Another new League of Legends Champion is on their way to the game. This time, it’s Samira – yes, the same name that popped up on the MOBA game’s PBE in the recent LoL patch 10.16. Riot Games unveiled the “gifted, ruthless marksman” Champ in a trailer over the weekend, and now the studio’s let us in on her abilities, lore, and more.
Riot’s posted a Samira abilities rundown on the multiplayer game’s site, which gives us a glimpse into her “ruthless” playstyle, and it’s clear she’s going to be a pretty dynamic, ferocious, and stylish Champ to play – or go up against. The Desert Rose’ Passive is called ‘Daredevil Impulse’ and ties directly into her sense of style: “Chaining non-repeating abilities (and basic attacks) increases Samira’s style grade by one letter, from E to S rank,” the rundown explains.
Each grade grants Samira some bonus movement speed, while she can also deal ranged damage to foes with her guns, or melee damage up-close, which hands out bonus magic damage. Plus, she’s also got the ability to “juggle enemies who are movement-impaired by her allies in the air, extending the displacement” with her passive.
Samira’s Q, Flair, is simpler but sounds plenty effective: “Samira fires a shot at her enemy’s directly when at range with her guns. Enemies in melee range will instead be damaged by a slash of her sword.” Her W, Blade Whirl, looks impressive in action in the clip below (via Riot), with the Champ whooshing and slicing in a circle, dealing more than a few bruises to enemies nearby, and ” destroying any enemy missiles in the area at cast and that enter the area after the fact”.
Wild Rush, Samira’s E ability, sees the Champ dash through foes and allies alike, with the former taking magic damage in the process. Oh, and she gets a dose of bonus attack speed for the time spent dashing, too. Takedowns of enemy Champs resets her E’s cooldown, too.
Last but definitely not least, is Samira’s R: Inferno Trigger. “Samira unleashes a torrent of shots from her weapons,” Riot says, “wildly attacking any enemies around her ten times over a duration.” Each shot fired dishes physical damage to foes, applies lifesteal, and can also score a critical strike. But, there’s a catch – she can only use the ability if she’s currently got a style grade of S (that is, the maximum).
Samira is a gifted, ruthless marksman who charges up her style meter as she hunts for the flashiest kill. Because it’s not about the win—it’s about the thrill.
Keep the change 😉 pic.twitter.com/pra4EmQUzt
— League of Legends (@LeagueOfLegends) August 30, 2020
“Samira brings a new dynamic to bot lane that I really like,” lead gameplay designer Mark Yetter says on Twitter. “She plays aggressively against other marksmen and capitalizes on her support’s CC. But it’s a high risk game because she has poor trading and safety with only 500 range.”
The dev says the team’s “expectation (and goal) is that Samira is primarily a bot lane carry” – and that, while “off roles in other lanes are fine”, if she ends up being “primarily somewhere else we will fix it”.
I can take 0 credit for this juicy taunt that the Samira team made. It’s just too perfect. https://t.co/TqD6VSaZvv
— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) September 1, 2020
If you’re excited to get to know more about the incoming Champ, or even give her a go in-game, the good news is you won’t have long to wait. She’ll be on the PBE for testing over the next fortnight, and hit the live game with LoL patch 10.19 – which, according to the League of Legends 2020 patch schedule, is September 16.