This article aims to theorize about the future gameplay of Jinx in Project L. It does not contain any official information on the game which is currently in development, just food for thought based on its skills in League of Legends. It is more than likely that it is ultimately not exactly what is described in this article, it is a simple exercise in thinking about how to integrate a MOBA character into a fighting game, while maintaining the identity of the latter.
Jinx, the perfect illustration of the zoner archetype?
Once his spell A is maxed, Jinx has one of the longest auto-attack ranges (normal, non-spell attacks) in League of Legends. Very few champions can compete with her in this area (Tristana, Caitlyn, Kog’Maw…). Additionally, Zap! is a spell where Jinx pulls out another weapon, also with high range. Finally, his Ultimate Skill Super Mega Death Rocket! has no maximum range, traversing the entire map until hitting a target (or to get lost in the clouds if your aim is wrong). In fighting games, a zoner is a character with a very good range, who tries to keep his opponent at a distance to gradually lower his health bar, without ever putting himself within range of a punishment. The defensive abilities of zoners are often limited, and their mobility is not the best. These characteristics correspond rather well to the ADCs on League of Legends, an archetype of champions who must stay at a distance to do damage, being very fragile. Their range depends a lot on their spell kit, those who have skills that play on mobility generally have a lower range than those who have no spell to replace themselves during a teamfight. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, like Tristana.
A zoned Jinx therefore seems quite obvious, the champion having all the characteristics required to enter this archetype. This is probably the first idea that LoL players who love fighting games (or people from the FGC who love LoL, whatever) will have had. However, this archetype, although obvious at first glance, leaves out certain aspects of the character, so maybe it’s worth looking into it too.
I wanna try something fun now, I think some people call it anarchy!
This is what Jinx screams in Get Jinxed, the song created especially when it was released by Riot Games. And if we talk about anarchy in a fighting game, it is likely that many players will answer you the mix-up characters which create situations of 50/50 (even if the real ones will answer Faust, but enough Guilty Gearian propaganda). For those unfamiliar with the term, this is a time when the player finds themselves on the defensive against an opponent with multiple options, which result in a similar reward in terms of damage. Of course, in a fighting game, a character has several options for opening guard. But generally depending on the character, these options do not lead to the same rewards. Some need to break through enemy defenses with a low blow to inflict their best combo and therefore maximum damage (let’s stick with rewards in terms of damage, and leave the rest like oki aside for this article if you don’t mind , we will avoid making the explanation too complex), while for others it will be with a high blow or a medium blow or even a mug.
Generally knowing your opponent’s best option allows you to put the best guard possible, so even if he uses a different option the reward will be less. Of course at high level, things are different since each player knows that his opponent knows the best option and will prepare a parry, so there is an anticipation of the parry, then of the parry of the parry, in short, here is the principle of the mind game. Back to 50/50. Some characters grouped under the Mix-Up archetype have equivalent options in terms of rewards, which means that anticipating their future actions is more a matter of reading the opponent’s game than knowing the match up. Often this additional option is a command grab, ie a mug that is done with specific inputs, and not the universal inputs. It is also classified in the special moves. Except the E of Jinx Flame Chompers could perfectly fit into this category, since they are not grenades which explode, but which immobilize the opponent. Imagine that they would be adapted into a special tankard which would send the opponent into the air, before Jinx chases down the combo isn’t that bad. Of course, it is also possible that its usefulness is more basic, and that the spell has properties more faithful to those of League of Legends, becoming a simple tool to control space. The pyrochewers would then be used to force the opponent to wait to move forward, or to jump over them to dodge them, making enemy movements easier to anticipate for Jinx, who could send the sauce from a distance.
In the image above, Katarina can be seen airborne as Jinx shoots her. This situation could follow the use of the command grab theorized in this article. Or to have been caused by another blow, or even to be mere anticipation by Jinx following a jump from the Noxian assassin. In the latest video released by Riot Games on Project L, Tom and Tony Cannon state that they want the characters to be flexible, so they can be played in different ways. Giving Jinx a command grab would move her away from the zoner archetype, opening up more game plans for her, while a simple transposition of the spell would lock her even further into her archetype.
What’s more using the command grab could also introduce Jinx’s passive Get Exited! in Project L. As a reminder, this gives Jinx movement speed after a kill or taking an objective. One could imagine that after the command grab, some of his shots come out faster for a few seconds, allowing him combos that are unachievable under normal circumstances. Of course, these are just theories here, and until the League of Legends publisher provides more information, it will be impossible to draw definitive conclusions.
What’s more, giving a Jinx an unpredictable side fits the personality of the character perfectly. Long before the release of the Arcane series, Jinx was already presented as a free spirit, with actions that seem random to everyone but her. Jinx’s ultimate wasn’t brought up, as it seems pretty obvious that it will be her super. To see if it will keep its execution property (in LoL it inflicts greater damage depending on the distance traveled and the target’s missing HP), an uncommon mechanic in fighting games. As for the character’s potential weaknesses, the most obvious are average to poor mobility, limited defensive options, and below-average health.
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