Good one Riot Games! You really got me with that prank—for a second there, I thought you'd actually confirmed plans to release of the Blind Monk, after years of denying he would ever be revived. Whazzat? It's not April Fools' Day? Then...it's true! Lee-Sin, better known to old-school League of Legends fans as the Blind Monk, is finally resurfacing after a two year hiatus. Come check out the classic champion's new moves, including a roundhouse kick that puts Chuck Norris to shame.
A little back-story: Lee-Sin was present in early LoL builds , but he never made it into the initial release. One of Riot's software engineers, Hohums, uses the Blind Monk as his avatar on the forums, and would constantly joke about the Monk's revival. The Blind Monk was even deconfirmed by Riot's Ezreal , all but guaranteeing he would never make it back into the League. And with all these Urf appearances, who knows what Riot has in store for other popular but unimplemented champions?
I'm personally planning to buy Lee-Sin on day one, no questions asked. His playstyle sounds incredibly fun—energy heroes are always great for when you want faster-paced combat, and the thought of chaining his abilities into an onslaught of damage gives me a tingly feeling. What's your take on Lee-Sin? Should Riot have left him on the cutting-room floor, or are you eager to give judo-chops to the necks of all those two-eyed champions?
Here's the raw info, fresh from LoL's forum announcement :
Abilities:
- Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike: Lee Sin projects a discordant wave of sound to locate his enemies, dealing physical damage to the first enemy it encounters. If Sonic Wave hits, Lee Sin can cast Resonating Strike for the next 3 seconds (Lee Sin dashes to the enemy hit by Sonic Wave, dealing physical damage plus 10% of their missing health).
- Safeguard / Iron Will: Lee Sin rushes towards a target ally, shielding them both from damage. If a shield is broken, half the energy cost is returned. After using Safeguard, Lee Sin can cast Iron Will for the next 3 seconds (for 5 seconds, Lee Sin gains lifesteal, spell vamp, and armor).
- Tempest / Cripple: Lee Sin smashes the ground sending out a shockwave that deals magic damage and reveals enemy units hit. If Tempest hits an enemy, Lee Sin can cast Cripple for the next 3 seconds (Lee Sin gradually reduces the enemy's Movement and Attack Speed for 4 seconds).
- Dragon's Rage (Ultimate): Lee Sin performs a powerful roundhouse kick launching his target back, dealing physical damage to the target and any enemies they collide with. Enemies the target collides with are knocked into the air for a short duration.
- Flurry (Passive): After Lee Sin uses an ability, his next 2 basic attacks gain 50% Attack Speed and return 10 energy each.
PCG's analysis: Lee-Sin brings new meaning to the "bruiser" role. As an energy user, he seems like he'll play similarly to Kennen or Akali: combining your abilities into quick combos will devastate your opponents if they're not careful. The Blind Monk's hand-to-hand martial arts are all highly dependent on player skill—if they hit, you'll get an extra ability; whiff them and you'll be missing out on damage or chasing potential.
We don't yet have the hard numbers for his abilities, but Lee-Sin seems like a "greatest hits" album of many of the best champion abilities in the game. His Q is like a baby version of Garen's execution-style ult. The W sounds just as handy as Shen's taunt-dash, useful as both an escape mechanic and being a ally's savior in a teamfight (not to mention the sweet 5-second buff mode). Lee-Sin's E, while not only being awesome in a lore/echolocation kind of way, also seems like it will wreck enemy carries and stealth champs, with Cripple sounding very similar to Nasus' Wither. His Ultimate is an initiator's dream, giving him major crowd-control potential and the capacity to alley-oop ganks, ala Alistar's Headbutt. From the looks of his ability toolkit, a Trinity Force will be the perfect fit on this sightless DPSer. To get into the monk mindset, have a short meditation session and check out this Lee-Sin art spotlight:
More from the announcement: The 411 on Lee-Sin's righteous rebirth
As a young teen, Lee Sin was intent on becoming a summoner. His will and dedication were unmatched by any of his peers, and his skill drew the attention of Reginald Ashram, the League's High Councilor at the time. While studying at the Arcanum Majoris, Lee Sin became frustrated with instruction paced for the other students. He spent his free time researching the nuances of summoning in hopes of graduating sooner. He made amazing advances in his arcane studies, surpassing all other students. By all indications, he would have become one of the League's greatest summoners were it not for one terrible mistake. Too impatient, he attempted to test his ability by summoning a beast from the Plague Jungles. What he summoned instead was a young boy, but not in one piece. He barely had time to look the boy in what was once his face before the jumbled human mass fell lifeless to the floor. A League investigation later revealed that the boy's entire village was obliterated by feedback from the ritual.
Lee Sin's talents were so promising that the League was willing to overlook the incident, but he could never forgive himself. He left the Institute and journeyed to the Shojin Monastery for eternal repentance, swearing never to practice magic again. Years later, hoping to atone for his crime with martyrdom, he set himself ablaze as a protest of the Noxian occupation of Ionia. He remained alive in this state, enduring searing agony for weeks. His actions paved the way for a League match wherein Ionia prevailed, but by the time he was doused, his eyes had been burned completely from their sockets. Hailed as a savior, he was reborn, and his will to act invigorated. He joined the League of Legends to continue his atonement with sweat and blood, a true monk's only possessions.
“The actions of one may sunder the world, but the diligence of many may rebuild it.” -Lee Sin
