So, lately, I've been doing a lot of talking about how edgy our latest champions have been. There's been the mysterious Shen, the capricious Ezreal, the ominous Mordekaiser, etc. But, if you've been positively craving that feeling of being the awe-inspiritng, furious maelstrom at the forefront of an assault, be on the lookout for this gentleman here. Permit me to introduce: Garen, the Might of Demacia.
Demacia's favorite son is brushing off some of the dust and scars of so many battles and coming into new focus with a complete visual upgrade. Decked out with new armor and weaponry befitting his victorious prowess, Garen's new model solidifies his image as the quintessential poster boy of Demacian valor.
In addition to the new model, all of Garen's abilities, animations and particles have been upgraded. His ultimate, Demacian Justice, shines with righteous energy, and the winningest spin in Valoran has been refined in its motion, making Garen's signature techniques as polished as his intimidating pauldrons. With updated sound effects and voiceover, the Might of Demacia sounds the battle cry loud and clear, assured of many victories to come. All of Garen's skins have been sharpened up as well, with the exception of Steel Legion Garen, which Demacian High Command deemed already fit for service.
So don't be surprised if the next time you face check a bush the guy waiting for you looks even more handsome and dangerous than usual. Demacia!
Garen's an interesting champion to work on. He's League's preeminent 'spin to win' champion, but doesn't really bring enough uniqueness to the games he's in. What's more, when late game comes around, the Might of Demacia turns into the Meek of Demacia and falls off so hard he doesn't do much other than occasionally tell people - very loudly - where he's from. We wanted to balance Garen out a little, so we tinkered with his power curve to make him weaker early but stronger come late game, and then added a fancy new passive to the big man's ult.
[NEW] Passive: Garen identifies the enemy champion with the most recent kills as the enemy team's Villain. Judgment ticks and basic attacks on the Villain deal an additional 1% of their max Health as true damage.
Active: Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to deal a finishing blow to a targeted enemy. The more health they're missing, the more damage Demacian Justice will deal. [NEW] Demacian Justice deals true damage to the enemy team's Villain.
Now Garen has an active and unique role in every game: to destroy any foe, regardless of how tanky they are, so long as they've recently killed one of his friends (champions on his team) This isn't just cool in design terms, it's also super fitting to his character's fantasy: now Garen's a protector of the weak both in and out of game, and has a kit that directly opposes Darius'. This isn't a static rivalry either - Villainy will adapt as the game progresses, changing Garen's target as his enemies rise to - and fall from - power.