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Jax Lore and Kit Rework- Modernizing His Lore and Increasing His Skill Ceiling

Meep Man·10/1/2016, 9:09:23 PM·10 votes·1,071 views

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Jax_0.jpg

LORE Within Ionia there is a section of mountains known as the Grandmaster's Domain. They are named this for an obvious reason; it is where Jax resides. Jax, a legendary warrior of old times that has lived for far longer than any would expect for unknown reason, is the only warrior in Ionia to have been considered Kusho's, the old leader of the Kinkou Order, equal at his prime. He won many battles for Ionia in the Noxus Invasion. Ionia had nearly won the invasion due to his efforts when, suddenly, a mysterious figure appeared in the ranks of Noxus. The figure appeared to be something almost like a demon. It's blade would drain the blood from it's foes and seemed to carve through the ranks of Ionia's armies like an axe through a tree. When the two legendary warriors met, a truly epic battle began and, when the dust had settled, both of the fighters had disappeared. There was no trace of either of them. Time passed and Noxus held it's foot down onto the land it had conquered, the war continuing for many decades. Many believed to have seen Jax wondering the peaks of the icy mountains deep within Ionia, and so the mountains were named the Grandmaster's Domain. While any attempts to find Jax had seemingly failed, many of Ionia's most powerful warriors are said to have met Jax upon the mountains, dueled against him, and learned the art of war. However, every one of these heroes have described Jax differently in their tales, leaving many to believe them to simply be tales. However, as Noxus begins to win the war, many have said to have seen Jax once again in the battlegrounds against Noxus. Unlike the older tales, these stories all describe the same figure: a purple hooded figure with a lantern that has a blade attached to the end of it. They recall the ancient symbol of good and evil flashing into their eyes as Jax leaped through the battlefield, taking out any Noxus soldier who approached him. He would deflect their attacks with ease before disarming them and beating them to a pulp. Even the many sorcerers who fought with Noxus would have their spells seemingly brushed off by the ancient hero before he would quickly break their bones with his lantern. The most famous sighting was when the purple hooded figure fought against Noxus' own legend: Kled. Each fought with great strength, but Jax was able to finally win the fight when he swept underneath the yordle's mount and kicked them both over the edge of a cliff. Kled was said to survive the fall, but the victor was obvious. As the Noxus Invasion continues, both Noxus and Ionia grow more curious as to what happened long ago. Who did Jax fight that caused him to disappear for so long and, more importantly, why did he disappear? Researchers have looked into why, but have never found a solid answer. However, they have discovered a book that tells of Jax before he was a warrior. The book was found in a library within the Grandmaster's Domain that was mostly buried from an avalanche of snow.

The Art of Battle It was not until the sun had sunk below the horizon that the strange boy came to me. He held nothing but a torch and a small dagger. He came to me, alone, without parents or anyone that would be suitable of watching over him. He asked me, "Sir, can you teach me how to fight?" I owned a dojo within the town, but I had never heard of someone so young wishing to fight. I did not know what he wished to fight for, but I could, a master, could not deny his request. Besides, he needed shelter. I welcomed him into my dojo and, immediately, I could feel my students staring at the boy. He was like no other I had ever seen. His skin was a strange shade of purple and he wore a hood to cover his face. I would never the boy's face. Anyways, he walked to the center of the dojo and told me, "Let me fight and tell me what I do wrong." My students, begging to fight the newcomer, could not be denied. They wanted their chance to teach the lad, and I would not decline them this chance. One of my students and ran at the strange boy with blind fury. It seems he saw the boy's challenge as an insult to his skills. Of course, blind fury seems to not provide enough power, for the boy, now equipped with a staff, used the staff to sling the boy out the dojo window. It all went so fast and I had never seen such fine technique before. The boy outside was injured, but fine. Another student came at the boy with much more concentration, but his feet were swept out from under him before being kicked to the wall. Eventually, all of my students but one had been bested by the boy. One of my students, training as a swordsman, came at the boy slowly. They both bowed to each other before they began their duel. Unlike the other students, this fight was real. It was not a beat down, but a real fight. The two matched each other's strikes with equal strength and precision. The swordsman came at the boy with great speed, but the boy seemed to mimic the swordsman's speed perfectly. The fight lasted for nearly an hour before the boy slammed his staff on the ground, frightening the swordsman. An almost magical energy formed around the boy and he began twirling the staff above his head. The fight was over. The boy won the fight within the next five seconds, disarming the swordsman before nearly knocking the breath out of him. It was clear this boy was skilled. I trained him for the next few years. He was already nearly at the maximum level, so I instead put limitations on what he could use as a weapon. At first, I took the staff and gave him a sword. Then the sword became a small axe. Then the axe became a well cut stick. Then the well cut stick became a normal stick. Every time, he bested my entire dojo and, eventually, me. One day, I allowed him to pick what he wanted to use as his own personal weapon. However, I banned him from using anything made to be a weapon. He searched the town and, eventually, came back with a lantern with a pointed silver tip at the top end of it. Then, I challenged the boy to a duel. I felt him ready to face me, but it was I who was not ready to face him. The fight lasted ten seconds. I was brutally defeated and disarmed. The student had become the master. When the boy came of age, I bowed to him and sent him on his way. Before he left, he turned to me and said, "I wonder if you wonder why I wish to fight? Well, I fight... because there is always someone that needs to fought." With that, he turned away and disappeared into the mist of Ionia. End

Jax, the Grandmaster at Arms Skirmisher (hybrid Diver) Health- 595 (+95 per level) Health Regen.- 7.5 (+0.75 per level) Mana- 300 (+40 per level) Mana Regen.- 7.5 (+0.75 per level) Armor- 32 (+3 per level) Magic Resist- 32.1 (+1.25 per level) Movement Speed- 355 Attack Damage- 52 (+4 per level) Attack Speed- 0.695 (+1.75% per level) Attack Range- 150 (Melee)

Passive- The Legendary Warrior Innate- Brawler's Ring: When Jax basic attacks an enemy champion he has not basic attacked within the last 7.5 seconds, he creates a circle around them that lasts for 7.5 seconds, granting him 4-8% attack speed and 1-2% movement speed (based on level) while he is within the circle. Every time Jax basic attacks the target, he will increase the attack speed he is gaining from the circle by 4-8% and the movement speed by 2-4%. A circle can grant Jax up to 32-64% attack speed and 8-16% movement speed. If Jax is within multiple circles from multiple enemy champions, he will gain the bonus attack and movement speed from all of the circles he is currently within. If Jax attacks a large monster, he will not create a circle, but will gain 4-11% increased attack speed, stacking up to 6 times, for the next 7.5 seconds. Attacking an enemy champion will cause him to lose all bonus attack speed Jax has gained from attacking a large monster. Innate- Brawler's Balance: Jax gains bonus Ability Power equal to his Base Attack Damage. Brawler's Ring Radius: 350/450/550/650 Levels: 1/6/11/16

Ability 1- The Fighter's Dance Active- Allied Unit: Jax jumps to the target allied unit. Active- Enemy Unit: Jax jumps to the target enemy unit, dealing 0/25/50/75/100 (+80/85/90/95/100% AD) (+60% AP) physical damage to the target and applying on-hit effects. Active- Ground Within a Brawler's Ring: Jax flips to the target position, refunding 50% of the ability's mana cost. Cost: 55/60/65/70/75 mana Cool Down: 12/10.5/9/7.5/6 seconds Range: 700

Ability 2- Warrior's Strike Active: Jax's next basic attack will deal 0/35/70/105/140 (+55/60/65/70/75% AP) bonus magic damage and either Silence or Disarm his target for 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 seconds. If Jax has more Attack Damage than Ability Power, he will Disarm his target. If Jax has more Ability Power than Attack Damage, he will Silence his target. If he has an equivalent amount of both, he will Silence and Disarm his target for 50% of the normal duration. Cost: 40/45/50/55/60 mana Cool Down: 12/11/10/9/8 seconds

Ability 3- Counter Strike Active: Jax enters a more defensive stance, causing him to dodge all basic attacks thrown at him and take 25% reduced damage from area of effect abilities for the next 2 seconds. Once this ends, enemies around him will take 50/75/100/125/150 (+45% bonus AD) physical damage and be stunned for 0.75 seconds. The damage increases by 20% for every basic attack he dodged and ability damage he reduced while this was active. Jax can reactivate this ability after 1 second to end the effect early and deal the damage and stun to nearby enemies immediately. Cost: 50/60/70/80/90 mana Cool Down: 16/14/12/10/8 seconds

Ultimate- Grandmaster's Might Passive: Jax begins the game with one point in this ability, but this ability cannot be activated until he has at least two points into it. Jax deals 20/100/160/220 (+15/50/60/70% AP) bonus magic damage on every third attack within 2.5 seconds. Active: Jax gains bonus armor equal to (100% AD) and bonus magic resist equal to (75% AP) for 6/7/8 seconds. Cost: 100/75/50 mana Cool Down: 100/80/60 seconds

UPDATED RECOMMENDED ITEMS Starting Items (vs Physical) item 1055 item 2003 item 3340 Starting Items (vs Magic) item 1056 item 2003 item 3340 Starting Items (vs Hybrid) item 1054 item 2003 item 3340 Essential Items (vs Physical) item 3047 item 3153 item 3074 Essential Items (vs Magic) item 3111 item 3115 item 3146 Essential Items (vs Hybrid) item 3111 item 3053 item 3025 Offensive Items item 3078 item 3124 item 3091 item 3071 item 3748 item 3089 item 3072 Defensive Items item 3742 item 3065 item 3143 item 3102 item 3812 item 3001 item 3022 Consumables item 2043 item 2003 item 2138 item 2139 item 2140 item 2033

Jax, these days, has a cult following. Those that used to play him still play him because he is fun to them and they have played him for a long time. However, when you look at him from the outside, he seems a little boring to play. He is an old school Melee Carry with simple, point and click or just flat out click mechanics. You deal damage and try to deal damage as quickly as possible with your team's support. If you aren't beside someone attacking them during a fight, you are pretty useless. However, I know that Jax players love that feeling of always having to be within the fight, brawling to your very death. He is the Grandmaster at Arms. Why should he not be always trying to fight to the death? The goal of this rework is to preserve a few things about Jax, being:

  1. His Hybrid Scaling
  2. His Fight to the Death Feel
  3. His Dueling Potential ...while also introducing some depth to him through:
  4. Less Restricted Mobility
  5. More Options in his Gameplay
  6. Increased Build Diversity Based on the Game I believe the kit above does this decent justice by keeping Jax's hybrid scaling, his brawler's touch, and insane dueling potential while also giving him more options in a fight through less restricted mobility and more diverse build options due to the way Warrior's Strike and Grandmaster's Might work.

As far as lore-wise, Jax is truly an artifact of the past. He was entirely attached to the Institute of War and he was the ORIGINAL enigma of the lore. He was the first champion to where no one knew a thing about him. He just showed up and started kicking ass one day. I tried to keep a little bit of that in his new lore, but also modernized him, making him an enigmatic, legendary warrior in Ionia that once battled Aatrox (if that wasn't obvious) and then disappeared after that battle for many decades for unknown reason. Jax is a prime example of a character that could be used in Lore Stories as the time goes by to both build on Jax's and other characters around him's stories. His base lore is a little foggy, but as the story of LoL is told, he will slowly come into the light and become a bigger, more important figure in Ionia lore.

Thoughts? I want to know the opinions of current Jax players and those of the Melee Carry role in general.

CHANGE LOG October 2nd, 2016 1:07 PM EST

  • Passive Range reduced to 350/450/550/650 from 500/575/650/725
  • Q AD Ratio reduced to 80/85/90/95/100% from 100%
  • Q AP Ratio reduced to 60% from 65%
  • Q On Ground Cast no longer refunds 50% of the mana cost
  • Q Mana Cost increased to 55/60/65/70/75 from 50/55/60/65/70
  • W Damage reduced to 20/40/60/80/100 (+50% AP) from 20/45/70/95/120 (+60% AP)
  • W Cool Down changed to 12/11/10/9/8 seconds from 13/11.5/10/8.5/7 seconds
  • E Bonus AD Ratio reduced to 45% from 50%
  • R Passive Damage reduced to 20/100/160/220 (+15/50/60/70% AP) from 40/100/160/220 (+40/50/60/70% AP)
  • R Active AP Ratio reduced to 75% from 100%
  • R Mana Cost reduced to 100/75/50 mana from 100/50/0 mana

October 4th, 2016 1:57 PM EST

  • Base Attack Damage increased to 52 from 50
  • Attack Damage per Level increased to 4 from 3.5
  • Attack Speed per Level increased to 1.75% from 1.5%
  • Removed Mana Refund When Using Q to Jump to Allies
  • Removed Cool Down Refund When Using Q to Jump to a Position within a Brawler's Ring
  • Added a 25% Mana Refund when Using Q To Jump to a Position within a Brawler's Ring
  • W Damage changed to 0/35/70/105/140 (+55/60/65/70/75% AP) from 20/40/60/80/100 (+50% AP)
  • W Crowd Control duration changed to 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 seconds from 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 second(s)
  • W Combined Silence and Disarm Duration reduced to 50% effectiveness from 65% effectiveness
  • W Mana Cost increased to 40/45/50/55/60 mana from 35/40/45/50/55 mana
  • E Stun Duration reduced to 0.75 seconds from 1 second NOTE: Lore changes coming soon, more into what Jax was before he was a warrior

October 4th, 2016 2:23 PM EST

  • Added The Art of Battle to Jax's lore, bringing back a taste of his old lore
  • Increased the mana refund of using his Q to jump to a position within a Brawler's Ring to 50% from 25%

20 Comments

Omnem Occido10/2/2016, 4:31:38 PM5 votes

Massive buff, though his passive is pretty unique. With this change, his early game would be outright oppressive. Without items, runes, or masteries, he could basic once, Q to stick on them, and basic again with his R passive proc. That is 257 mixed damage in less than 1.5 seconds, his Q would be on a 6 second cooldown with half the mana refunded, with +12% Attack Speed (0.790 Attack Speed total) +3% movement speed (365.65 movement speed total), all at level 1. That is outright broken.

LordGeovanni10/2/2016, 7:44:39 AM2 votes

People say increase skill cap and high skill cap but that doesnt mean that you are making them more difficult to play you are just giving them more strengths with out any clear weaknesses this version can do exactly what the current version does but just has more things so that he can be more powerful. I really dont think fighters them selves have problem just the items that riot have them building in comparison to items other champions build why. why do melee champions get conditional movement speed (phage) while ranged champions get permanent movement speed to go along with their range (Aether Wisp/ Zeal) its stupid and just makes melee champions weakness more exadurated while they either nerf the damage or health that item 3022 has so no one wants to pick it up and its never efficent. but have it so that mages have 2-3 3 second cooldown spells with and item 3116 while gaining alot of health and its still one of the top ap items. anyway i really dont ever want to see jax claim a city state that along with his streak were the best parts of his lore

CobaltTheMadMage10/3/2016, 5:15:20 PM2 votes

I still think his lore could keep some of its old elements- like he mastered every known form of weaponry and made a reputation for himself all over Valoran, to the point that whatever public arenas wouldn't ban him outright had to put sanctions on him restricting his permitted weaponry until he became famous for bringing a lamp-post to every match.

Or perhaps pull a One-Punch Man and make it that he's gotten so good that nothing in Valoran seems to challenge him anymore so he's taken to using improvised weapons like his lamp-post just to keep his fights interesting until he can finally find a worthy opponent.

THE RlVER KlNG10/1/2016, 11:21:13 PM1 votes

This is just a straight buff to Jax - giving him utility on his W, making E quicker to cast, buffing his passive, giving him his ult passive from level one - what are you thinking?

yoshi279010/2/2016, 1:57:04 PM1 votes

This seems like a HUGE buff.

Golden Tager X10/2/2016, 2:34:11 AM1 votes

His lore was actually one that was well done because it gave you just enough knowledge of him to let you know he was good, but not enough to let you know who he really is (Hint: he is the real http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/1/15/Baron_Nashor_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151202202626) )

He doesn't just love fighting, he is a fisherman and Graggy's drinking buddy, which means he does spend some time in the Frelijord, he is world famous considering he was the first on the list of candidates to be put in the league.

Blue Moon Wolf10/2/2016, 5:22:04 AM1 votes

I kind of would like to see him be a lost master of Wuju who mastered Wuju style, gave up the Wuju way of life and went on to master every martial art before disappearing from history (pretty much becoming Gragas's drinking buddy at this point).

As for his kit:

Passive: I feel that his passive might be a bit too strong. The general concept of him creating a circle of power for himself is pretty good, but I feel like the numbers are something that could get abused really easily. I also like how it has a bonus effect when comboed with his Q. I really like the idea of being able to combo abilities for bonus effects, It's something I would love to see happen with Wukong and his Decoy. It might be better if it created a grounding effect in the ring and gave him attack speed (partly cause I've been really wanting to see more grounding in the game since the cass mage update).

Ability 1: Feels like this might be what his Q would evolve into if it were redone for the current game. Like I mentioned before, I like the combo it can work off of from his passive and honestly if Riot wants to give champs moments of extra power, ability combos are the way to do it.

Ability 2: I don't know what it means by "disarm", though if I had to guess, I'm assuming it would be like how Teemo's Q blinds people and makes them unable to land basic attacks. This coupled with his passive might be pretty oppressive, especially early game if you can manage to get his AD and AP to the same number at early levels. I don't know if the time frame that it's activated for would balance it out. Also, with his E, he pretty much can already dodge most incoming damage, so it probably wouldn't be that good to give him two abilities that allow him to dodge damage.

Ability 3: Pretty much the same thing he had before. I liked the fact that Riot kept the dodge in his kit as a sort of fossil of the old dodge stat and as much as I hate to get caught by the stun from it, that is a core part of his kit and is part of why it's fun to use him.

Ultimate: again, a lot like his current one, but seems a lot stronger than what he has now. atm, it's only 50% of his AD becomes armor and 20% of AP becomes MR while still costing 100 mana to activate all game. I've thought visually he definitely needs more to his Ult than what he has, but numbers wise 100% of both his AD and AP while not costing anything late game seems a bit much. with a 60 second cooldown on top of that, all he would need to do is buy the full 45% CDR and suddenly he would be able to spam his ult as much as Lux with no cost on top of that.

Pretty much the kit looks good, but could really use some adjustment number wise, to the passive and his W. but all in all, Good Work.