Champ Design Breakdown: Syndra, the Dark Sovereign
Oftentimes, a champion’s kit update ruins their backstory by robbing them of thematic abilities or changing their playstyle in such a way that they no longer feel like the character they’re supposed to be. However, sometimes, it’s the other way around, and the lore itself will divorce them from their in-game playstyle.
Syndra is one such character who suffers from the latter problem. While her abilities look flavorful on paper, her playstyle ultimately makes her feel very different from how she sounds in the lore.
People fear what they cannot understand
Syndra had a somewhat less-than-stellar childhood. She was routinely blamed for minor misfortunes that befell her family and teased mercilessly by her brother. She tried controlling her emotions, but during one particularly bad episode of being bullied, Syndra finally snapped. She manifested dark orbs comprised of her negative energy, killing her community’s sacred ghost-willow in the process.
Once Syndra’s powers had been awakened, there was no putting them back to sleep - so, Syndra’s parents sought help for their daughter. They found it in the form of a hermit-priest who offered to train Syndra to use her powers safely, but he instead simply dampened her abilities while leaving her in the dark. When Syndra learned of the betrayal, she killed him - only to be imprisoned by Ionia itself. Years later, the Noxian-Ionian conflict inadvertently let Syndra loose, whereupon she promptly ripped a stone fortress from the ground to use as her new home. No one knows what Syndra has planned, but one thing is for certain - she and her powers will not be chained any longer.
The Dark Sovereign is a terrifying mage whose powers are tied to her negative emotions. I’d expect her to be able to summon the dark spheres of energy mentioned in her story, as well as be able to throw them at foes. It’s unclear what her specific role is, but I would hope that Syndra’s power grows with time until she becomes completely beyond control.
A legion couldn’t stop me - what chance do you have?
On paper, at least, Syndra looks like she should take top marks. Dark Sphere (Q) and Unleashed Power ® have clear references in the lore, making them immediately flavor wins. Meanwhile, Scatter the Weak (E) isn’t initially recognizable, but it’s possible that this is the spell she used to kill her mentor - after all, the lore says she rocketed the spheres through his body instead of bombarding him to death with them. Even Transcendent (P) has a connection - Syndra’s all about increasing her powers over time, and Transcendent does play in that space.
All of these abilities are pretty thematic, so Syndra should be an easy A, right? Well…. not exactly. While each spell in isolation feels flavorful, her kit taken as a whole isn’t. Syndra spends a lot less time smiting her foes with limitless energy and lot more time manipulating dark spheres instead. She picks them up with Force of Will (W), knocks them at you with Scatter the Weak, and uses them to increase the strength of Unleashed Power, but never really feels like any of it is tied to her negative emotions.
Immense power is fun! You should try it sometime
Syndra’s flavor disconnect is likely due to how her lore shifted her away from her original concept. The Dark Sovereign was concepted as a gravity mage, which makes perfect sense when you see her kit. However, her current lore makes it clear that her abilities are tied to emotions instead, which sabotages any in-game flavor she might have had.
She’s not un-thematic - as I mentioned above, almost all of her abilities are referenced in the lore - but she does suffer from a major identity crisis that robs her of a lot of potential. Syndra still gets a passing grade, but until we get more stories describing her skills, I can’t hand her top marks.
Final Grade: B. Pretty close, but needs work to really match her theme.
Disagree with my assessment of Syndra? Or did you want to suggest a champion for next week’s breakdown? Either way, let me know in my inbox, and be sure to like and reblog this post if you enjoyed it!
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