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Saphira, The Forsaken {Champion Concept}

Scorpio Szn·12/9/2018, 5:36:27 PM·36 votes·13,056 views

Saphira, The Forsaken

This is my third time ever posting a concept { Previous Concept: Selena, The Phoenix Born } and if you've read my previous concept you will hopefully know that when I craft an idea for a champion I put considerable creative effort into them. When designing Saphira I put emphasis on what exactly would enable her to take her place and go toe to toe with some of the game's best duelists including Jax and Fiora. The idea was to create a champion with such profound 1v1 capabilities that attempting to face her alone once she reaches a certain point would prove fatal to any who attempt it.

I wanted Saphira to be a mid to lategame oriented hypercarry armed with tools to outscale almost every other champions in the game while being focused moreso on split pushing and dueling. Ionia's simply missing a champion that can go toe to toe with the game's god tier lategame duelists (Jax and Fiora) and because of this I wanted my concept to be able to reach their levels of hypercarry status. With this in mind I continued to express my fantasy throughout her kit and lore and I hope you enjoy reading over my concept. Any and all feedback is greatly welcomed and appreciated. If you don't care much for stats or lore and just want to go into her kit every section is labeled so just scroll down.

Splash Art

https://i.imgur.com/2NW7pQm.jpg?1

Login Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGIGo0qjHRI

Disclaimer: I take no credit for any artwork or music used.

Overview

Roles Primary: Skirmisher

Attack Form Melee

Position Top / Jungle

Generic Playstyle _Splitpushing / Dueling _

Statistics _Health: 585 (+82) Health Regen: 8.5 (+ 0.55) Mana: 345 (+36) Mana Regen: 7.6 (+0.7) Range: 175 Attack Damage: 67 (+3) Attack Speed: 0.665 (+3.3%) Armor: 34 (+3.2) Magic Resist: 32.1 (+ 1.25) Movement Speed: 345 _

Champion Information

Aliases The Forsaken One The Forgotten Blade Master Aruvia Ionia's Wrath

Weapons/Pets Ionian Zealot's Sword Amulet Of The Dragon

Gender Female

Birthplace Navori, Ionia

Residence Unknown (Nomadic)

Occupation Former: Ionian Swordsman Current: None

Lore

“An Ionian must accept that death is not the end, for in death do we finally become at one with the spirit." - Saphira

Saphira is a legendary swordsman, one of Ionia’s most infamous, renowned for her prowess with a blade, unremitting determination, and sheer relentlessness in combat. During the Noxian occupation of Ionia she made a prestigious name for herself among the many Ionian resistances defending their homeland, single handedly massacring some of Noxus's most elite and lethally trained battalions. Since the war’s long end she is still to this day regarded as one of the most salient and controversial figures who contributed to Ionia’s victory over Noxus, but her current whereabouts are unknown and she is seldom ever seen. It is rumored far and wide that she has since wandered out of the First Lands, seeking atonement for the countless lives she reluctantly had to end to bring peace to Ionia. Only when Saphira finds a warrior worthy enough to bring her death’s sweet release will her inner tribulations end.

Forsaken

Even as a young child, Saphira always felt a profound need to safeguard the beautiful First Lands she called home. Bred to be the pinnacle of Ionian dignity and honor since she could grasp their meanings, she was vigorously trained by her parents for years on end. Her father, an adept swordsman who studied under Master Yi himself, instructed his daughter in the ways of swordsmanship as well as variously different styles of combat. Alongside him was her mother, who tirelessly educated Saphira on Ionian culture and society. Above all us they wanted their daughter to understand Ionia was a majestic land and one that would require the most steadfast of wills to defend it, even if it meant bringing death to any who sought it harm. While many in their province saw their zealous treatment of young Saphira as unnecessary and tedious, they were simply preparing their daughter for the worst the world had to offer.

As Saphira continued to mature so did her skill with a sword, eventually being able to out perform her own father in every duel they engaged in. Seeking to further improve her skill in the art and advance her studies to a higher degree she eventually left home to trained with some of Ionia’s most prominent swordsman at the Placidium of Navori. Over the many months Saphira spent at the Placidium she quickly outpaced virtually every other swordsman there with some being her own masters. Her infrequent mastery with a blade caught the eye of many at the Placidium, including the religious leader Karma and the soon to be resistance figurehead Xan Irelia, who admired her spirit and determination.

As rumors of foreign invaders sighted off the coast began to spread across the Placidium, Saphira was among the first of many apprentices who decided to take a stand against these belligerent intruders. While her own village itself was located miles away from where these foreigners were supposedly spotted, Saphira saw it as her duty to not solely protect her family and village, but the home she saw as Ionia. Violence was a means Saphira preferred not to resort to, but she was willing to do everything and anything to ensure these invaders brought no harm to her fellow Ionians and the sacred land they walked upon.

Across Ionia it became evident to many and all that a war was being waged against the First Lands, one that wold require more than a peaceful resolution to bring upon an end to the bloodshed Noxus sought. Saphira knew this all to well, traveling across Ionia to liberate some of the many villages that had been forced into submission by Noxian soldiers. The treatment of noncombatant civilians at the hands of the Noxian soldiers inspired fear into the eyes of the Ionians who bared witness to it, but it is said that a unique type of fear was engraved into the hearts of the Noxian's who miraculously survived Saphira's onslaught. As the war continued to rage onward General Swain received word of a mysterious warrior, nicknamed "Ionia's Wrath" by his many subordinates, that was singlehandedly defeating some of his most elite veterans. Saphira's affect on his campaign was so significant that he saw it necessary to send some of his most deadly assassins after her, with each attempt leading to no avail.

The indiscriminate killing of these foreigners brought no joy to Saphira's heart, but to many across Ionia it was a sign that the First Lands had the capability to fight back. Across Navori, dissenting voices began to band together. A resistance was forming, one that would not rest until Ionia was free once more. While many joined their ranks including blade dancer herself Xan Irelia, Saphira chose not to, instead contributing to their cause in secrecy as if she was going to continue to bring an end to the spirit's creations she would rather do so alone.

As the war began to draw to a close Saphira found herself back at the Placidium in the wake of Jericho Swain assaulting the vast structure. While many defenders would simply not give in to the seemingly endless array of troops being sent there way, Saphira was no exception, Her and a small band of some of the Placidium's most renowned swordsman escorted countless civilians, many being women and children, to safety away from the ongoing chaos. Saphira and the few remaining swordsman that remained led the many distraught Ionians out of the Placidium and into the safety of the nearby mountains, only to be met by field commander Darius and a battalion of some of his most specially trained soldiers. One by one Saphira's brethren fell in defense of the innocent, each taking a life with them until only Saphira herself remained between these horrified Ionians and the rest of Darius' battalion.

Darius sent his troops to engage Saphira in combat, but each was met with a swift and unforeseen demise. She had cut through them as if she was culling helpless animals, instilling awe into the innocent Ionians she had been so vigorously defending. Darius was no exception to Saphira's relentless assault, forcing the latter into his first recorded retreat after she severed the blade of his axe from the shaft. The turning point of the war had unfolded, Jericho Swain was defeated and commander Darius had been forced into an embarrassing retreat at the sword of Saphira. Many will claim that Irelia's actions led to Ionia's victory over Noxus and the defeat of Admiral Duqa at Dalu Bay, but it was Saphira who ensured that the helpless civilians caught in the crossfire at the Placidium were safeguarded from harm. Not only that, but whispers ensue that the duel between Darius and Saphira forever changed his view of Ionians and the unremitting lengths they'll go to in order to defend their home.

Though the war has long since ended, Ionia has been permanently changed by it. The First Lands are now divided, with rival factions fighting each other almost as bitterly as they did the Noxians. Many strive to search for Master Saphira in hope of answers to a new plight that plagues Ionia, but their attempts are all met with failure as she's seemingly vanished from their homeland. The very few who interacted with her state that the bloodshed she was practically forced to participate in has tainted her soul, leading her to now wander in search for a remedy that'll heal her spirit.

Design Philosophy

_ I updated a majority of her kit taking into account everyone's feedback. When designing Saphira I wanted to keep in mind what exactly enable her to be formidable in a 1v1 scenario while still balancing her around the fact of being single target oriented and thus naturally weaker in teamfights. Akin to Jax & Fiora, who excel in 1 on 1 duels but can easily be blown up when focused correctly in an extended fight (knowing when their defensive cds are unavailable), she had to be able to ultimately hold her own against virtually every other champion in the game while still being balanced around the fact of offering little in terms of utility in a teamfight._

When reading over her kit keep in mind that a majority of her damage is focused around being single target, with only 2 abilities offering very little area's of effect. Her kit, for the most part, is centered on being a skirmisher that's primarily concerned with dueling rather than teamfighting (Riven and Irelia are two skirmishers who can naturally duel but still teamfight, however when matched against more dueling orienting skirmishers like Jax and Fiora they simply get outclassed) so I had to be specially careful to make sure her strength would lie in how much damage she can do to a single target if given the opportunity, rather than how much damage she can inflict to an entire team (Riven being all aoe and Irelia having a plethora of resets). Obviously this doesn't take into account if she manages to get ridiculously fed as the purpose of her is to be a hypercarry, but the 1v5 potential she has is similar to Jax & Fiora's when absurdly ahead so it's totally reliant on her opponents making mistake after mistake.

_To sum up her design I wanted Saphira to be a duelist, one who's core strength lies in her ability to split push and decimate anyone who attempts to stop her rather than her ability to team fight. Don't get me wrong she totally has the capability to teamfight, but being armed with one short range dash and two defensive cool downs shifts the player into a more passive split pushing and short skirmishing style rather than a full drawn out teamfight one. Her means of dueling require her to commit to a fight even if it seems all is seemingly lost as shes equipped with the tools to swiftly turn the tide of any battle. If players want to teamfight with Saphira it requires both patience and attentiveness of when to go in and when not (knowing who's cds are up, paying attention to their cds, etc). _

innate - Way Of The Forsaken

Passive - Ionian Vehemence: _ Saphira deals bonus magic damage equal to a percentage of her attack damage and ability power on every third consecutive basic attack used within 4 seconds of each other._

Passive - Invigorating Assault: Saphira gains bonus attack speed for every enemy champion hit by her abilities, or if she hits at least one non-champion, stacking up to 5 times. Invigorating Assault lasts 5 seconds, with basic attacks refreshing the duration.

  • Magic Damage: 30%/35%/40%/45%/50% AD - 50% AP {Scales At Levels 1,4,7.10,13,16}
  • Bonus Attack Speed Per Stack: 7%/9%/11%/13% {Scales At Levels 1,6,11,16}
  • Maximum Bonus Attack Speed (5 Stacks): 35%/45%/55%/65% {Scales At Levels 1,6,11,16}

Notes

  • The enhanced attack will grant 1 Invigorating Assault stack.
  • The enhanced attack will not trigger on structures (though hitting them will still grant stacks and, as such, the sound effect will play).
  • _ The enhanced attack will apply spell effects._

Q - Thrusting Foray

Active: Saphira dashes forward to the target location, dealing physical damage to all enemies she passes through. Minions and monsters take reduced damage. Basic attacks reduce the cool down of this ability by 0.5 seconds.

  • Physical Damage: 80/115/150/185/220 (+100% Bonus AD)
  • Reduced Physical Damage: 36/51.75/67.5/83.25/99 (+45% Bonus AD)
  • Minimum Dash Range: 275 Units
  • Dash Range: 575 Units
  • Area Of Effect Radius: 125 Units
  • Cool Down: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5 Seconds
  • Cost: 55 Mana

Notes

  • Saphira deals the area of effect to enemies around her while she's in the process of dashing the in the line.

W - Assailment

Active: Saphira empowers her next basic attack used within the following 3.5 seconds to gain 25 bonus range (200 total), deal bonus physical damage, and mark her target for 2.5 seconds. If Saphira lands a basic attack against this target while they are marked then its duration is refreshed and her next Ionian Vehemence attack or Reprisal against them will consume it, dealing bonus magic damage equal to a base amount plus a percentage of their maximum health and capping at 250 vs monsters. Assailment resets Saphira's autoattack timer.

  • Bonus Physical Damage: 30%/37.5%/45%/52.5%/60% AD
  • Magic Damage: 20/35/50/65/80 (+5%/6.25%/7.5%/8.75%/10% Of Target’s Maximum Health {+2% Per 90 AP} )
  • Cool Down: 10/8.75/7.5/6.25/5 Seconds
  • Cost: 45/50/55/60/65 Mana

Notes

  • The empowered attack as well as the attack that consumes the mark (whether it be a basic attack or from Reprisal’s second cast) will grant 1 Invigorating Assault stack.
  • The bonus magic damage will apply spell effects.
  • The empowered attack can trigger on structures and as such will grant 1 Invigorating Assault stack, but will not mark them afterwards.

E - Reprisal

Active - 1st Cast: Saphira enters Evasion, a defensive stance for up to 1.25 seconds, causing all basic attacks against her to miss and receiving soft crowd control immunity. After 0.65 seconds of casting Saphira can reactivate this ability, retaining its effects if they're still active or for up to a second after they expire.

Active - 2nd Cast: After a 0.25 second delay Saphira sweeps her blade in a cone to the direction of the cursor, dealing physical damage to all enemies struck and slowing them by 50% for 0.5 seconds, which decays over the duration. Enemies in the center of the cone take additional magic damage and are stunned 1 second instead. Additionally, this cast can trigger Assailment's mark.

  • Physical Damage: 45/65/85/105/125 (+80% Bonus AD)
  • Magic Damage: 45/65/85/105/125 (+60% AP)
  • Total Damage: 90/130/170/210/250 (+80% Bonus AD)(+60% AP)
  • Effect Radius: 550 Units
  • Center Radius: 275 Units
  • Angle: 100°
  • Cool Down: 20/17.5/15/12.5/10 Seconds
  • Cost: 60/70/80/90/100 Mana

Notes

  • Soft crowd control includes blinds, cripples, disarms, slows, nearsight, roots, silences, and grounding effects.
  • _ Reprisal's 1st activation has no cast time and does not interrupt Saphira's previous orders._
  • Reprisal is not a channeled ability.
  • Saphira cannot dodge turret attacks.
  • Reprisal will dodge abilities that can trigger on-hit effects.
  • Saphira can move during the delay of Reprisal's second cast, but the damage and Aruvia's model are fixed to the initial target direction.
  • Saphira's facing-direction, for effects such as Petrifying Gaze Petrifying Gaze, is the direction she is moving, and not the direction her model is facing.
  • Saphira will retain the ability to dodge basic attacks through Evasion during the delay of this ability's second cast provided she reactivated Reprisal before it expired. However, after utilizing the second cast the effects of Evasion immediately end.

R - Dragon's Zeal

Passive - Unremitting:_ Saphira gains bonus armor and magic resist for every stack of Invigorating Assault._

Active: Saphira gains a shield for 4 seconds equal to a base amount plus a percentage of her maximum health health. The shield also receives 50% damage reduction against all forms of damage for 1.5 second after activating this ability. After 2.5 seconds the shield begins to decay in strength. The passive portion of this ability is lost while Dagon's Zeal is on cooldown.

  • Bonus Armor & Magic Resist Per Stack: 8/13/18
  • Maximum Bonus Armor & Magic Resist (5 Stacks): 40/65/90
  • Shield Strength: 50/75/100 (+100% AD)(+50% AP)(+10%/12.5%/15% Of Saphira's Maximum Health)
  • Cool Down: 110/85/60 Seconds
  • Cost: 100 Mana

Notes

  • Dragon’s Zeal has no cast time and does not interrupt Saphira's previous orders.
  • The shield's damage reduction applies to any and all forms of damage including turret and true damage, but not pure damage (self inflicted damage and the fountain).
  • Passive armor and magic resist are lost after the shield fully expires or is destroyed.

Playing As Saphira

As Saphira, you bring swift and merciless death to any who dare challenge you or the First Lands. Utilize Assailment's autoattack reset to maximize your damage output as you build stacks of Invigorating Assault to trigger Ionian Vehemence and make their demise all the more destined. If your opponent attempts to flee from your onslaught close the gap with Thrusting Foray as you continue to reduce it's cool down with basic attacks and Assailment.

If your opponents attempt to retaliate a well timed Reprisal will mitigate some of their counterattack as you maneuver around them and continue to trigger to Ionian Vehemence. When the time is right the second cast of Reprisal can prove to be upmost game changing if utilized to its fullest potential, ensuring your opponents will finally become at one with the spirit. When the time is right activate Dragon's Zeal, utilizing its shield to withhold your position in the fray as you cut down what little of your opponent(s) remain.

Tips & Tricks

  • _ Ionian Vehemence is your means of dealing continuous, devastating damage to your opponents but it requires 4 basic attacks to proc. Ensure you don't allow the timer to expire. _
  • _ You can utilize Assailment's empowered attack in conjunction with Ionian Vehemence for deviating burst damage._
  • Thrusting Foray's cool down is reduced with basic attacks making Saphira inherently sticky in the heat of battle.
  • Reprisal grants immunity to soft crowd controlling effects so among the best times to use it when you know your opponent will attempt to stop you in your tracks with a slow, root, blind, etc.
  • Reprisal's second cast can trigger the mark from Assailment meaning you can utilize it to get to those enemies who happen to remain just out of your reach.
  • Dragon's Zeal grants bonus armor and magic resist for every stack of Invigorating Assault, enabling Saphira to be deceptively tanky in extended fights. However, remember that while it's on cool down you are in a vulnerable state since you will not be benefit from its passive.
  • Dragon's Zeal shield gains massive damage reduction when initially cast so its best used as a means of mitigating the worst offenses your opponents have to offer.

Recommended Items

Starting item 2033 item 3340

First Buys item 3047 item 3078item 3077

Core item 3047item 3078 item 3053 item 3748

Situational Offensive item 3813 item 3146item 3508item 3124 item 3153

Situational Defensive item 3111item 3065 item 3194 item 3143 item 3075

Quotes

Pick

  • They will understand the wrath of Ionia.

Ban

  • Only cowards resort to such petty tactics.

First Movement

  • After today I may finally be at peace.
  • _ The war's long ended, but the healing has just begun._
  • Atonement is in my reach, but death surely follows.
  • Destiny is ensured, but redemption is earned.

Movement

  • Ask me how many lives I've taken, and I will tell you the amount of sins I have to absolve.
  • Onward to my atonement.
  • Life is a fragile thing, but protecting it requires the most strongest of wills.
  • These lands are what drive my spirit.
  • An Ionian does not know death, but embraces the inevitable end we all await.
  • They await their end, but who will bring me mine?
  • War is a crude thing, but it is a calling to all who know the importance of stopping it.
  • I've never been a leader, just a spirit with a clear destiny.
  • I fight for the First Lands, but i seek atonement for the blood i have spilt.
  • All life is sacred, even one's that bring an end to others.
  • Does a Dragon fear flame?
  • Chaos breeds courage.
  • After today they will question the actions which led to their demise.

Attacking

  • Cut them down!
  • _ There is no retreat for them._
  • Sever their heads! One by one!
  • They seek blood, we will give them a river of it!
  • Fall!
  • Leave none alive!
  • Purge them!
  • Nothing will stop me!
  • Catch them in their tracks!
  • Remember why we fight!
  • Death is the end for them, but the beginning for us!
  • There is no mercy!

Teamfight

  • The Spirit guides us!
  • The First Lands are on our side!
  • They brought fear into our hearts, show them the wrath an Ionian can unleash!
  • Stand united!
  • We are never alone!

Surviving A Teamfight

  • And now I walk alone, as I should.
  • Death wasn't the end for you, but a bright beginning.
  • I've survived, but my spirit is permanently changed.

Killing An Enemy Champion

  • You should've expected this fate.
  • Go in peace.
  • Did you not anticipate your death?
  • A life should never be taken, but you've left me no choice.
  • Is this what you wanted?
  • It seems that your destiny has finally be fulfilled.

Getting A Kill/Assist In A Gank

  • It is but a fate they sincerely sought.
  • One by one we'll rid them all.
  • (Laughs) I surely expected more.
  • Did you truly think I stood alone?

Killing An Enemy Noxian

  • Don't worry, the many Noxian's I've slaughtered are waiting for you.
  • Death is the end for you.
  • You deserved nothing more.
  • There's no hope for you after this life, nor peace.

Joke

  • I have no time for such childish games.
  • Do I even need a real weapon?

Joke Response (Ally)

  • Am i supposed to be laughing? Oh (laughs)

Joke Response (Enemy)

  • Let's see you keep that same energy when my blade meets your neck.

Taunt

  • You've head of Ionia's Wrath have you not? Well let me give you a swift introduction.
  • After today you will surely remember my name.
  • Here are our terms, you die a swift and painless death.
  • Take a step closer and you'll soon find it being your last.

Taunt Response

  • If I knew my end was on the horizon I'd probably resort to petty remarks too.

**Taunting an Enemy Ionian Villain **

  • You are a clear example of why I must earn redemption for the lives I've had to take.

Taunting an Enemy Kinkou

  • Balance will not bring peace for it is something that must be earned.

Taunting an Enemy Vastaya

  • Humans? Vastaya? We are all Ionians, and we must all acknowledge the price of healing.

Taunting an Enemy Noxian

  • You wish to join your breathren in death? So be it.

**Taunting An Enemy Swain **

  • Irelia showed you mercy, I offer none.

Taunting An Enemy Darius

  • The coward has returned, let's see if he retreats again.

Taunting An Enemy Irelia

  • No dance can stop me blade dancer, not even yours.

**Taunting An Enemy Jax **

  • Will I finally be at peace?

Taunting An Enemy Fiora

  • You strive for a worthy opponent, I am here to answer your wishes.

Tauting An Enemy Yasuo

  • The wind will not save you Yasuo.

Taunting An Enemy MasterYi

  • I surpassed my father, looks like I must to the same to his master.

Upon Placing A Ward

  • The most attentive of eyes avert the most deadly of attacks.
  • They'll never see me coming.
  • They can barely face me whilst I'm unprepared.
  • I'm expecting them.

Upon Triggering Ionian Vehemence

  • Die!
  • Meet your maker!
  • _(Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Reaching 5 Stacks Of Invigorating Assault

  • And now the real battle begins.
  • I am unmatched.
  • Who could hope to rival me?
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Utilizing Thrusting Foray Against An Enemy

  • There is no escape for you.
  • You remain just inside my reach.
  • Were you hoping to retreat?
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Utilizing Assailment

  • I'm hoping to leave a mark.
  • You've asked for the worst!
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Triggering Assailment's Mark

  • Death beams on the horizon.
  • You've brought out the worst of me.

Upon Utilizing Reprisal

  • You offenses do not touch me!
  • Your attacks prove futile!
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Resisting Soft CC During Reprisal

  • Surely you can offer more?
  • Ineffective and embarrassing.

Upon Utilizing Dragon's Zeal

  • And now you bare witness to my true power.
  • A Dragon cannot be tamed.
  • This is the end.

Upon Utilzing Dragon's Zeal Below 30% HP

  • I will never falter!
  • You will never have me!
  • Destiny calls!
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)
  • (Saphira shouts Ionian Dialect)

Upon Being Attack By 4 Ionian Fervor Stacks Irelia With Dragon's Zeal's Damage Reduction

  • It'll require a more significant amount of passion than that blade dancer.
  • The head of Ionia's great victory over Noxus, is this all you have to offer?
  • You're ill equipped for the battle you so vigorously seek.

Upon Surviving Noxian Guillotine Darius With Dragon's Zeal's Damage Reduction

  • It didn't work out first encounter what made you think anything would change.
  • Didn't even leave a mark.
  • I was expecting more from Noxus's supposed hand.

Upon Surviving Demacian Justice Garen With Dragon's Zeal's Damage Reduction

  • Demacian justice is sure ineffective.
  • Your demeanor is so loud but your attacks are so futile.
  • Of course the might of Demacia has more to offer.

Upon Surviving Feast Chogath With Dragon's Zeal's Damage Reduction

  • You've surely attempted to bite off more than you can chew.
  • You had to have known such a primitive attack would lead to no avail.
  • Not even the void's terror can make me fall.

Upon Buying item 3078

  • A sword fit for a master.
  • A force to surely be reckoned with.

Upon Buying item 3053

  • The most valiant require the the most enduring of defenses.
  • I'm just getting started.

Upon Buying item 3748

  • There wont be much of them left for the hydra to devour.
  • The pinnacle of homeland protection.

Upon Buying item 3124

  • Rage is corrupting, but it sure is deadly.
  • What hope have they now?

Recalling

  • My time has come.
  • No rest for the wicked.
  • There's more to be done.
  • i don't have much time, I must make the most of it.

Death

  • Alas, I've finally found peace.
  • All life is sacred, even those that take others.
  • My suffering has finally ended.
  • This is only the beginning.

Respawning

  • The spirit calls for me.
  • _Ionia's Wrath will never let up. _

Trivia

  • Saphira is often regarded as one of Ionia's most capable swordsman, a worthy opponent to Fiora, and a potential warrior worthy enough to fight alongside Jax.
  • It is said that Saphira was among the small amount of master swordsman who showed absolutely no mercy during the war between Noxus & Ionia, leading to more bloodshed at their hands
  • Noxian's who fought against Saphira and survived say she is of the rare few Ionian's who managed to instill any amount of fear into them.
  • She is 20 years of age.

I hope you enjoyed reading over Saphira, The Forsaken!

48 Comments

GhaelWinds12/9/2018, 9:01:41 PM15 votes

This whole kit is just jax tbh...would be a cool jax rework though.

Mr Elessar12/9/2018, 5:37:50 PM9 votes

tldr but she looks hot.

You've got my vote.

ModThe Djinn12/10/2018, 2:12:09 PM7 votes

I can see you've put a lot of work into this. There's some good stuff here, but I fear a lot of it suffers from a lot of things I see in designs that haven't been fully put through their paces.

##LORE Lore-wise, there's nothing particularly problematic, but nothing really stand-out either. The entire story comes down to "she's the best," and characters who have that as their core defining trait tend to feel overly simplistic and sometimes unrelatable. Her entire story is being so good she basically just wins every fight, even going so far as to basically repeat Irelia's defining moment but against Darius, and basically steps into Irelia's moment as well. That's something I typically recommend avoiding, especially when her role (defining warrior of Ionia in the Inonian/Noxian war who becomes a hero) is basically Irelia's story as well. It ends up weakening both characters, and I think you'd do better to push Saphire significantly further away from Irelia's space.

##KIT My first main comment here is that your character is filled with stat-checks, and that's something Riot has definitely been trying to move away from. You get free AS, free Armor, free Magic Resistance, and free damage all for just right-clicking, and the bonuses you get are considerable. This also leads to Saphira feeling very similar to Irelia (even without the dash or E she has).

My second main comment is that it feels you put very little thought into actual build or counterplay here. We'll get into that, but this character kit seems completely oblivious to the fact that she'll likely buy meaningful amounts of CDR and thus will render all opponents effectively unable to harm her due to her damage output and mobility.

That said, let's dig in:

PASSIVE: The additional damage portion seems fine. The additional attack speed portion makes her feel very much like Irelia, save better -- she gets the attack speed sooner, it stacks higher, and it refreshes from EVERY attack, allowing you to just keep it up forever while laning without concern. That's worrying, as it's a meaningful AS boost at all points, and means you can't even leave her alone in a lane because she's just max out her AS boost while pushing and become something you can't even attempt to duel.

THRUSTING FORAY: This is an insanely strong ability. The damage is solid, but the strength here is a 575 unit untargeted dash on a 5 second cooldown -- reduced to about 3-4 through CDR, and with a FURTHER reduction on attacking. That's almost Kassadin levels of mobility on a character that's a larger dueling threat, and means there's no meaningful way to escape her, as even if she CAN'T hit you she can gapclose more than an ADC's range every 3 seconds.

If you really want this reset effect, I would meaningfully up the cooldown (maybe 12/11/10/9/8 seconds) and make the effect mark enemy champions with a stack that, upon attacking them three times, reduces the by 33%. You get a similar reduction effect, but it's a little less patently absurd and offers more room for counterplay (and punishes you more for using it to escape).

ASSAILMENT: The rather long window (for someone so mobile) and the ridiculously high damage for something on this low a cooldown -- combined with the fact that this super-easily double-taps your passive stacks -- make this ability heavily overtuned. With a nuke that's base AD + damage + meaningful % damage that doesn't even share a damage type with the majority of your output you've made an ability that simply wins duels while also being hard to itemize again. The character is not -- and should not be -- Vayne, and this is another low-cooldown move that, late-game, effectively makes you melee Vayne. I think this is an ability that would benefit heavily from being extended in duration rather than collapsed into two hits, and have a longer window of vulnerability when it's down. Further, it's adding to the simplicity of the kit, which isn't appropriate for how stat-checking it is -- of the passive and two abilities, our most complex thing do to is "dash" and if we mess that up we have AT MOST 5 seconds (and likely 3) to worry about before we get another chance.

REPRISAL: Similar problems -- a powerful effect with a low cooldown that offers a ranged stun and a lot of free durability and resistances. We now feel pretty much like Jax + Irelia without bringing anything meaningfully new to the table, although I do rather like the sweet spot mechanic. The rest, however, just feels like a strong combination of Jax E and Irelia W. I'm not as concerned about this as I am about the others, as it does have a bit more depth to it, but I think the "immune to soft crowd control" is not something that is easily communicated, and that's to this effect's disadvantage. I'd also definitely tighten that cone OR reduce the duration, as a 100-degree arc out to 550 radius is probably too large for an effect with this much evasive power glued to it.

DRAGON'S ZEAL: This one is just anti-climactic while adding to the stat-check feel. It doesn't really do anything interesting save provide a free 1800 gold worth of armor and 1620 gold of magic resistance while also giving an effective buffer of 30% of your health + 200% of your AD + 200, which makes this already largely unfightable character even more unfightable. Further, you don't even want to every CAST it unless you're in a really dire situation, as the armor and magic resistance are almost more valuable than the effect unless you're about to die, which makes the entire ability feel bad.

#CONCLUSION This character does not stand on her own. Lore-wise and kit-wise she feels like Irelia meets Jax, while not providing the interesting gameplay choices or counterplay opportunities or skill checks that Irelia has, and while drastically increasing the feeling of fighting a free stat-check that Jax has through even MORE stats, accessed faster, combined with even more mobility. There is nothing meaningful you can do to stop her at higher levels, and no real skill expression in her kit, as she covers pretty much any weakness she could have through tons of free durability, mobility, damage boosts, and percentage damage.

My honest recommendation is that this needs a rebuild from the ground up with a better in-game fantasy locked, an actually unique gameplay hook or in-game identity, and an accompanying lore revision to better define the character.

If you haven't, I'd strongly recommend checking out the Concepts & Creations Discord. We routinely break down stuff like this and I tend to push people into sharpening the identities of their concepts, and I think that's what this one really needs -- a much sharper lore AND gameplay identity.

Madjack0112/9/2018, 6:32:19 PM5 votes

Such wow.

+1 for the effort you put in there. Enjoyed reading the lore and your thoughts behind the champ.

Her basic kit leans a bit too much towards the kits of other duelists already in the game for my taste. I like the breathing room her ult creates though.

Might I suggest starting your thread with a shorter, more condensed version? Just to catch people's interest and give them incentive to read through all of it if the first look interested them.

Keep up the good work though.

Mr Voidling12/9/2018, 7:24:32 PM3 votes

I think a problem is that Riot doesn't look for "basic" champions anymore. They always try to bring in new mechanics to provide extra quality to the game. So it'd be best if you added in some new mechanic somewhere in there, to really set her apart and make her a situational choice champion. Example: A good solid reason to pick her over Fiora and a good solid reason to pick Fiora over her.

chewyycat12/9/2018, 10:53:45 PM3 votes

The artist is letrongdao on DeviantArt https://www.deviantart.com/letrongdao/art/Murasaki-729163709

I’m sorry if I came off as rude! Many artists make their living by their art, and it’s a disservice to them to take it without giving due credit.

Jhin Yoongi12/9/2018, 8:50:26 PM2 votes

Just dropped in to bring up the notion of copyright claims. Saphira is a character from the Eragon book series and I'm not sure if the author has a copyright on the name rights but that could pose an issue if he does and Riot takes the concept as-is. Just a heads up. Alternate name ideas?

fire26312/9/2018, 11:13:47 PM1 votes

I really must congratulate you on spending this much time on this champion concept, the lore and just the general idea itself seem great and I would love to see a champion like this. +1 for the effort, as this seems as if it could take hours to write up all of this.

The only problem in my opinion is she seems a bit too much like other duelists already in the game, and I feel some abilities need a little tweaking to be unique. Her passive is quite literally irelia's passive, Q and W and E are pretty much what Jax has, although the ultimate would be quite interesting to see and I don't have much complaints there. I feel as if the w could be a bit more interactive than just an auto attack amplifier, and the E would probably need to a be a bit more unique, as currently it's just jax's E with the only difference being the cone shaped finisher.

AquariusGine12/9/2018, 11:49:18 PM1 votes

I rreally like the artwork, can you link me the original artist? wow that's gorgeous

Breezy Boyy12/9/2018, 11:52:12 PM1 votes

I like her, but personality and lore wise, she doesn't really add anything. She's just Ionia's version of Riven, with a more aggressive take on Irelia's personality. Overall, I still like the concept.

Heart of Light12/10/2018, 12:24:02 AM1 votes

+1 I love her lore/character and she's someone I would main. However I think her kit/mechanics should change because there are many champs like that and she wouldn't be able to beat those with the kind of new mechanics LoL provides. {Wish we could get a champ like that btw}

Kaisa Nice concept ♥

got em dab dab12/10/2018, 12:25:26 AM1 votes

As long as she thicc, I agree.

Draven Draven Draven Draven Draven

Besteal12/10/2018, 12:49:47 AM1 votes

I mean, sure. But the kit is literally Jax + Irelia, and her lore is pretty much Yi + Irelia.

NotAPurpleFrog12/10/2018, 2:56:44 AM1 votes

This really just feels like a Jax rework. her passive AP = Jax passive ult Her q = jax q w aa reset = jax aa reset e AA block + stun = jax aoe aa block + stun r mr and armor = jax mr and armor

WinterTimeCrimes12/10/2018, 5:17:16 AM1 votes

Nice work, she seems very responsive! Upvote!

PROJECT WAJDY12/10/2018, 7:30:53 AM1 votes

It helps the cause of DDD, got my vote!

Gilgayu12/10/2018, 9:53:08 PM1 votes

When you say her e blocks autos, does it include abilities that apply on-hit effects (like Irelia's q)?

ModBianca Colt12/11/2018, 7:15:38 AM1 votes

I appreciate the effort you've put into your suggestion, but her kit is kinda overloaded and really powerful :/. She has high damage, high utility and high defence. Something has to go.

P - bonus damage, bonus attack speed

Q - high damage, very low cooldown, multi-hit ability, dash, cooldown reduced through basic attacks

W - even more damage for her basic attacks, increased range, bonus %HP damage, resets AA, worryingly low cooldown at higher ranks

E - AA immunity, soft CC immunity, is a defensive ability that also turns into an offensive one, slows targets, stuns targets, low cooldown at higher ranks

R - increases Armour and Magic Resistance, grants a shield, that shield also gains a shield for a few seconds after casting it

When you combine all these things, you quickly realize that she's suffering from the same problem that Irelia is facing (especially her initial rework release). Overloaded kits that have everything (damage, utility, sustain...) cannot be healthy for the game and often cause balancing issues. Get rid of something and I'm sure she'll make a fun and balanced suggestion.

Hi lm Zoe12/9/2018, 7:43:16 PM1 votes

dealing bonus magic damage equal to a percentage of their maximum health.

Oh now u sound like a real Rioter

Eleshakai12/9/2018, 8:57:23 PM1 votes

That's crazy deep... just wanted to point out I think you left a name from a previous concept: "Damage is not dealt to the target if Aruvia is disrupted before she reaches their location."

I'm too tired right now to really analyze it, but I can't help but feel that since there's nothing about this kit that makes it less effective in 1v2s or 1v3s, I feel like she'd just hit a point where she's not a 'great duelist' but just 'unstoppable'... and I think we already have too many champs with that problem.

chewyycat12/9/2018, 10:12:56 PM1 votes

Did you do the splash art yourself? With this type of creativity, you should apply as a concept artist or illustrator for riot.

Cereal42012/9/2018, 10:22:33 PM1 votes

idk why people make these. like im amazed by the effort you put into this and stuff but why do so much when you know damn well that riot isnt gonna put this in their game...

chewyycat12/9/2018, 10:55:17 PM1 votes

It took me one reverse google image search and 5 minutes to find it. Once again, I really love the concept and I did not mean to come off as rude. [sg-ahri-2]

THE RlVER KlNG12/9/2018, 10:56:35 PM1 votes

this is just better jax. each ability, down to the key, is a souped up version of jax's with a couple passive effects moved around.