After the release of Samira, Riot reminds players that two new League of Legends champions are still on the way, alongside a visual gameplay update to Dr. Mundo.
Riot began the year by telling players the goal was to release six new champions throughout the year, one per role with the mid lane getting two. Riot has stayed true to this promise so far, releasing a top laner (Sett), a jungler (Lillia), a melee mid laner (Yone), and an AD Carry (Samira). The roles left are a mage mid laner and a support, and Riot teased both in its most recent Champion Roadmap.
The mage mid laner to be released is assumed to be the social media “influencer” and musician Seraphine. Back in July, an Instagram account, @seradotwav, posted a picture of a pink-haired girl with a familiar art style. The account continued to post pictures and songs as any other up and coming musician would. The account even got verified by Instagram. Eventually, some leaks linked the account to Riot and claimed that Seraphine is a champion in the works.
Soon after the leaks, Seraphine announced she would be collaborating with the League of Legends pop group, K/DA, and would be performing with the group at the World Championship. This confirmed that she would be revealed at the finals and released soon after. In the blog post, Riot said, “When Piltover and Zaun’s new rising star finally hits the promenade, she might convert you into an instant mega-fan. I hope you’re all ready to crowd around her and cheer along!” The animated pop star definitely got some fans through this unique marketing process, as the account has hit 340k followers. The World Championship finals take place on October 31st, so expect to see her on stage there, and on the rift soon after.
The teased support did not receive the same level of publicity and marketing. Riot describes the champion with four sentences. The champion is an extremely dangerous runaway fugitive. They are heavily armored and punish those wearing heavy armor by killing them and leaving their armor “twisted and shattered, littering the ground around them.” The champion also mounts a “quick retreat when cornered, so bringing a highly-trained team is recommended.” Riot seems to be hinting that the support will have some sort of armor shred and mobility.
The recent release of Samira has players worried about any upcoming champions. Players from all levels, including professionals, all agree the champion is incredibly overpowered. Riot saw the complaints and released a hotfix nerf to the Desert Rose one day after release. The frustration players feel towards Samira turn to worry as Riot may release another over-tuned champion.
Sources: Instagram, Riot Games