It’s been a while since we got our last set of champions, Xayah and Rakan, long enough that speculation has started brewing about when exactly we will be getting the next champion release. While champion releases have started slowing down as of late — there was only a handful of champions released in the whole of 2016 — it’s still been a suspiciously long time since we’ve heard anything at all. The only hint we’ve had up until now has been that the newest champion will be another transform champion, a design that we’ve not seen in quite some time as they tend to prove to be balance issues.
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New information leaked out today, however, in the form of a short video that not only identified the newest champion as “Kayn”, but also gave us some insight into his abilities. Furthermore, it also revealed that this new champion would use a transformation wholly unlike any that we’ve seen up until now. Up until now we’ve seen two different kinds of transform champions. The first are those that can transform at will, like Nidalee, Jayce, and Elise. The second are those that transform after being in combat for a certain amount of time, like Shyvana and Gnar. Kayn will break from both of these traditions, as he can only transform between his two forms while on the summoning platform, making the choice of which form he’ll assume a much more strategic one than we’ve seen previously.
The reason behind Kayn’s transformation is also unlike any we’ve seen up until now. See, the champion’s full name is “Kayn and Rhaast”, as his oversized scythe isn’t just a stylish weapon, it also houses a malevolent battle-diety. See, Kayn finally delivers on the abortive Daarkin storyline that Aatrox helped forge years ago, but never went anywhere. The Daarkin are sentient and powerful weapons that usually wholly dominate their wielders, as is the case of Aatrox. Aatrox isn’t the name of the warrior, it’s the name of the sword he carries. Kayn is built of firmer stuff, however, and instead of becoming a thrall of Rhaast he’s dominated it. While he can still call upon its power — one of his forms is still a Daarkin form, after all — he also can banish it entirely to become a “true Shadow Assassin”, whatever that is.
As of now, we’ve only seen a few screen captures and abilities, but even with that Kayn looks, to put it bluntly, cool as hell. He also appears to be a jungle champion, at least if the Smite on his skill bar all throughout the video is any indication. Considering Riot hinted last week that they were adding a more “traditional” and “damage-oriented” jungler to the game in order to offset Ivern’s supportive influence, it’s pretty reasonable to suspect that Kayn will be that, especially with a form like “Shadow Assassin” baked onto his kit.
For now, we’ll just have to wait for more details, but we won’t have to wait long. The 7.14 PBE patch cycle begins tomorrow, and even if Kayn isn’t slated for release in 7.14 (he probably won’t be), we’ll still likely start seeing more information about him once the current patch cycle is out of the way. Keep tuned into the WWG League of Legends Facebook page for any and all breaking news about Kayn and other League of Legends-related content!
