Varian, the Frostfire Golem
Role: AP Mage, AP Support
Inspiration: Varian is an attempt at creating a ‘frostfire’ mage, a popular and somewhat cliche trope among the fantasy genre. Visual inspiration is heavily drawn from Chinese Guardian Lions, also known as "foo dogs" in Western cultures. These statues are well known for always coming in sets of two.
Varian also has the distinct historic note of being the first champion I ever formally conceptualized.
General Design Philosophy: Varian's most unique game mechanic involves dynamically adjusting its play style to suit its currently available ultimate, which alternates to an entirely different spell every time it casts it. Spell order is vital for this champion, as its abilities are designed to synergize together when used in the right order. This order is contextual, of course, so Varian players are tasked with constantly deciding when to use a spell and when it might be better to hold onto it for a better combo later on.
Risk Analysis: Moderate. Creating a Champion with alternating Ultimates is a new and unproven concept. The addition of spells that can either augment or hinder the rest of a kit’s combo could prove too complicated for some players.
Appearance: Varian resembles a golem-like elemental with a duality of fire and ice etched throughout its body. The cracks in its rocky form glow red or blue depending on its currently available Ultimate (see below). Varian has differing particle effects emanating from its body based on this, as well.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/Guardianlion_zps1ycvwkv0.jpg
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/water_fu_dog_by_zagchan-d36mm48_zpsdpsubwjp.jpg
Lore: Deep in the mountains of Ionia, two powerful demons battled constantly- one of fire and one of ice. Their personal war ravaged the lands around them, causing equally disastrous damage to both Demacian and Noxian towns. The damage was so severe that eventually armies from both sides agreed to work together to stop the two demons.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/e13b3bbcec40aa3db215dd7575351254_zpsfko3saaw.jpg The fire demon, Varos
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/Ice_Demon_by_Capnchef_zpsj0y5er7z.jpg The ice demon, Meran
The Noxian and Demacian soldiers met in a mountain pass where the two demons were currently locked in combat. They lay in wait until both creatures were exhausted from the battle, then used their combined magic to trap the two weakened demons in a single imprisonment- the avatar of a stone golem left behind from a village that once existed peacefully in the mountain valley. The warriors’ magic wasn’t strong enough, however, as the demons managed to animate the statue and flee out of the valley.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/be28e41db7b4db3078267595fe0f42cc_zpsvvqzarol.jpg
Trapped and bound to their new prison, the two demons are now forever destined to battle each other endlessly, vying for control over the golem avatar that contains them. When one demon uses its ultimate ability, it becomes weakened, temporarily giving control to the other demon while it recovers.
Strengths: Powerful single target burst, single target and AoE crowd control, moderate AoE damage, can disorient or trick opponents with unexpected ultimate
Weaknesses: Combo dependent, relies heavily on spell order, high skill curve, unreliable escapes, low sustain
Plays Most Like...: 
Auto Attack: A melee swipe with the golem’s rocky paw
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_17017_btn_zpskvdhy8os.jpg http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_14050_pas_zpslkmswoww.jpg http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_11518_btn_zpsmukqxgkn.jpg Passive - Of Fire and Ice: Varian deals 20% bonus damage with Inflame after casting Torrent. Varian deals 20% bonus damage with Ice Tomb and Water Surge after casting Haze. The currently active effect is canceled when Varian re-casts his Ultimate. Design Philosophy: Thematically, this ability helps promote the duality and differing styles of the two demons within their prison. Each time one of the demon’s takes over control of the avatar, their damage type becomes more powerful when cast. One passive will always end as the other begins, triggered by the cast of Varian’s Ultimate.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_17120_pas_zpsym1znfkd.jpg Q - Inflame (6 seconds): Varian roars, casting a fireball from its mouth that deals magic damage over four seconds to a selected target. This debuff causes the target to take bonus damage from Haze, but prevents them from being stunned by Ice Tomb for the duration. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldown Design Philosophy: The spell itself is simple, but its interactions with the rest of Varian’s kit are what give it its depth. As easy as the spell is to land, sometimes you may actually want to hold onto it. Thematically, being caught on fire prevents an enemy from becoming frozen by Ice Tomb.
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W - Ice Tomb (14 seconds): Varian spawns an ice block at a target location, dealing minor AoE magic damage and creating a small area of impassible terrain for 5 seconds. The ice block can be targeted by Varian’s Inflame ability. If the spell is cast directly onto an enemy champion, the ice block deals bonus magic damage and encases the enemy in ice, stunning them for 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds instead.
If targeted by Inflame, the block melts into a large pool of mystical water, roughly the diameter of Anivia’s Ultimate. Targets standing on this pool suffer magic damage over time and the cooldowns of their abilities freeze until they step out of it.
Rank-ups increase stun duration and damage.
Design Philosophy: This ability offers a lot of options to Varian players. They can create impassible terrain or stun an enemy flat out. Sometimes they may want to cast Inflame on a target directly, while other times the cooldown may best be served to melt the Ice Tomb to receive its secondary effects. Note that when enemy champions stand on the pool, only their cooldowns freeze, meaning that available spells can still be cast.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_11466_pas_zps13k4ael7.jpg E - Water Surge (9 seconds): Varian fires a line skillshot nuke that travels through targets, displacing enemies caught by the blast and dealing magic damage. This adds a debuff to targets struck for 5 seconds that prevents them from being knocked back by Torrent, but makes them immune to the damage from Haze. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldown. Design Philosophy: Yet another important choice for Varian players to make. Being doused in water prevents players from being burned by the damage from Haze. Mechanically, this provides a mild escape for Varian, while simultaneously allowing him to dish out powerful AoE damage.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_567_btn_zps9x7gxr8t.jpg R1 - Haze (35 seconds): Varian superheats a large area of the map (roughly the size of Trundle’s Frozen Domain), dealing 15/30/45 magic damage per second over the course of its five second duration. Enemy champions affected by Inflame take 6x this damage, or 90/180/270 damage per second. After casting Haze, Varian's Ultimate transforms into Torrent and goes on cooldown. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldowns Design Philosophy: Here’s where spell order and decision-making really come into play. An enemy who has been affected by Inflame will take massive damage from Haze, while an enemy recently damaged and displaced by Water Surge will take none. All of Varian’s abilities have high power associated with them, but they can never be effectively used simultaneously. While this is an AoE ability, its primary use is designed to isolate and deal heavy damage to a single target marked by Inflame.
http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/ag47/Lutzburg/icons_14704_btn_zpspzfwrjal.jpg R2 - Torrent (35 seconds): Varian roars, creating a cone-shaped tidal wave which emanates from its current position and reaches up to 500 units away. This wave deals magic damage and knocks back all targets in its path. Targets affected by Water Surge are not knocked back. After casting Torrent, Varian's Ultimate transforms into Haze and goes on cooldown. Rank-ups increase damage and lower cooldowns Design Philosophy: This ability is primarily used for its utility in team fights. Varian players can use Water Surge to ‘paint’ a target they specifically don’t want to get knocked back by the tidal wave. However, since Water Surge is a fast-moving AoE skillshot, it takes an incredible amount of skill to specifically target a single high value target during a team fight. While this is an AoE ability, its primary use is designed to isolate a single target marked by Water Surge.
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