League of Legends Log-in Theme World Cup: Noxus Group
It's time to see who has Runeterra's best entrance music! We'll be moving through each of the regions, with the top two themes from each region advancing. If an entrant doesn't have a regular log-in screen theme, then a skin theme of theirs, if any, will be chosen- and if they don't have a skin theme either, for fun I'll just make up a paragraph or two of whatever I think their log-in screen music would sound like. Now, I'm sure you have a favorite or two, but I want to encourage you to listen to the themes(the ones that have available music, at least) before voting just to give them all a chance. Advancing from the Ionia group is Jhin in first place, and Irelia- there was a tie for second, but since Irelia was mentioned by name in the comments, she gets the extra points.
Here in the Noxus group we have:
Cassiopeia It starts out with a rattle, an an eerie rustling sound over unsettling string chords- these would build in volume and then the sound of Cass' ultimate would come in. Though the melody would be in a double harmonic major scale, it would be carried on the trumpet, and the drum rhythm would shift from side to side, accented occasionally with a rattle. Over those things would be some wordless vocals a la Taliyah's theme, and under them would be the lower voiced brasses. The mood of the piece would shift from eerie and haunting to wrathful, with the lower brasses and percussion carrying the piece, into a climax with the strings and full ensemble that is dark and romantic, with a hint of melancholy.
Katarina Kat's theme is driven by up tempo strings- there is heavy percussion, but it's done for accents and not to carry the rhythm. The main melody is muscular and aggressive carried by horns, and the theme takes violent turns with some brief unconventional rhythm changes. However, the theme goes upwards into a related major key, the melody played by the strings being a sort of answer to the main horn melody, being feminine and fully heroic.
LeBlanc LB's theme is a carefully constructed fugue for harpsichord/piano that seems to chase itself - the subjects being played at different note values, one voice shortening its values after the subject is introduced and vice versa, and then changing to a different key and time signature before the flowery exposition in yet another key and time signature. The second subject and exposition would follow the same time signature and key changes, but while the first subjects and exposition would be in a minor key, the second would be in the related major. The final entry would take a turn for the dramatic, the second voice providing rhythms with the chord progression of the piece and then handing this off to the first voice, then going into a brief and fiery cadenza, and closing with a slow and subtle coda that ends with a staccato attack of chords walking up to the opening key.
Riven Sion Swain Talon (yes it's a bit of a stretch but I'd say it counts, as he's the main champ on screen)
Vladimir Starts off with a liquid drop sound and a soft organ chord. The organ provides a base of sustained, mournful chords, while a choir provides a more comforting counterpart to the same chords. A violin takes up the melody, playing softly in a sort of echo of the organ and choir chords underneath it- this sometimes bring it into a brief bit of dissonance, which continues for a bit as the choir and organ shift into dark and ominous chords, the violin now playing a jeering and taunting melody over them. The cycle resets, but the violin now plays an increasingly frantic melody before playing a short and melancholy phrase all on its own.