Sion, the Undead Juggernaut, revealed

Laning

Sion’s early game power lies in the brute strength and implied threat of his abilities. Smart positioning allows Sion to aim Decimating Smash – which deals plenty of damage along with a hefty knock-up when fully charged – over both his and the enemy’s minion frontline, forcing Sion’s opponent to choose between securing valuable last hits and staying healthy in lane. But as he levels up, Sion’s able to start asserting his dominance with increasing confidence. Using Roar of the Slayer to slow his rival and shred their armor, Sion can line up and reliably deliver more meaningful damage with Decimating Smash. Meanwhile, Soul Furnace gives him a shield strong enough to negate a meaningful chunk of the enemy’s retaliation should his opponent go toe-to-stump with Noxus’s faded glory, or offers enough defense to keep Sion alive as he retreats.

Even if the enemy laner decides to shove lane and force Sion to last-hit minions under his tower, he still has a couple of tricks to help him earn the gold he needs to itemize. Standing outside his turret’s range, Sion can take advantage of Soul Furnace’s shield to tank minion damage as he winds up Decimating Smash, which is broad enough to pummel an entire minion wave. And with the enemy laner far from their tower, Sion’s perfectly positioned to call on his jungler and take a kill. He’s a beast during friendly ganks thanks to Decimating Smash and Roar of the Slayer, which provide enough crowd control to let his ally deal their damage. Things are a little less favorable during enemy ganks, however: with slow base speed and no dashes, Sion’s an extremely immobile champion who relies on his shields, slows and health to keep him alive as he trudges back to his tower.

That immobility disappears – albeit briefly – once Sion hits level six. Unstoppable Onslaught is a monstrous ability, capable of charging Sion halfway across Summoner’s Rift. It has numerous uses, including chasing down fleeing enemies and escaping otherwise deadly encounters. Most enticing, though, is the roam potential Sion gains with his ultimate. Though he’s somewhat cumbersome to aim as he charges, there are few sights more awesome than a full-speed Sion barreling directly toward an unsuspecting suspect a full lane away.

Jungle

With his sturdy frame and area of effect abilities, Sion’s also well-placed to make his presence felt in the jungle. All of his basic abilities give him tremendous clear speed, and while he can attempt ganks before he unlocks his ult, he needs to either approach his overextended victim from the direction of their own turret, or work with crowd control-centric allies to deal his full damage salvo. Once he earns access to Unstoppable Onslaught though, things change significantly. The ability’s extreme range and tricky aim make Sion most effective when he ganks up the lane. By starting his charge well behind the action, Sion’s able to barrel into the thick of the fight with relative reliability, knocking his target into the air before butchering them with Decimating Smash and Roar of the Slayer.

Teamfights

While Sion’s a terrifying enough prospect in the early game, he truly comes into his own once teams group and fight together. He thrives in the heart of battle, triggering Soul Furnace before charging in with Unstoppable Onslaught to initiate the bloodshed. Once in the enemy’s midst, he works best aiming his abilities to strike as many targets as possible, disrupting his opponents with both the crowd control and sheer damage output of his attacks. Sion’s presence demands attention, but even after the enemy team finally cuts the great man down, their work’s not done. Glory in Death provides Sion with a chance to enact his revenge after falling, giving him huge attack damage and attack speed and making the undead juggernaut a colossal threat even beyond the grave.