What does the leak say?

For a few weeks now, there has been speculation about what kind of champion the next AD Carry will be. Riot itself already revealed that the next botlaner will be a “colorful but deadly stranger”. Fog and water are said to play a role. In addition, he is not supposed to be a classic AD-Carry.

Back in April, YouTuber Ryscu reported about an AD Carry that will be a kind of “water Yasuo with a short range” (via YouTube). Since June 14, there have also been quite a few tweets and messages sharing the skill set and a concept art of Nilah, the supposed new champion. The descriptions of Ryscu fit the bill, as does the statement that she will be an unusual AD carry. However, as with all leaks, the information has not yet been officially confirmed and even if the information is correct, everything can change by the time of the full release.

Nilah to become a kind of close combat ADC

What skills should the new champion have? Nilah is said to be a ranged fighter with a short range. She can attack from a range of 400, which is about the range of Urgot and slightly less than Graves (425). For comparison, classic AD Carrys typically get ranges from 525 (Jinx, Kai’Sa Kalista) to 650 (Caitlyn and Aphelios).

Nilah’s attack speed is said to be low, but her passives increase it with each hit (up to 6 stacks). Further hits beyond the 6 stacks then generate bonus damage.

• Her “Q” is said to be a short dash, with her next attack hitting twice afterwards. The damage of the second hit is said to be higher if there are more enemies nearby. Also, the ability passively causes the next 3 attacks to do more damage after an ability is used.
• Your “W” is a projectile that explodes when it hits an enemy or terrain, dealing damage and slowing enemies in a cloud of mist around it. This cloud stays for 10 seconds, but is dispersed after 4 seconds if an ally enters it.
• Using her “E”, she throws a whip at the enemy that persists over a range of 1,000. Afterwards, Nilah can use the ability again to hit another enemy or piece of terrain. If this succeeds, the ability can be used a third time. Then all the targets are pulled together, get damage and are slowed down. In case of a collision, enemies will be stunned. You can hold down the ability to be pulled in yourself.

With her Ultimate, Nilah creates an arena that lasts for 7 seconds or until she leaves it herself. Nilah hits any enemy in the arena, regardless of range, and gets bonus movement speed and ignores collisions. Enemies that try to leave the arena are thrown back into the center (once per enemy). The arena serves as terrain for her “W” or “E”.

What is striking?

Nilah’s “E” is strongly reminiscent of an ability that was originally intended to be given to Gwen, but was then deleted in the course of development. This is not unusual, however, as the champion Jhin was also created primarily through abilities that were deleted from Kindred.

Nilah sounds interesting, but not as an ADC.

What are the reactions to the leak?

Very mixed. On the one hand, many players find the concept of Nilah very interesting. Especially the whip many players would like to try out already. However, many have concerns about Nilah’s position. They don’t necessarily expect her to be an AD carry in the botlane, but rather see her as a midlaner, toplaner, or possibly even a support who uses slows and the whip to prepare enemies for the AD carry. Some are also afraid of Nilah becoming some sort of new Yasuo or Yone. Both are not popular in the community because they are often not fun to play against – even if they are not overly strong according to statistics.

What do you guys say about Nilah and her abilities? Would you like such a champion?

Nilah would also be another female champion, which recently led to discussions. However, one developer explains why so many female heroes appear right now. 97% of all players in LoL only use female champions: “If we bring a man, we let them down”.