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I hope post-VGU Swain is still full of Edgar Allan Poe and literary references.

Blood Magicks·7/11/2017, 10:58:29 PM·72 votes·3,944 views

Everyone hypes over 's power, his strategic mastery and iron grip on Noxus but many tend to forget another side of the Grand General: he is an incredibly poetic character.

https://image.ibb.co/h2kxFF/raben.png

Part of Swain's concept is, of course, the famous poem "The Raven" by Poe. It's possibly the most acclaimed work of gothic literature and its meaning is, I believe, man's encounter with the unknown and his futile attempts to interpret nature. A great deal of Swain's mystique comes from his bond with the mystical raven, symbolizing a man coming to possess knowledge that wasn't meant for mortals. Yes, this sounds literary, but I feel Swain is meant to be the most literary character in League. His journal, which tells the story of Sion's rebirth is beautifully written:

"We've come full circle: a Grand General in need of a champion, the Black Rose seeking to wind its roots further into High Command, and a fallen warrior starved of battle. This time, it will be different. Boram managed to revive the body successfully, but all he got was a mindless beast with a single instinct: to devour life. I can't fix a thing so broken, but I can rekindle its purpose, and that may be enough for my plans. The ritual is prepared, and the body still hungers."

"Drink deep of the blood of your killer, son of Noxus, and live again."

Besides hyping up the upcoming re-release, I want to tell Jaredan if he happens to be around here: I know by your enthusiasm you're going to give Swain some superb writing, but also don't be afraid to make it literary. Tahm Kench levels of grandiloquent. If anyone in League should be like that, it's our beloved general. Swain's fans are the most lore-obsessed, bookish types and they will love it.

PS Yes I remade the thread sorry

31 Comments

Warlord Dienekes7/11/2017, 11:08:08 PM18 votes

Swain is... interesting. From a rework perspective. In gameplay, he's honestly just a generic mage, except for that ult when you suddenly want to get in close to the entire enemy team. In visuals he is some sort of Gothic nightmare. And in lore he is the grand general. And none of these aspects have anything to do with each other.

So, you get a bunch of different people who latch onto one aspect of him. For you, it's the whole Goth/Poe references. Which for me, I couldn't care less about. I want to see a commander.

It will be interesting to see what Riot does with this guy.

ModWuks7/11/2017, 11:05:50 PM8 votes

I think it's by far my favorite poem. I never was able to learn the whole poem by heart, but I've got the first 4-5 verses nailed. Mysterious, thrilling, dark, and nostalgic. Here's my upvote, which comes to be no more valuable than the next person's vote.

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Clementine7/12/2017, 3:06:13 AM4 votes

I hope Swain becomes hard as fuck to master and requires a lot of planning, if that makes sense.

PhoenixOfHeaven7/12/2017, 4:05:37 AM3 votes

As a Swain fan, I agree. He isn't one of my highest masteries, but he is my favorite champion Lore wise, by a longshot. I also used to make him for like a year. His rework could be interesting... I honestly don't think he needs a full on VGU, but if he gets one I wont complain.

Hovering Hentai7/12/2017, 12:21:08 AM3 votes

Where the fuck does Beatrice go when Swain ults...

Is she part of the flock healing him or does she just head to the bench for a few seconds...

Riot really need to nail the Tactician part of him for the rework, make him predict and outplay enemies aside from his current method of "How can I walk at you to get the most out of this trade" he currently is

JoeMG7/12/2017, 4:23:25 PM2 votes

As a huge Poe fan, I agree. I always liked the idea of swain but never picked him up really just based on his looks and uninteractive mechanics. A VGU would be very promising.

Hyrum Graff7/12/2017, 4:42:29 PM2 votes

grandiloquent is a wonderful word.

Over Innsmouth7/12/2017, 3:54:20 AM2 votes

"Quoth the Draven, nevermore."

NullDragon7/13/2017, 2:47:35 PM1 votes

Idea to execute on the master tactician idea: At least one ability with a super long delay like Ekko. Combine Nevermove and Torment, and make an ability which applies a 2 second root after three seconds, and increases damage dealt to targets inside.

Not sure what to replace his other abilities with, though. I do want his ult to be more monstery, though. become the monster Swain was meant to be, devour the land

I Main Swain7/12/2017, 1:00:54 AM1 votes

hold on hold on back that up

swain's what now?

Lord Babkonzerv7/12/2017, 10:58:02 AM1 votes

I hope he will have a reference to The mask of the Red Death. By far may favourite short story.

ModJango Mage7/12/2017, 11:13:48 AM1 votes

I hope that his rework is going to be like more of a modernization(like Urgot or Warwick ) and not a bigger overhaul.(like Galio or Sion ) Hes been one of my mains for almost as long as i started playing the game, so i dont want riot to ruin him.

Squey7/12/2017, 2:48:51 PM1 votes

2017 and still no swain skin since may 2012.

PopePancake7/12/2017, 5:29:32 PM1 votes

Removing his Ult seems a little redundent, considering it's probably his most iconic ability. A reworking of it sure, but removal seems a little over the edge.

zeskgames7/12/2017, 8:27:18 PM1 votes

Wait? Is that a teaser for a Swain VGU? If it is, could have a link to the source plz?

Oakleaf Ranger7/12/2017, 11:15:24 PM1 votes

My favorite aspect of him lore wise is how he is upper class savvy and a great general (so great that people are willing to take demotions in order to follow under his leadership). IDK if I would use the word charismatic to describe Swain but his lore paints him as person with a trait that is quite similar to it potentially galvanic or some combination of the 2. A commander who consistently initiates the attack or first major blow is just impossible not to like as a soldier, especially if the fights/battles are as dangerous as his lore hints at. Yet at the same time he appreciates the fine arts like music and can mingle with the upper class. His ability to gain allies/loyalty from the fighters and the schemers/planners in Noxus is a trait of his I hope is kept.