5 Things To Know About New Champion Taliyah

Taliyah Was Designed By Daniel Z. Klein

As we said in our last slide, Taliyah comes to us from champion designer Daniel Z. Klein. Klein has been involved in League of Legends from the very early days, starting as a European Community Manager and then casting tournaments under the handle “ZenonTheStoic” before joining the design team at Riot. Klein has designed some of the most fun and mechanically rewarding champions in the game, which bodes well for players

Klein’s first project as a lead champion designer was Lucian. Lucian is a champion that feels great to play, and high level players are still making new material for their Lucian highlight reels nearly three years after his release. Taliyah’s mini-Culling Q ability is a nice throwback to Klein’s champion debut.

Following Lucian, Klein set his sights on Shurima, setting the stage for Taliyah with the releases of Azir and the Xerath rework (completed in cooperation with Alexander “Xelnath” Brazie). It’s very cool to see one designer drive the development of multiple characters through related lore, and we’re excited to learn more about Taliyah’s relationship with both Azir and Xerath. Interestingly, on paper Taliyah would seem to have a rough match-up against both of her potential nemeses, as her mid-ranged area control skills may do little to slow the barrage of back line DPS that both Azir and Xerath bring to fighting and laning. However, with strategic use of her ultimate and area denial abilities, Taliyah can pin down her morally suspect Shuriman overlords and take them down with the help of her friends. Whether these are conscious design interactions or happy accidents, it will be interesting to see how all of Klein’s digital babies get along.

Klein’s most recent release before Taliyah was Tahm Kench. Like Taliyah, El Kencho’s ultimate does no damage in exchange for granting extreme mobility and map control. Tahm Kench has seen competitive play consistently since his release, while Lucian and Azir often seem like they are in more pro games than not these days. If Klein’s track record for competitively viable champions holds up similarly for his newest champ, we could be seeing Taliyah make a big impact on the LCS.

Next: Taliyah is Voice Acted By Erica Lindbeck