change, and it reflects the "Atlantean" idea in the way that numerous scales/exteriors of underwater creatures shine/shift in color with the way the light shines on them. Although, a lot of people were stating that she was too blue, which, I agree with in a sense and this change slightly affects that, but some might not notice. It is a good change, but not what a number of people were expecting. In my own opinion: Hey, it's Syndra. I can't find much to dislike about her in any of her skins.

2: Her Q has been changed to more clearly display when the sphere is about to disappear. Instead of the water spouting from the top of the orb, several white streaks circle the orb instead. This was a good change as, sometimes, if you were in the river, it would be difficult for the untrained eye to catch that the sphere was about to disappear, especially in the chaos of a team fight, or just before an engagement if you're paying more attention to your opponent's movements instead of your spheres. And they seem to be a more vibrant shade of blue. Definitely a good change.

3: Her W has also changed now, specifically, the coloration. It is now a deeper blue than before it seems, and for some reason is very appealing to me. Before, the sphere around whatever the held object was, seemed more like a glass sphere than water. Granted, a small abundance of water is typically clear, but, hey. I'm not complaining.

4: The sound effects on her have changed, I've noticed. Before, her abilities, upon being casted, sounded relatively weak and unsatisfying. The metallic sound of a dark sphere coming into existence was/is satisfying, and fit with Syndra's overall theme of immense power, because it literally sounds powerful. As did the remainder of her abilities. The water effects seem to sound more violent than before, which is a plus. The downside, though, is her ultimate. It sounds so weak and pitiful. Just a few simple splashes is hardly anything and doesn't feel enticing to use whatsoever. I can understand though, as finding a sound effect for aquatic spheres impacting a target that is both powerful and satisfying in terms of audio is quite hard. Water doesn't really make much of a sound when it hits something. Still, there seems to be improvement there.

Although, there are some things that I am disappointed to not see. With Syndra's taunt in her other skins, the orbs shattered the ground, which was a very key part to making her seem powerful, it felt like. Also, something I was hoping for was, with her recall animation, instead of rising out of a stone floor upon returning, a vortex should be created (like the one she used to return to base), and she should rise out of that, much like Creator Viktor's respawn animation. It would make a little more sense, in all honesty.

All in all, I say the update did a number of things better as opposed to before. Atlantean Syndra seems more aquatic with the skin shifting colors along with sounding more powerful with her updated sound effects. I don't see why people say she looks fat because of her thighs; they make her look healthy in my mind. The skin was definitely improved, in my mind. Maybe not as much as it could have been, but it was a decent improvement as opposed to before. I can't wait to use it on the live version of LoL, and also look forward to Syndra's future skins (Dodge ball and Pyroclasm ftw). Keep up the good job Riot.