Crux, The Heart of Shadows

Lore: Crux is a being beyond flesh and blood. Although there is no confirmed story to his origins as a dark and terrible force, he is associated with a fireside legend telling of a mad and mighty wizard who summoned a great shadow demon into his very body, thinking he could control it. Instead of wreaking havok on the land as nearby dwellers expected, Crux journeyed to the Shadow Isles, as the natural world seemed to cause him great pain. A portion of his journey is said to have scarred the land with permanent shadows, and has since been known as The Black Path- famous for the number of victims it claims unto the shadows.

Concept: Melee Fighter, Secondary Tank. Does well in sustained teamfights, requires lane pressure similar to Nasus, a potential to rival Jax as a melee hypercarry albeit with some exceptions. Requires smart use of auto attacks and spells to maximize damage, as well as a thorough knowledge of lane matchups to decide on what spell to focus. Low mobility creates an increased need for map awareness and teamfight awareness as Crux has the potential to wreak sustained havok and lock down threats while dealing AoE damage, but this requires direct team coordination and good timing.

Spells: Passive: Guilty Pleasure - Every 3rd strike Crux attacks with his Shadow Hand, storing damage for his next ability use. 1st Spell: Lusting Blade: Crux strikes with his blade, dealing AoE damage in a diagonal line. 2nd Spell: Eclipse: Crux manipulates the power of shadows to fire a concentrated beam that slows, scaling up to 25% 3rd Spell: Shadow Kin: Passive: Crux gains passive attack speed and his basic attacks with his sword deal a percentage of stored damage Active: Crux shields himself for an amount, increased based on his stored damage. Crux does not store damage while this ability is on cooldown. Ultimate: Shadowbound: Crux grips an enemy with his Shadow Hand, rooting them and automatically performing Lusting Blade. The Cooldown for Lusting Blade is reset after the root duration ends.

Playstyle Concept: I thought of Crux because I like champions that have variety in how they can be played- we're at a point where you have Vi, Vayne, Gnar all with 3rd hit % damage, Ekko with 3rd hit AP burst, and TF with 4th hit AP burst, Tamh Kench with HP Scaling based autos, then champions like Kalista and Nasus who have some hardcore potential if left unchecked, why not combine those two concepts? Crux stores damage on every 3rd auto attack, scaling to a maximum based on his level. Leveling his E increases the scaling on his auto attack damage, so his goal is to auto an enemy for as long as possible before using his built up damage to burst them down and reset. Alternatively to scaling his E, one could go for his Q for AoE waveclear, or his W in lane matchups such as those where Rengar maxes Bola. His bonus damage scaling is based on the level of the spell he chooses to use it on, so he can't auto attack for a long of damage and then expect to burst substantially until he has a second spell at max rank. In an easy or idle matchup, Crux would aim to maximize his passive stored damage before entering a teamfight. During a teamfight he would ideally be able to basic attack enemies to peel them off carries and create a front line for his team to rally around. From there he has to make the choice how to best use his passive, as engaging a teamfight with his ultimate is somewhat tricky based on his low mobility, but it also procs his passive and leaves him with no stored damage should the fight continue. Autoattacking eternally is the most efficient for him, but different situations call for different measures and he will have to play accordingly. Based on his kit I would say he falls into the J4 sub-catagory of being a tank but some people will be able to put 5 offensive items on him and go legendary. He would be a champion that scales into his tankiness as opposed to starts with it, so I would have him built similarly to Malphite without the passive shield. From a Season 5 perspective on itemization, my first impression of such a champion would likely follow the build path of Darius or Irelia. Alternatively if the Devourer sticks around I could see him being a force in the jungle as well as top lane.

Character Voice: If you're interested, I brainstormed potential audio for Crux.

On Attack: 1. They are guilty. 2. Why resist? 3. Sweet Torment 4. They will beg for shadows 5. We taste their essence 6. We curse them 7. The shadow hungers* 8. The shadow rises* *On 3rd auto attack Movement: 1. They know not our pain. 2. Keep to the shadows. 3. Harvest their light. 4. Cast down upon them. 5. ...Yessss.... 6. With darkness at heart. 7. We shall 8. With malice at hand Taunt/Joke: T. The light casts your death J. I have a lot of heart to give Unique Interactions Zed: (On surviving ult) No shadows can stop me! (On dying to ult) Why... You have betrayed me! (On killing) I AM THE SHADOW! Nocturne: (On ally ult) I approve of this (On enemy ult) What!? I cannot see! Lucian: (When hit by The Culling) The Light! It Burnnnss! (On killing enemy) The shadows purify all Lucian Veigar: (Occasional movement audio when nearby) I knew a wizard once

Please let me know what you think in the comments!

-VoX