Riot games has release information about their next Champion and I couldn’t be more excited. I consider League of Legends to be more akin to a fighting game in it’s execution than a strategy game. It’s just as important to find that perfect character for yourself as it is to learn the basic techniques of combat!

That’s why the new character Malzahar gets me really jazzed up and will be a champion I purchase, day one, on its release. I’m not particularly masterful at the game and have really only had some success with the healer support character, Nidalee. I do have another important obsession though and that is pet classes.

Malzahar being one of these snazzy pet classes has me extremely excited. His pets actually automatically summon every fifth spell he casts and grow in strength the longer they survive. His spell selection seems to lend well to laning with another person and I do have the most fun in LoL when pushing back an enemy advance with the help of a teammate!

Continue past the break for in-game screenshots, spell descriptions, and a lore rundown of Malzahar all courtesy of Riot Games.

Lore:

Many men have gone mad beneath the glare of the Shurima sun, but it was during the night’s chilling embrace that Malzahar relinquished his sanity.  Malzahar was born a seer, blessed with the gift of prophecy.  His talent, though unrefined, promised to be one of Runeterra’s greatest boons, but destiny plotted him another course; his sensitivity to the roiling tides of fate allowed other, unwelcome things to tug at his subconscious mind.  In his dreams, where the veil of separation is thinnest, a sinister thing beckoned.  For some time, Malzahar was able to resist its prodding solicitation, but with each passing night the voice grew louder, or perhaps deeper, until he could withstand the call no more.

He ventured into the desert without supplies, drawn by the lure of a specious charm.  His destination: a lost civilization to the east, known to ancient texts as Icathia.  Few believed such a place ever existed, and those who did were certain that the sands had long since devoured whatever remained.  When Malzahar’s cracked feet finally failed him, he found himself kneeling at the base of a bizarre crumbling obelisk.  Beyond it lain the alien geometry of a ruined city and the giant decaying idols of dark and horrific gods.  His eyes, seeing what others cannot, and what none should, were filled with the essence of the Void.  His once shifting visions of the future were replaced with the immutable promise of Valoran beset by creatures of the Void.  Standing alone, but not alone, amidst the echoing dunes, he noticed the familiar voice escape his own lips in a parched rasp, bearing three words whose weight trembled his knees: League of Legends.  Now infused with the power of the void itself, Malzahar set off to the north to seek his fate.

“The land may melt, the sea may swell, the sky may fall… but They will come.”

- Malzahar

Abilities

Call of the Void

Malzahar opens up two portals to the Void.  After a short delay, power erupts from the portals, dealing damage and silencing all enemies caught between the portals.

Null Zone

Malzahar creates a zone which deals damage to enemies inside it. Damage is based on either a flat damage value or a percentage of the target’s max health, whichever is greater.

Malefic Visions

Malzahar infects his target’s mind with cruel visions of their own demise, dealing damage each second. If the target dies while afflicted by the visions, they pass the curse on to a nearby enemy unit and restore mana to Malzahar.

Nether Grasp (ultimate)

Malzahar grips his target in an engulfing void of energy, dealing damage each second.

Summon Voidling (passive)

After casting 5 spells, Malzahar summons a Voidling to engage enemy units. Voidlings grow after several seconds, gaining damage and armor. After several seconds more, the Voidlings gain drastically increased attack speed.