Background
A millenium ago, a young yet ambitious emperor sat upon the throne of the Shuriman empire. Azir, determined to make the jewel of the desert shine brighter than the Sun itself, turned to his advisor, the cunning magus Xerath, who told him about the ancient ritual of ascension. Eager to see his kingdom flourish, preparations were made immediately. Yet once the rite was finished, the treacherous mage seized its power for himself, annihilating Azir and destroying the beautiful city.
While Xerath was eventually stopped by Nasus and Renekton, two ascended legends themselves, the price was high, as the later of two brothers had to be entombed with the wicked mage. Peace was restored and over the centuries, memories of the proud nation turned to myth just as the city's ruins slowly drowned in the sands of the desert.
That is, until a young Noxian noblewoman called Cassiopeia, guided by the hardened merchant Sivir, set out to find the buried ruins. Betrayed by her client, Sivir had to watch as Cassiopeia opened the tomb using her very own, ancient blade, releasing Xerath and Renekton from their imprisonment. Yet, as her life essence seeped into the sands, the powerful magic of the fallen city called for its true ruler, resurrecting Azir, for Sivir was the last survivor of his bloodline. Using his powers of ascension, he manged to save Sivir from the brink of death and raise his empire from its slumber.
Overview and Playstyle
While Azir is classified as a mage, his primary source of damage comes from summoning and positioning soldiers of sand on the battlefield, who will attack targets at his will. As such, he can often stay at relatively safe distances, creating a frontline of servants who deal tremendous amounts of continuous damage, if enemies step in range of their lances.
While Azir has to stand still in order to attack, leaving him vulnerable, he can summon a phalanx of soldiers, forming a wall no enemy champions can pass through. Combining his Shifting Sands and Conquering Sands abilities also allows him to reposition and even ambush targets from unexpected angles, often playfully referred to as the "Shurima Shuffle".
Abilities
Will of the Emperor (Passive): Cooldown reduction also increases Azir's attack speed. Allows Azir to summon a sun disc on top of a destroyed turret that will attack enemies and grant Azir gold on kills.
Conquering Sands: Repositions all summoned soldiers to a location, damaging and slowing any enemies hit as they rush to their target.
Arise!: Summons a sand soldier who can be ordered to attack enemies around him through basic attacks, piercing through their target and dealing damage in a line. Can also be cast on enemy turrets to deal damage to them.
Shifting Sands: Azir rushes to a targeted sand soldier, dealing damage along the way. Hitting an enemy champion grants Azir a small, temporary shield.
Emperor's Divide: Summons a phalanx of soldiers rushing forward from behind Azir, pushing back any enemies and blocking them.
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