League of Legends: Breaking down patch 7.19 changes to Azir

Patch update 7.19 is now live in League of Legends as many champions got buffed, nerfed, or balanced. For the most part, Azir, the Emperor of the Sands, should see himself in a better place after all his huge changes.

For a while now, Azir, the Emperor of the Sands, has been in a weird place when it comes to his popularity and viability in League of Legends. For many Summoners, his kit is hard to master and requires a lot of patience to execute properly.

Developers noticed that he needed some changes in order to put him back into the spotlight of at least being a solid option in the mid lane. Azir got mostly buffs, some balancing, and should go back to being a fun champion to play again. All the while being good competition against enemy champions who felt he was pretty hard to get to due to having abilities that enabled him to use from far away.

As per the Media Relations Department of League of Legends, here are the official changes that hit Azir as of patch update 7.19:

More from Patch Updates

"Base statsBASE HEALTH :: 524.4 >>> 540BASE MOVEMENT SPEED :: 325 >>> 335Q – Conquering SandsCAST RANGE :: 875 >>> 720SPEAR LENGTH :: 300 >>> 370COOLDOWN :: 10/9/8/7/6 seconds >>> 11/9.5/8/6.5/5 secondsBASE DAMAGE :: 65/85/105/125/145 >>> 70/100/130/160/190RATIO :: 0.5 ability power >>> 0.3 ability powerBUDDY SYSTEM :: Soldiers clump closer together upon arrivalW – Arise!SOLDIER COMMAND RANGE :: 800 >>> 660CAST RANGE :: 450 >>> 500WARD KILLERS :: Azir’s Soldiers can no longer attack wards or trinkets.BASE DAMAGE :: 50/52/54/56/58/60/63/66/70/84/98/112/126/139/153/167/181/195 >>> 60/62/64/66/68/75/80/85/95/105/115/125/135/145/155/165/175/185STRENGTH IN NUMBERS :: Azir gains an additional 20/30/40/50/60% attack speed for 5 seconds whenever he summons a soldier while he already has two on the field.AMMO RECHARGE :: 10/9/8/7/6 seconds >>> 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 secondsSTABBING IS HARD WORK :: Stabs deal 40/70/100% damage to secondary targets (at levels 1/6/11)E – Shifting SandsSHIELD AP RATIO :: 0.7 ability powerSHIELD DURATION :: 4 seconds >>> 1.5 secondsSHIELD UPFRONT :: Azir now gains his shield upon casting E, not after hitting an enemy champion.TO BATTLE :: If Azir hits an enemy champion, he immediately gains a W charge.R – Emperor’s DivideSHURIMA’S BUMPER CARS :: Wall soldiers now only interrupt enemy dashes over them while the soldiers themselves are moving. After reaching their final destination, Wall soldiers now behave as normal terrain.WALL SIZE :: 4/5/6 soldiers >>> 5/6/7 soldiersCOOLDOWN :: 140/120/100 seconds >>> 120/105/90 seconds"

Needless to say, wow, what an update! Right from the start, those that main Azir should notice that he has more health now and is faster in the Summoner’s Rift. Looking at all the big changes to his abilities, it’s easy to see that now, he should be able to dish out some decent damage but also not be impossible to get a hold of when enemy champions are finally able to get close to him.

Azir’s Q – Conquering Sands got buffed with overall base damage but now, Azir has to step up even closer to cast it against enemy champions. His W – Arise! ability will be a game-changing ability since the more Sand Soldiers he conjures up, he will gain additional Attack Speed.

When it comes to the style of play Azir inspires, it’s all about poking, harassing, and catching enemy champions off guard when they least expect it. After this patch update, his Sand Soldiers will undoubtedly hurt more and as always, be careful about Azir himself as he now has the mobility to dish out a plethora of damage at an even faster rate if his spell rotation is executed properly. Trust me when I say, you’ll be attacked from almost every angle possible by those that have mastered his kit.

A huge change to Azir’s E – Shifting Sands is perfect for team fights since now, the shield will proc the moment he casts it and not like before where it procced after hitting an enemy champion. Also, if he does indeed hit an enemy champion shielded, it will give an immediate charge to his W – Arise! so that means more Sand Soldiers popping up at that particular moment.

Finally, Azir’s ultimate, R – Emperor’s Divide now can have up to seven soldiers when cast and is on a faster cooldown. Once this wall of Sand Soldiers stops after pushing anything in its path forward, it will now be considered terrain. Talk about putting enemy champions between a wall and a hard place, eh?

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

Must Read: League of Legends release theorycraft tool for Runes Reforged

Overall, these changes are huge and it will be interesting to see how his win rate, popularity, and effectiveness will be over the next few weeks to see if it puts him back as a high-quality mid lane champion. So far, it looks like developers did him justice in the latest patch update to hit League of Legends.

Home/Patch Updates