This selection was very complicated, because a lot of champions played on the top lane have mechanics that can be relatively easily transposed into a VS game. To narrow down the choice, we tried to focus on different archetypes. It would not be surprising in the final version of Project L that the top lane (just like the midlane) represents more than 20% of the pool of playable fighters, but choices had to be made. Also note that there is a non-negligible probability of seeing different champions but with similar gameplays than those described here, because some characters have similar characteristics.
Camille, kikin’ machine
Primarily fighting with kicks, the Steel Shadow is quite unique in League of Legends. VSIt is this characteristic that seems interesting for the future title of Riot Games, in order to speak to fans of Taekwondo or Muay Thai. In terms of gameplay, she would be a rushdown fighter, with very strong aerial strengths. His kit would revolve a lot around his Grappling Hook (E) which would allow him to cling to one end of the stage, and take advantage of atypical moves in the air (much like Claw / Vega in Street Fighter). Her Precision Protocol (A/Q) would become an anti-air, where Camille would cover in front and behind her doing a backflip, like her animation on LoL. Tactical Swipe (Z/W) on the other hand, would be a simple combo ender. Ultimatum Hextech on the other hand wouldn’t turn into a super, but would become another special move allowing Camille to latch onto an opponent to prevent them from moving away from her.
She would therefore have a super original compared to her LoL kit. It could be a simple chain of kicks, or a more impressive animation where Camille latches on to her opponent before taking them into the air for a fatal dance. She would have some weaknesses in the neutral game with a very average range, even a little bad. Having nothing to directly counter the projectiles, it could also have some difficulty approaching the zoners. She would rather be a point, counting on the assist to get close and press the opponent.
Irelia, balance in everything
In all fighting games, you need an average character, the “Ryu” of the game, with most options, but no points where he shines. The fighter good everywhere, but excellent nowhere. Irelia seems the ideal candidate for this position, with a simple special move used to finish combos (Rush Fatal -> A/Q), an anti-air with her blades that would rise up around her (Dance of Challenge -> W /W) and a projectile where she would send her blades in front of her (Perfect Duo -> current E, which is somewhat reminiscent of her old R where she threw her blades one after the other). Pointe de l’Avant-Garde (his current R) would be his super, with a unique little property. Besides inflicting damage, the blades would stay behind the opponent for a few seconds to prevent them from backing up while staying on the ground (they could still jump over them).
Irelia would have no clear weakness, being able to do a bit of everything but less well than champions specialized in one area. It would always be up to the player to choose the right options depending on the match up, and he would therefore have to adapt his game plan. Her extremely “balanced” side (given her theoretical options) would rather put her in a point position, since she wouldn’t make as good use of the resource bar as other champions. She could nevertheless find an anchor position in specific cases, especially if the other character needs an assist to shine.
Riven, made for fighting games
It’s non-negotiable, and it’s not blind fanboyism. If we can’t be sure that Riven was thought of as a tribute to fighting games, very, very big clues point in this direction. Although this is less true in its current version, originally to play this champion well, it was necessary to use a fifth key, that of the taunt. Nothing to do with BM being his opponents, but Pressing this key would cancel Broken Wings animations (Q/Q) to start again on the next hit, allowing you to do maximum damage in minimum time. The damage difference was very significant, and it earned the Broken Exile its reputation as a difficult champion to play. Let us specify it for neophytes of fighting games, canceling a recovery animation to make a combo is a mechanism present in all titles of the genre. Of course Riven is not the only one with this kind of mechanic in the Rift (Jax, Renekton, Garen and many others have something like this), but it’s the only one whose gameplay revolved so much around that. And if we talked about Broken Wings, it remained valid for all his other spells. In short, Riven wrote on her forehead: “I am a fighting game character” and not seeing her in Project L would be a total misunderstanding for us, especially since even today she remains quite popular.
In terms of spells, Broken Wings would become a rekka, ie a special move that can be canceled by another special (in this case itself), up to three times. It would be up to Riven’s player to choose whether to cancel it or not (generally we don’t cancel them entirely if the opponent keeps it because we end up at a disadvantage at the end), but the defender must always deal with this probability that he prevents him from retaliating after the first blocks for fear of eating himself after the blow if the attacker continues the offensive. Ki Burst (Z/W) would change a bit, and would be a shockwave that serves as both anti-air and defense against projectiles by canceling them. Finally Bravery (E) would be a charge ended with a sword strike. It would, however, lose its shield mechanic in LoL (which we transferred to a different form on Ki Burst), and would instead be used in a midscreen combo to send the opponent into the corner. It would do less damage than Broken Wings, but would give Riven the positional advantage to keep pushing.
Riven would rather have average stats, along with a horrible range (at the same time she fights with a broken sword, it couldn’t be brilliant from that point of view). This would totally change to the use of his Super: the Blade of the Exile (R). As in LoL, this would allow him to reforge his sword, giving it a reach above the norm, while maintaining a good speed for a character wielding such an imposing weapon. (she would still be slower than the fastest characters in the game, but the latter never have such good range). Along with the increased range, her combo damage would also be greater after activation. This would make Riven an excellent anchor. She wouldn’t fit into every team, having a rather average/poor assist used to prolong a combo but almost useless in the neutral (or the opposite if his assist is Ki discharge for example), he would therefore need a point that does not depend on the assist to do well in most match ups.
Sett, grrrcome closer see!!
Well these tops lacked a bit of grappler, so here comes the Boss. Sett is a brute, and even more than Riven (released much earlier) we are entitled to think that he was developed with the secondary objective of joining Project L (while Riven was more thought out with game mechanics of fight). Since he only fights with these fists, the range of his normals would be poor. He would compensate with a charge with armor, and a good general movement speed. He would have a multihit special move (Groove the A/Q), and of course the inevitable command grab specific to this archetype (Puzzle his E on LoL). Cathartic Blow (Z/W) would become a counter, allowing him to take projectiles while only taking scratch damage, without ending up in blockstun, and of course to punish an opposing mashing in melee. Finally his Super would also be a command grab, and would not change from the Clou du Spectacle (his R).
While Sett’s damage would be high average in the game, his health would be just a little above the norm, but not exceptional. He should rely on his good mobility to put himself at his preferred distance, while remaining cautious not being able to just rush into the fray. The role of point would suit him, the assist being very useful to him to compensate for his very bad range.
Many champions who have their place in a fighting game are necessarily missing. According to our theory, some will arrive in the first DLCs, as a duo, in order to create events around them allowing them to maintain the hype and/or get their hands on LoL who will want to see how their heart character has been adapted in Project L. Among the expected couples, we would of course put Nasus and Renekton, Shen and Zed or even Tryndamere and Ashe. And you?
esport-lol
The rumors were therefore true! The first international League of Legends tournament of the year, the Mid Season Invitational, will be held in South Korea, in the city of Busan.