{Champion Rework Concept} Ashe - Reimagining the Frost Archer

Okay, let's do this! Time to rework one of the most outdated champs in the game – Ashe. I have to admit I don't play her much myself, so Ashe-Veterans are free to join this discussion here.

Untouched since beta, outclassed by almost every other champ, including AD Sona, extremely boring to play and probably completely forgotten by most of the playerbase (at least I can't remember when I have last seen a Ashe in ranked). I think it's obvious that she needs a rework. But how?

First of all, just like with every other thread I make here, let's start with the lore:

With each arrow she fires from her ancient ice-enchanted bow, Ashe proves she is a master archer. She chooses each target carefully, waits for the right moment, and then strikes with power and precision. It is with this same vision and focus that she pursues her goal of uniting the tribes of the Freljord and forging them into a mighty nation.

As a child, Ashe was always a dreamer. She marveled at the colossal, abandoned fortresses of her ancestors, and spent hours by the fire listening to tales of the Freljord's fabled champions. Most of all she loved the legend of Avarosa, the renowned Queen of the once magnificent and united Freljord. Though her mother chided her foolishness, Ashe swore one day she would join the scattered and warlike tribes of the tundra. She knew in her heart that if her people would stand together once more, they would reach greatness again.

When Ashe was only fifteen, her mother was killed while commanding the tribe on a brash raid. Suddenly thrust into the role of leader, Ashe made the difficult decision to follow her childhood vision instead of seeking the revenge she craved. She spoke passionately against her tribe's demand for retribution, declaring the time had come to put blood feuds aside and broker a lasting peace. Some of her warriors questioned her fitness to rule and soon hatched a treasonous plot to kill the young leader.

The assassins struck while Ashe was on a routine hunt, but their plan was interrupted by the warning cry of a great hawk. Ashe looked back to see her tribesmen approaching with swords drawn. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Ashe ran for hours. She found herself deep in uncharted territory, her weapon lost in the chase. When she heard another cry from the hawk, Ashe put her faith in the strange creature and followed it to a clearing. There she found the bird perched on a pile of stones - an ancient Freljord burial cairn. With a last glance at her, the hawk screeched and flew away. Approaching the mound, Ashe felt her breath turn to frost and an unnatural cold chill her to the bone. The stone at the top of the cairn was marked with a single rune: Avarosa.

The assassins burst into the clearing. Ashe lifted the runestone from the cairn to defend herself, revealing something hidden underneath: an ornate bow carved from ice. She grasped it, crying out in pain as frost formed on her fingers, and tore the bow from its resting place. Cold flowed from the enchanted weapon into Ashe, awakening a tremendous power that had always lived within her.

Ashe turned to face the assassins. She drew the bow, and by sheer instinct, willed arrows of pure ice to form from the cold, crisp air. With a single frozen volley, she ended the insurrection. Carefully replacing the cairn stone, she gave thanks to Avarosa for her gift, and returned home. Ashe's tribe immediately recognized the legendary weapon in the archer's hand as a blessing from the ancient Freljord queen herself.

With Avarosa's bow and her vision of peaceful unification, Ashe's tribe soon swelled, becoming the largest in the Freljord. Now known as the Avarosan, they stand together with the belief that a united Freljord will once again become a great nation.

''One tribe, one people, one Freljord.'' -- Ashe

Ok, although her Lore got a little bit expanded on that Freljord even a while back (hey Riot, what happened to that thing actually? Still war in the north or did someone win finally?) her theme is kinda... well... nothing really special. Let's conclude:

• Archery

• Ice Powers/Enchanted Arrows

• Weird bird thing (it's part of her current kit now... let's see if this is actually of any significance)

• PEACE LOVING. Ok, now we got to something that should give her a little bit of identity. Her theme is ending conflict peacefully, not by murdering everyone (that would be Sejuani-Style). In gameplay elements this would mean disengages and fight-prevention.

• Team Player. Going from her lore she's no rambo, but a leader of a mighty alliance. This should be translated into gameplay too.

• Also please, give her some goddamn clothes. I know scouts and archers don't wear massive armor like Sejuani does, but please give her something that people coming from a climate like this would usually wear. Also, she's a tribe leader, so she might get a bad-ass fur coat or something...

So before we get to the new kit, let's explore why the current one sucks.

First of all, it's designed for the noobiest of noobs to use. Scrap that. Stop ruining champions just because a moronic beginner should be able use them. Riot, please remember: your main playerbase does not consist of beginners. So don't design a champ for a group that's not permanent anyways (either beginners quit or they become normal players).

There are a dozen better ways to improve new player experience instead of giving them champs that are easy to play but outclassed in every aspect. How about an easy to use client including basic guides for every role and champ? Ah no wait, I forgot that Riot will never abadonn this abonimation called Adobe Air.

Ok, now to the current gameplay aspects that are problematic. First of all, you have TWO. Yes, TWO abilities you use in fight, one of them being your high-cooldown ultimate. Leaves one ability. Wow... the options for the player are downright OVERWHELMING here. Isn't she supposed to be some kind of... I don't know... champion? Right now she feels more like a caster minion stuffed up with a frosthammer and some other items.

Also there is the problem of her massive immobility. Is that iconic? Or just something that was forced on her with her bad designed kit? While archers are no , they are surely not the slowest characters on the fields. A gapcloser wouldn't make sense on a ranged carry anyways, but a little mobility tool wouldn't hurt I guess - but it's not necessary either, depending on how the other abilites work together.

On top of that her passive makes it even weirder. What kind of marksman are you, if you spend most of the time not shooting? I get the idea behind “preparing her best shot” theme, but honestly? THAT'S how you translated it into gameplay?

The Q should be moved to the passive with some changes. Add new, cool ice themed ability here.

The W seems fine, but kinda... lame to use. Especially since it's her only active fight ability besides her ultimate, it should have at least some impact. The reason people identify Ashe with this ability is not because it is awesome, but because it's literally the only thing she can do. Not sure if we can keep this rather lame ability or not- epspecially if we can replace it with something more awesome.

Also, don't get me started on the E. Back then it might have been useful, but in times of trinkets her vision spell is kinda... well, just “meh” actually. Also: a gold passive – one of the strongest hidden power elements in game. At least Draven has to work for his gold, Ashe on the other hand... I get the feeling they stuffed it there so people would actually put a point into the skill, because otherwise it's just useless, apart from these few situations where you need vision so desperatly because neither your support nor you yourself have wards or trinkets ready. Also... send an exploding bird into a direction? Really? I'm not sure if this is the intended use for a scouting-familiar.

Her ultimate is fine, but maybe needs some minor tweaks (and a graphics overhaul, honestly)

I have to admit that this kit is not as complete as the ones in my other threads were, feel free to help out by contributing to the discussion. The problem is we kinda need to find two new abilities right here, maybe even three if we have to scrap the W.

So, what abilities could she need? What skills would fit her character? I mentioned team-play and disengages before, so my vision of her would be that of a supportive marksman. She doesn't deal the massive damage, but she makes up for it with utility. Her bow should be central for her abilities, but let's keep in mind that theoretically she should be able to fire things besides arrows from there (as long as it's made of ice of course).

This Version here is an early prototype, I'll be glad to make changes depending on the feedback I receive in this thread.

PASSIVE: Averosa's Blessing: “Basic Attacks and abilities apply stacks of Frost to enemy units. Enemies are slowed depending on the number of Frost-Stacks on them. Enemies with maximal frost stacks are stunned/rooted for 1 second. After that it takes X seconds until stacks can be applied to them again.”

(New Ability/Skillshot) Q: Frostbite

“Ashe shoots a projectile dealing damage and marking the first champion it hits. Marked champions suffer bonus damage on Ashe's basic attacks and gain double stacks of Averosa's Blessing”

(New ability/AoE) W: Winter is coming

“Ashe shoots a frozen arrow into the ground, causing Frost (passive) to spread in an area and damaging enemies. If enemies remain too long on it they will be rooted and damaged again.

(New ability/Projectile into AoE) E: Frozen Rain “Ashe shoots a magically charged arrow into the air. After some time hovering above the target area it explodes and causes dangerous ice-shards to rain down on the enemy. Enemies can see when the projectile will explode.”

(slight changes, but still a long range-projectile-cc) R: Enchanted Crystal Arrow:

“Ashe channels for X seconds, Each second increasing the range and damage of this spell by X. Upon reactivation she releases a deadly piercing arrow, stunning every enemy it hits, depending on how long this skill was charged.” (Note: Hitbox slightly reduced)

Think of a Super-Varus-Q. It would still stun more the further it flies (= "was charged") and it has more of an ultimate feel and less of a “Oh hey let me pull out this arrow three time bigger than myself from out of nowhere and throw it at you with ease.”

In fight you would use your kit to keep your enemies away from yourself and scare them from fighting with you. The W and the E are perfect tools to scare them, giving them a choice: either fight you under bad conditions, or retreat and try another time – or go full berserk mode and charge at her, hoping to get out of the dangerous area that way.

The skills being delayed are a basic concept for this. It allows us to give the skills more power, but making it also possible for enemies to react to them. Of course the combination can also be used offensively: use Q and a ton of basic attacks to get a stun on and at the same time prepare W and E. If they are rooted from the W and suffer from the E, use the time to charge your ultimate and finish them.

Or wait in a bush with a fully charged ultimate. Also surely a funny way to use a massive stun, if you don't want to make a good initiate for a teamfight.

While this is indeed a lot of cc on a kit, please keep in mind that she is still squishy, immobile and has no escape – even less now that the ult needs a short channel to be used in melee combat as it can be used now. These are supposed to be her clear and obvious weaknesses.

Her role with this would be pin-pointed as Marksman/Support.

I really tried to find out what Ashe's core identity is supposed to be. We still got slows on basic attacks, slows/damage on AOE and her ult working as long-range CC – so even with the new skills it's barely a change – with the difference that now you actually have abilities you can use. The only thing I scrapped were the passive and the vision tool. And if you need vision that badly, go buy a blue trinket. Simple as that. If you REALLY want to know what's in that bush, shoot an E above it. If nothing runs out it's probably clean. If not, you have to fight enemies who have eaten a full barrage of ice-rain just now. Doesn't sound so bad.

Oh, and please no answers like “Needs no rework” - just because you can make a champ work doesn't mean the current design is shit. People made old AD Sion work too, no? That didn't change the fact that he was horribly outdated.

I'll be happy to hear your opinions on this!