League of Legends: New Champion’s Name and Unique Sleep Debuff Teased

League of Legends players might’ve gotten their first look at one of the upcoming champions’ abilities through a pre-game effect that’s been added to the PBE.

Revealed earlier in the week, the next League of Legends champion is set to give mid laners a new addition to their champion pool with the addition of a new burst mage. Several descriptions of the champion that were provided in the October Champion Roadmap referenced some abilities that the champion might have, one of which appears to be all but confirmed at this point.

Very little is certain about the upcoming champ to this point, but it does appear as though her name has potentially been revealed through Rune quote. Within the League boards, it was noticed that the Celestial Body rune that’s currently being tested on the PBE has a quote at the end that’s attributed to a character who many think might be the new champion.

“The greatest legends live on in the stars,” the quote reads before an attribution to someone named Daphna the Dreamer.

The name hasn’t been confirmed, but it certainly ties into a new debuff mechanic that’s been seen on the PBE.

The “Asleep” Mechanic

Fitting in perfectly with the “Dreamer” title that the supposed Daphna has, a sequence at the beginning of matches on the PBE seems to showcase a new debuff that puts enemies to sleep.

At the start of some PBE games, a bubble will drop in the fountain to create an AOE field. Once it’s stepped on, the field disappears, and the debuff begins immediately. Shown in the video above, it appears to have two parts, the first being a “Drowsy” debuff and the second one being “Asleep.”

The Drowsy portion of the effect lasts for a brief time and appears to decrease movement speed as seen by the champion stats in the bottom-left corner. After that, the champion falls Asleep, an effect that appears to be similar to a longer version of a stun.

How the “Drowsy/Asleep” Mechanic Might Work

Adding a new debuff for the upcoming champion would be an interesting move, but there are definitely a few questions remaining about how it’ll work.

For those that are familiar with Overwatch, the healer Ana has a sleep ability that might be close to how Daphna’s debuff will work. Ana can put enemies to sleep for a long time with a special dart, and they’ll stay asleep until the duration expires or upon taking damage. This would require more coordinated efforts from team to make sure nobody damages the sleeping champ until a full strike is ready, but it could be a great asset to teams.

Evelynn’s Lust Dust ability also has some traits that resemble this sleep mechanic. By cursing the enemy, she can attack them quickly to slow them or wait till the curse builds up to charm them into walking towards her. Considering she’s the most recent rework who got this ability, it could be fresh on designers’ minds for the next champ.

What are Your Thoughts on Daphna and her Sleep Mechanic?