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We break down League of Legends' new and improved Ezreal
Patch 8.20 is on its way, and with it comes a glamorous and new look to Ezreal. We break down his improved kit, and get to grips with his place in the League of Legends meta.
The annual League of Legends World Championship is currently underway, with teams from every region battling it out for eternal glory. Meanwhile, everyone's favourite explorer is back in action with a fresh new rework, and he's looking better than ever. With patch 8.20 set to hit shortly, Ezreal has been given a new and shiny visual update, one that definitely doesn't belong in a museum.
Although he hasn't had a revolutionary rehaul, we jumped in to Rift to take a closer look at the blonde wonderboy himself. We break down his new and improved abilities, his place in the meta, and how he differs to his original design.
Frosted Ezreal's new artwork
© Riot Games
Abilities
Passive: Rising Spell Force
Hitting a target with any of Ezreal's abilities increases his Attack Speed by 10 percent for six seconds (stacks up to five times).
Q: Mystic Shot
Ezreal fires a bolt of energy, dealing 15/40/65/90/115 (+110 percent Total Attack Damage and +30 percent Attack Power) physical damage (applies on-hit effects). His cooldowns are reduced by 1.5 seconds if Mystic Shot hits a target.
W: Essence Flux
Ezreal’s reworked ability fires an orb that sticks to the first champion or objective hit for four seconds. Hitting the orb with an ability or attack detonates it dealing 75/120/165/210/255 (+60 percent Bonus Attack Damage and +70 percent Attack Power) magic damage. Detonating with an ability refunds the cost of that ability +60 mana.
His Essence Flux used to ignore both minions and structures. It still passes through minions, but now does a sizeable amount of damage to turrets late game, and can be used effectively in that manner.
Nottingham Ezreal's new artwork
© Riot Games
E: Arcane Shift
Ezreal teleports to a nearby location and fires a bolt at the nearest enemy, dealing 80/130/180/230/280 (+50 percent Bonus Attack Damage and +75 percent Attack Power) magic damage. Furthermore, Ezreal will now prioritise targets recently stuck with Essence Flux.
R (Ult): Trueshot Barrage
Ezreal winds up for one second to fire a long range missile that deals 350/500/650 (+100 percent Bonus Attack Damage and +90 percent Attack Power) magic damage to each enemy it passes through. It also deals 10 percent less damage for each enemy hit, to a maximum of 30 percent.
The build
Before the introduction of the new Ezreal, some feared that his numbers would be changed, and he'd no longer scale off of Attack Power. This definitely isn't the case. He still has the same playstyle and feel he's always had, where building into the classic 'blue build', alongside a Trinity Force, continues to be a strong alternative to the generic ADC choice of items.
Where previously Ezreal sometimes had the means to be an AP-based champion in the midlane, used as a poke orientated menace, he's now likely going to be focused on purely the ADC role. Before, Ezreal's W would deal consistent Area of Effect damage, partnered alongside Lich Bane. Now that Essence Flux sticks onto its first target, the extra damage is mitigated, making him a much less reliable mage in teamfights.
Additionally, his overall AP scaling is down by 20 percent, therefore his AD variation will likely be the strongest choice in most situations.
Artwork of Striker Ezreal's soccer-themed skin
© Riot Games
The verdict
After years of the playing the same old Ezreal – who's barely been touched since he first hit the game – he was really in need of an update. Whilst the changes are minimal, with his new Essence Flux being the main focus, his visual updates are a vast improvement. Simply put, he looks great. He was already a champion that fit comfortably in the meta game of League of Legends. He has on and off periods, but it's been rare to see him off since release. He always bounces back to relevance. He's been featured at almost every World Championship, and there's no reason why he shouldn't continue to stay in the spotlight.
The changes to his W come as only an improvement to an already strong and balanced champion. Taking away the old and clunky Essence Flux, improving it into something that makes much more sense, is just another update that paves his way to champion perfection.
Ezreal is now an even more slippery target, with the means to kite in and out of the fight, with his fast and spammable skillshots. That, combined with his dynamic Arcane Shift and bursty, and reliable wave clearing Trueshot Barrage, produces a fun and strong champion that's worth the time he takes to master.
