Nunu, the Yeti Rider (Update Concept)
General Concept: Older League of Legends champions may be “clunky” or “one-dimensional” compared to newer releases but their central theme is still precious enough to try and preserve. Nunu’s theme, however, still remains to be properly defined. Should Nunu’s kit be focused on slows? Should Nunu’s kit revolve around massive burst damage? Or should Willump just eat everything sight? This champion-update concept endeavors to give Nunu an interesting identity without sacrificing the aspects of his current kit that players truly enjoy. Nunu and Willump still function best in the jungle, gaining access to unique buffs from eating jungle monsters, but their power in the lanes is still substantial enough for them to be viable or even exceptional if played well. All of his abilities slow targets so Nunu’s primary strength comes from his ability to utilize the new “Freeze” system. With the Freeze system Nunu is able to apply slows on top of each other beyond his normal slow percentage (i.e. if Nunu’s [Q] applies a 25% slow and his [R] applies a 30% slow these are added together to apply a 55% slow, rather than defaulting to the higher 30%). If an enemy champion is slowed by 100% with this system they are “Frozen”, which essentially acts as a standardized stun that makes them immune to the additive effects of the Freeze system for (x) seconds (meaning that they cannot be frozen again for a little while).
Passive - “Visionary”: > • After 5 basic attacks Nunu’s next ability has no mana cost and his next basic attack will also slow the target by (x)% for (x) seconds. > • Nunu’s abilities will “Freeze” targets in addition to slowing them, allowing him to apply slows additively. Enemy champions who are slowed by 100% are “Frozen”, stunning them for (x) seconds and making them immune to freezing effects for (x) seconds. The cost-reduction portion of “Visionary” still remains, allowing Nunu to clear jungle camps just as he does now, but the addition of the slow gives this buff a meaningful effect on ganks and team-fights as well. The Freeze system could theoretically apply to other champions (primarily Freljordians) as well, but balancing this for up to 5 champions at once seems to be needlessly troublesome so it remains to be Nunu’s unique gameplay element. It should also be noted that movement speed reduction-resistance (tenacity, Boots of Swiftness, etc.) may reduce the effectiveness of the slow, but they do not disrupt the slow percentage. As an example; Nunu can still freeze Irelia even if she’s focusing on building tenacity, although this would be more difficult in general.
[Q] - “Consume”: > • Nunu commands his yeti, Willump, to take a bite out of the next enemy that he attacks, dealing (x) additional magic damage, slowing the target by (x)%, and healing himself for a flat amount. If he strikes a minion or monster Willump will viscously tear at them instead, dealing true-damage rather than magic damage and gaining a bonus effect for (x) seconds depending on what he ate. > o “A Quick Snack” [from melee and caster minions]: Nunu regenerates 2 health per second for each stack of “A Quick Snack”. Stacks up to 5 times. > o “Dinner, Delivered” [from cannon, siege, and player-created minions]: Nunu deals an additional (x) true-damage to minions and towers with his basic attacks. > o “Fast Food” [from small jungle monsters]: Nunu gains (x)% increased movement speed when moving toward an enemy that he can see. > o “A Hearty Meal” [from large jungle monsters]: Nunu gains 10% increased size and 10% maximum health as bonus health, regenerating health equal to the amount gained over the duration. > o “Seafood Diet” [from Scuttle-Crab]: Nunu savors the delectable flavors he’s tasted recently, extending all his “Eating Buffs” by (x) seconds. > o “A Feast for Kings!” [from Baron Nashor, Dragon, and Vilemaw]: Nunu’s attacks and abilities deal 1% of his maximum health as bonus magic damage. While the ability certainly has the most tool-tip text of all his abilities, it still functions rather eloquently. When activated your next auto-attack will deal additional damage to whatever you hit, slow the target, and heal you. If you hit a minion/monster you gain an additional contextual buff as well. The “Eating Buffs” are designed to be effective for the role that the Nunu player would be encountering them. “A Quick Snack” and “Dinner, Delivered” function to give Nunu in-lane sustain and pushing power if he consistently consumes the proper minions. The other three buffs increase Nunu’s ganking potential, survivability, and overall damage output respectively; of which a jungler would benefit greatly. Scuttle-Crab us just delicious in general…
[W] - “Winterization”: > • Passive: If Visionary is not active Nunu encourages Willump to hit faster, gaining (x)% attack speed. > • Active: Nunu begins to hand-pack an ice-ball before he lobs it high into the air at a target area. When it lands it deals (x) magic damage and slows all targets hit by (x)%. The area is then blanketed in a sheet of ice that prevents enemies from changing direction or gaining movement speed. Allies are able to gracefully skate over the icy surface, granting them (x)% increased movement speed. “Blood Boil” may be gone, but “Winterization” still serves roughly the same purpose. The attack speed boost is designed to build-up Visionary quicker and the movement speed boost is now for all allies who are on the icy area. While traveling over the icy area enemies are unable to diverge from their original vector, meaning that they cannot gain movement speed or change direction. Enemies are able to move properly again once they reach the other side of the icy area or when they hit solid terrain (if only momentarily in the latter case). It is important to note that this ability results from Nunu hand-packing the ice-ball, not Willump. This means that Willump is still able to auto-attack during the channel, Nunu is just unable to activate other abilities.
[E] - “Ice Blast”: > • Nunu commands Willump to roll a large snowball along the ground in a target direction. As it travels the snowball grows in size, moving slower as it gets larger. After (x) seconds, or hitting terrain or an enemy champion the ball detonates, dealing magic damage based on its size and slowing all enemies hit by (x)% in an area proportional to its size. Small neural monsters or enemy minions who are hit by the ball as it travels are rolled up with it and fall out when the ball detonates, stunning them briefly. > • If casting Ice Blast consumes the Visionary buff it will also slow the attack speed of all enemies hit by (x)% when it detonates. “Ice Blast”, as it exists now, serves as Nunu’s primary method for catching out an enemy so that he can start auto-attacking them. This remains to be true, but the supreme reliability of an on-target ability has been exchanged for the ability to hit multiple targets. The slow that it applies is always consistent, so point-blank casting it into a champion will have the same effect as sniping them from the maximum distance if you are not concerned about the ability’s damage. In the jungle Ice Blast is exceptionally useful for mitigating damage from the smaller jungle monsters since they are indisposed by the ball while the larger monsters are not displaced.
[R] - “Absolute Zero”: > • Nunu commands Willump to whip-up a blizzard in a large area around them for up to 3 seconds. Enemies who are caught in the squall have their movement and attack speed slowed by (x)% over the duration. The final frost-shock deals (x) magic damage to all enemies within the blizzard, dealing exponentially more damage depending on how long Willump was able to channel the snowstorm. > • Moving ends the ability immediately, although Nunu is still able to cast Winterize while Willump is channeling Absolute Zero. As an iconic and exceptionally dramatic ability, “Absolute Zero” remains largely unchanged. The special interaction with “Winterize” may be new, but the effect of the ultimate is still devastating. The only additional change I may add here is a visual effect of the player’s screen frosting-over around the edges like a car window if they are caught within the blizzard, even if they cannot see Nunu casting the ability. This would make it a little fairer for players who had no idea that Nunu was channeling from a nearby bush until it was too late…
Comments/suggestions appreciated!
