Yura, Winter's Herald

RiotRiot Lutzburg·1/2/2015, 2:49:11 AM·8 votes·1,922 views

Role: AP Support

Inspiration: Yura is the first concept of mine that was created entirely via my Random Champion Generator. The first ability I got was a single target heal that had to be cast at a target location. Those two concepts are sort of at odds with one another, which forced me to get very creative about how to implement it. This spell eventually became her Ultimate, which I immediately envisioned as a totem of some sort. Once I had it in my head that the totem was three faces, I thought about the Freljord sisters and the rest of her theme fell into place shortly after.

General Design Philosophy: Many of Yura's spells take familiar and existing mechanics and turn them on their heads. As a result, she should be easy to understand as a concept and also have a relatively low skill floor for novice players. The novel interaction between her Q and R also give Yura a high skill ceiling, making her play style most similar to that of Janna's, who is known for making clutch saves and plays in her lane. This is further supported by her dynamic Passive, which lets her empower her basic abilities based on skill order and contextual need.

Risk Analysis: Low. Yura leverages a powerful and preexisting thematic tie to the Freljord and many of its key characters. There was also no dedicated support champion hailing from this region at the time of her creation (as Braum had yet to be revealed). Yura's abilities rely heavily on existing mechanics, which have been mashed up and turned on their heads in easily understood but interesting and fresh new ways.

Appearance: Yura is an Amazonian-style woman, somewhat barbaric but primarily shamanistic in nature. Of her fellow Freljord Champions, is is most built and garbed like Sejuani.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/shaman_signature_by_maybenotquiteasheavy-d5hiyid_zpseccfffe2.jpg

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/wintermail_zps906251a9.jpg

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/gfs_16134_1_18_zps6de10e8c.jpg

Lore: Yura's name is a play on Ural, famous for its icy mountaintops in Europe and lineage to Viking ancestors. As a Champion, Yura plays her part in the Freljord saga as a wandering shaman whose family worked for the Watchers centuries ago as advisers and diplomats to the Freljord people. Yura continues to wander the frozen wastelands today, giving aid to any who may need it, regardless of their faction. The Freljord leaders see Yura as a diplomat and ambassador, and accept her neutrality in their ongoing war. This also grants her immunity from attack and allows her safe haven and supplies at whatever village she finds herself in.

Strengths: Amazing defensive and utility-based lane/team abilities, multiple types of crowd control (slow, displacement, stun), possesses a kit capable of making high-impact plays at all stages of the game

Weaknesses: Low personal damage output, low mobility, reliance on teammates for synergy and follow-up

Plays Most Like...: Lulu Braum Janna Galio Chogath

Auto Attack: Yura attacks in melee range using a shamanistic mace adorned with feathers, jewels, bones and other paraphernalia harking to her indigenous land of Freljord

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_16943_btn_zpsdf9529bc.jpg Passive- Iceborne’s Fervor: Whenever Yura deals damage to an enemy champion with one of her abilities, she becomes charged with an energy granted to her by the Frozen Watchers. Each enemy champion affected by a single spell increases her AP by 10% (up to a cap of 50%, obviously). This increased ability power empowers her next spell cast but is immediately lost upon cast or upon leaving combat for more than 12 seconds. Each spell Yura casts empowers the spell that follows it. Design Philosophy: This Passive creates a lot of dynamic spell rotations for Yura to use. For example, she can use her E or R/Q combo to tag as many enemy champions as possible, which then lets her cast a more powerful shield to make a clutch save. Alternatively she can use her E to tag enemies, then cast Freljord's Blessing to boost the power of her heal. Further still she could augment the power of her Q, especially when combined with her R, to deal heavy AoE damage to an entire enemy team if coordinated properly.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_8024_pas_zps49129823.jpg Q- Icy Mistral (7 sec): Yura fires a long strand of frozen wind in a line, dealing 75/125/175/225/275 (+40% AP) magic damage to the first target struck and covering them with frost, which slows them by 50/55/60/65/70% but decays over the 2 second duration. In addition, the wake of this blast creates a slowing field which lasts for three seconds, and slows all enemies in it by 25%. Finally, this ability can interact with Freljord's Blessing, which, if struck, is pushed 400 range past the end of Icy Mistral's cast range. All enemies that collide with the totem while it is traveling receive the full effects of Icy Mistral's damage and slowing components. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldown Design Philosophy: This ability is similar in range, width and missile speed to Galio's Righteous Gust. It is also similar to Braum's Winter’s Bite but is thinner and creates a slowing field instead of adding stacks to his Concussive Blows passive. This ability can also cause Yura’s massive ice totem to slide along the ground, essentially creating an AoE version of the Icy Mistral while also repositioning the totem to be closer to allies in need. It has the added benefit of enabling her to hit multiple champions at once, which increases the power of Iceborne’s Fervor. The combination of all these things makes Icy Mistral an incredibly powerful and awesome play-making ability.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_12980_pas_zps9ca59288.jpg W- Frozen Fortitude (10 sec): Yura rapidly cools the air around an allied target, granting them a 40/80//130/180/240 (+60% AP) damage-absorbing frost shield. While the shield holds, enemies who damage the shielded target will have their attack speed reduced by 20/23/26/29/32 (+3% per 100 AP)%. This effect lasts for 2 seconds following each auto attack while the shield holds. Rank-ups increase shield amount and attack speed reduction, as well as lower cooldown Design Philosophy: This is a simple shield ability with a thematically relevant attack speed slow, reminiscent of Frozen Heart. This is especially potent when put on allied tanks and divers who must endure a lot of auto attack damage from the enemy team.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_13207_btn_zps5f3e18c5.jpg E- Arctic Quake (20 sec): Yura targets an allied champion and prepares to raise a series of frozen tectonic plates in a hexagonal shape around them. After 4 seconds or upon recasting the ability, the plates erupt from the ground, dealing 45/80/120/160/200 (+35% AP) magic damage and displacing all nearby enemies around the target. This ability does not go on cooldown until the plates are triggered. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldown Design Philosophy: This is an incredibly powerful ability when saving an ADC or initiating a fight with a tank or bruiser. As a result, it has a very long cooldown for a basic ability and its damage and scaling are low.

http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_11466_pas_zps4556e0b8.jpg R- Freljord’s Blessing (90 sec): Yura summons a totem pole made of pure ice at a target location, which stuns all enemies caught in its drop radius for .75 seconds and deals 50/100/150 (+20% AP) magic damage. It also acts as impassible terrain. For the next 12 seconds, allied champions within 900 range can click on the totem, causing one of the totem's three faces to turn and blast a healing beam from its eyes, healing the target for 125/250/375 (+70% AP), before shattering. Healed targets receive a debuff which prevents them from clicking on the totem for 8 seconds. The totem pole cannot be targeted by enemies. Rank-ups increase healing amount, stun duration and lower cooldown Design Philosophy: The 8 second debuff ensures that a single player can only receive up to two heals from the totem. Each head of the totem represents one of the three Freljord Sisters- Ashe, Sejuani or Lissandra. In combat, this works similarly to the "Lightwell" ability that Priests have in World of Warcraft. Unlike the Lightwell, Yura can actually use the totem as an implement of death, pushing it around the battlefield using Icy Mistral. While perhaps it should go without saying, Yura loses the ability to push the totem once all three of its charges have been used by her or her allies, since doing so causes one of the three totem heads to shatter.

If you liked this Champion, you can find over 70 more of my original concepts HERE!

18 Comments

RiotRiot Lutzburg1/4/2015, 10:41:37 AM2 votes

Haha, okay okay fine, you win this time.

Rito Jericho1/3/2015, 7:38:03 PM2 votes

I think it's an incredible champion concept. Really my only problem is that I'm not exactly much of a support player. In fact, the ONLY support champ that I am ANY good with is Thresh. I won't let that stop me from giving Yura a try though.

EpicPrism3/31/2015, 3:23:47 AM2 votes

i love it

Electro5221/3/2015, 6:39:41 PM2 votes

That is one hell of a champion. I think the numbers need to be tuned a bit, but I love the concept.

FlameHalbrdOkido1/10/2015, 5:04:12 AM1 votes

i really like her, for peeps who cant play supp, Yura could still play as a Mage. So the totem pole doesnt act as impassible terrain?

RiotRiot Lutzburg3/9/2015, 8:39:10 PM1 votes

I have returned and it's time to herald in a new age of champion concepts!

RiotRiot Lutzburg3/31/2015, 12:21:04 AM1 votes

We have been having a record high temperature summer here in CA, so a little winter cold would be nice right about now.

bad arcade kitty3/31/2015, 2:05:59 AM1 votes

yura is a short form of yuriy, a russian male name, btw the name of the first human in the space/on the earth orbit, where do you even get these names

Earthlord Jazz5/20/2015, 4:09:18 AM1 votes

Passive (Iceborne's Fervor): I like the concept a lot. Could you make her W proc it as well?

Q (Icy Mistral): The slowing field & damage only goes until it hits a unit? Fair enough. I hoping she could be played mid and she'd get some decent wave clear with this ability. Having it interact with Freljord's Blessing is good, I'd suggest adding the stun to Icy Mistral if Yura pushes it at an enemy.

W (Frozen Fortitude): I really like the shield, adding the attack speed slow is unique and I can see her as a great counter to Vayne due to this. Great job.

E (Arctic Quake): This is my favorite ability. You gave it a long cooldown but I love what you did with it. Great way of dissuading a bruiser/assassin from gap-closing to the carry, as they'll only get a face full of ice for their efforts. By displace, I assume you mean the mini glacier pushes them back a small distance (maybe a tinier bit smaller than Vayne's Condemn)?

R (Freljord's Blessing): Is the totem impassable terrain? I like the healing beams very cool. Good interaction with Q. I was thinking maybe you'd be able to put the W and E on it as well for something cool but I guess we don't need to get super fancy here.

Great job, sorry I didn't have much to say. Yura is pretty well thought out and I think she'd make a great addition to the League roster

RiotRiot Lutzburg1/5/2015, 4:26:41 AM1 votes

I need to go back and use my ability generator again soon.

RiotRiot Lutzburg1/6/2015, 7:30:47 PM1 votes

Hopefully Yura gets more than a frosty reception from the patrons of these forums...

RiotRiot Lutzburg1/9/2015, 10:56:33 PM1 votes

It's -20 degrees in my hometown... I wonder if Yura has something to do with it?