@Riot, You Want to Talk About Evil? Let's Talk About Evil.

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Veigar_0.jpg #The Tiny Master of Evil

We know that our beloved hammer-toting diplomat is slated for a complete relaunch, an update on par with the impressive reintroduction of Sion, but she is far from the last yordle in need of an upgrade to contemporary standards such as . Though I would love to see every yordle updated, I am here to stir conversation about one in particular.

Veigar is the traditional fantasy mage; he has a pointy hat, black magic, and wields a magic staff. He commands unfathomable powers, literally warping the very fabric of reality to annihilate his victims. Perhaps most importantly, Veigar is a yordle, but not just any yordle, The Tiny Master of Evil is a twisted mockery of Bandle City's happy population, and that is what truly sets him apart. Veigar is the end result of prolonged isolation, all-encompassing megalomania born of anguish and despair, leaving him a bitter, sadistic exile.

That is Veigar in the simplest terms, and I would like to explore him in depth through each facet of his character: Design, Abilities, and Story.

Design Veigar's appearance as a stereotypical fantasy mage is, I believe, extremely relevant to his position in the League of Legends. No other AP champion, or champion in general, displays the classic look of a spell-slinging wizard, though Lulu does come close. Now he may be the amalgamation of various designs from many fictional properties, but it makes him all the more iconic for it, and he has just enough twists to make the image all his own. For example: http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070926003226/finalfantasy/images/4/4e/TA2-HumeBlackMage.jpg http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100818231822/finalfantasy/images/2/2d/Vivi_Ornitier_character.jpg http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/9/9c/Wizzrobe_(A_Link_to_the_Past).png/revision/latest?cb=20090726002622 http://www.cbswords.com/images/gandalf-grey-staff-big.jpg

What separates Veigar from his predecessors is the oversized gauntlet. It may not be much, but I feel it establishes his character quite nicely; it is bold, dramatic, and just large enough to be considered silly. Still, it creates a unique silhouette for him and serves as a subtle reference to his desire for complete dominion over the world. The gauntlet is a symbol of control and power, which naturally Veigar emphasizes by making his own a few sizes too big.

Veigar's appearance is not meant to be seriously threatening, it shows the world how he wants to be seen.

Abilities Veigar is all about power, raw, unmitigated magic. Every spell, with the exception of Baleful Strike, rips apart the universe and recreates it to his specified desires, such as tearing a chunk of Dark Matter from space, twisting the world to form an Event Horizon, or simply pooling his magic into an unstable Burst of Primordial destruction.

Veigar is old, and it is made glaringly apparent in his spell effects. Baleful Strike is a purple blob, Event Horizon is a ring of pixelated spikes, and Primordial Burst is a bunch of circles with some fairy dust sprinkled about. The only ability I feel does not need any serious work done is Dark Matter; it lands with a loud and satisfying boom, leaving cracks in the ground from the force of its impact. It feels good to use because people GTFO when they see it coming, and it feels even better when it hits a target.

Baleful Strike is his only true spell that suggests it is born of purely black magic, not cosmic power. It is the literal manifestation of his malice and cruelty, Veigar's hatred given form, and he uses it to inflict harm. Not only that, but those that die under its touch provide Veigar with a permanent boost in power. Honestly, it sounds like magic straight out of the Shadow Isles, and I feel it should reflect that.

Event Horizon is sad. Veigar raises his staff and... five ugly pillars just appear. No bursting from the ground or tearing apart the atmosphere, just a circle of magic and "poof", a ring of doom. Worst of all, it fails to reflect the cosmic nature of its name and effect. This is a rough guess of what an actual Event Horizon looks like: http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2014/08/10/1227019/401718-29a72c62-2013-11e4-bee2-80d82dcd29df.jpg

It's the ring of light surrounding the incomprehensible pit of inky nothingness being crushed into the smallest possible space known to man. This is a phenomenon so unimaginably powerful we can only hope to perceive the effect it has on the immediate vicinity. Event Horizon needs some serious oomph to let new or unfamiliar players know this is some serious shit you do not want to get caught up in.

Primordial Burst is without a doubt the the most satisfying ability in Veigar's kit; he is throwing the foundations of reality condensed into a single spell that explodes in an enemy's face with all the fury of creation itself. Veigar is literally recreating the formation of the universe and weaponizing it. http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010100/a010128/Arrow_JPG.jpg

Right now Veigar's ult has a tendency of being lost in the chaos of a teamfight, though the recent changes have mitigated that issue. Still, many people only realize they have been hit after their screen turns grey and Death recap informs them that Veigar just murdered them twice over.

Story Last, but certainly not least, is Veigar's story. In fact, I would go so far as to say this is the most important aspect of Veigar as a champion in League of Legends.

Once nothing more than an aspiring merchant with dreams of seeing the world, Veigar was incarcerated by Noxian authorities when a deal went bad. It cannot be said whether Veigar was innocent or guilty of the offending crimes, but we do know that he spent quite a bit of time in prison. For an unknown number of years he was isolated from any meaningful contact. Perhaps it was intentional, a study to determine how exactly isolation impacted yordles. Regardless, it drove Veigar mad.

Veigar is insane, paranoid, and cruel, he is the result of a yordle denied all connection to the typical camaraderie and affection inherent to yordle society. What may be most disturbing of all is that in spite of his madness, Veigar retains a level of cunning that enabled him to expand his power. When he escaped from Noxus, instead of returning home, he ventured across Valoran, learning magic from dark wizards, becoming incredibly proficient with magic. In fact, his power reached such heights he was a candidate for induction into the Black Rose.

This leads to the delicate issue of balancing Veigar between silly, sad, and sadism.

The Tiny Master of Evil, as his title implies, is dramatic. He is someone who desperately wishes to be feared and reviled, and works so hard to enforce that image, that it wraps around to outlandish. A four foot tall hamster demanding the world submit or die should prompt the rolling of a few eyes. We laugh at his antics as Veigar strives to make his name one to be truly feared, and it is perfectly alright that we do. However, it is when Veigar's diabolical schemes actually yield some success that we be reminded he is a mage of the most destructive kind.

Veigar is a villain no one takes seriously until it is entirely too late. People are deceived by his less than intimidating height and shrill voice, forgetting that Veigar will happily point a finger into a crowd and transform people into meaty confetti. He is evil, and thoroughly enjoys being so. When he kills someone with his ult, he laughs. Someone is disintegrated into their most basic particles and Veigar revels in their demise.

I like Veigar, a lot, and eagerly look forward to what Riot may have in store for League's most vile mage. What are your thoughts on the Tiny Master of Evil? What do you want from Riot when his inevitable update is made a reality?

What about you, Rioters? Have you embraced the darkness in your souls?

http://33.media.tumblr.com/34bce00c288245dbf2b621659869642a/tumblr_inline_n9jz0rDZEL1rkiwlw.png

Further readings: http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/story-art/EirhcI9w-embracing-the-darkness-in-our-souls http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4588014