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Sion rework breathes new life into undead champ
New passive and ultimate abilities make Sion an unkillable monster.
Sion just got a major rework
© Riot Games
Like a necromancer raising a corpse, Riot has given Sion a second (or third?) lease on life. The reanimated Noxian bruiser has a new ultimate, new lore, and new art.
His new abilities essentially make him an entirely different champ, feasibly viable in both top land and the jungle. While Sion fans may grieve for his current kit, there’s no arguing the new Sion is guaranteed to breathe new life into an old champ.
Wins don't matter if no one loves you
© LoL King
CHO CHOOO
Two of the biggest changes to Sion come in the form of a new passive and ultimate ability. His new ult, appropriately named Unstoppable Force, allows him to barrel along a single path like a freight train from hell. The charge only stops upon hitting an enemy champ or a wall, the latter having the comical side effect of stunning Sion himself. Not unlike Rammus’ Powerball ability, if Sion hits a champ, Unstoppable Force knocks them up and does area of effect damage. Most champs will be unable to escape this ability with speed alone and will have to rely on blinking over a wall or behind a turret.
The new passive, Glory in Death, is sure to cause rage quitting among Sion’s opponents. Once Sion loses all of his health, he channels briefly before coming back to life with a full health bar. Unable to use any other abilities, he can still autoattack with vastly increased attack speed, damage, and lifesteal. After this second healthbar runs out, Sion finally dies.
Animations for Sion's smashing new abilities
© Riot Games
Unlike Zilean and Aatrox’s lifesaving abilities, which force players to continue attacking to secure a kill, the trick to killing Sion after his passive goes off is to simply run away. As he can no longer use his ranged abilities, Sion is best killed with a slow or stun. Without an enemy to lifesteal, his healthbar quickly diminishes. However, in a teamfight, this may be easier said than done.
Smash and Shout
Sion’s old Q—a single target stun—has been replaced by Decimating Smash. This ability roots Sion and charges for an area of effect attack in front of him. If he charges long enough it knocks up enemies as well.
Fans of the old Sion kit can rejoice, as the new W combines his old W and E, becoming Soul Furnace. The active form creates a shield around him that explodes if untouched after a certain period; the passive grants bonus health for every unit killed. Soul Furnace’s passive form promises to reward lane farmers, as every last hit increases Sion’s max health.
By combining two older spells, Riot freed up room for an entirely new ability, Roar of the Slayer, which is an area of effect skillshot that damages and slows anyone it touches. It also had the nasty side effect of knocking back any minions it hits, further damaging anything caught in their path.
The many undead faces of Sion
© Riot Games
Monstrous Finesse
While he may seem entirely overpowered and awesome, it’s also worth noting that Sion’s new kit is noticeably more difficult to play. With two spells becoming skill shots, players’ success will be more dependent upon landing their abilities on opponents.
Regardless, a more complex and interesting champ has emerged from Riot’s rework. Heading to the PBE in the next few days, the new kit should be available sometime next month.
If this doesn’t raise Sion’s pick rate, nothing will.
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