Elise, the Spider Queen
Overview:
A long-time jungle staple, Elise's current kit is mostly solid - with compelling interactions between abilities, internal synergy, and a killer combo. Her fatal flaw, like with other pre-Gnar transformation champions, is that this "killer combo" often involves just hitting her target with the same string of 6 abilities every time.
I also feel that her thematic elements could be pushed a bit further, and her overall gameplay could be more distinct than following up a long-range stun with a long-range gap-closer. Her kit "works," but that doesn't mean isn't room room to make the Spider Queen a little bit more terrifying. (Sorry, arachnophobes!)
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With these changes, Elise's two forms are pushed to be even more distinct, with her human form prepping the table, and her spider form eating the meal, so to speak. By giving each form distinct functions, her famous 6-button combo is cleared out to make room for more compelling short-term and long-term decision-making.
This redesign also injects a little more arachnid charm into Elise's kit, changing the way she creates Spiderlings to be more creepy and organic, as well as allowing her to cover her hunting grounds in spiderwebs to make it a bit easier for her to get the jump on unsuspecting prey.
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Being an already compelling kit, Elise gets to keep most of her abilities and functions in some form - with her exploding spiders being the only true casualty. She still loves nothing more than to web enemies up from afar before skittering up to them with her babies, but now the whole process is a bit more nuanced.
All values in blue are meant to give a general idea of the ability's properties, and are subject to change.
Class: Diver
Recommended Positions: Jungle, Solo Midlane, Solo Sidelane
Complexity: Medium
Innate: Brood Awakening
While in her Human Form, Elise sends a juvenile hatchling to the nearest enemy every 8 seconds, which matures into a Spiderling once its host dies. Elise can have up to 2/3/4/5 (based on Spider Queen's rank) Spiderlings at a time.
While in her Spider Form, the Spiderlings emerge, following and attacking Elise's current target every second for 15/30/45/60 (based on Spider Queen's rank) + (25% AP) magic damage while she is within 600 units of them.
Spiderlings crawl onto Elise once she reverts to her Human Form, becoming dormant and untargetable.
Spiderlings die in one hit from single-target effects from champions and turret shots, two hits from multi-target and damage-over-time effects, and three hits from minions and monsters. Spiderlings' health is completely restored after remaining dormant for 8 seconds.
Q: Queen's Gift/Venomous Bile
HUMAN: Elise injects the target enemy with an egg, which detonates after 3 seconds, dealing 60/105/150/195/240 + (95% AP) magic damage. If Elise is nearby when the egg detonates or its host dies, a Spiderling will hatch and return to her. An additional Spiderling will hatch if Queen's Gift damages a champion or deals a killing blow.
SPIDER: Elise spits a fragrant neuotoxin at an enemy, slowing them by 50% for 2 seconds and marking them for 2/3/4/5/6 seconds, causing nearby Spiderlings to pursue them for the duration. Spiderlings leap up to 400 units towards marked targets with each attack.
Range: 625 (Queen's Gift), 750 (hatch proximity), 475 (Venomous Bile)
Targeting Type: Targeted
Cooldown: 8 (Queen's Gift), 8 (Venomous Bile)
Cost: 80/85/90/95/100 mana (Queen's Gift), None (Venomous Bile)
W: Silken Touch/Skittering Frenzy
HUMAN - PASSIVE: Elise weaves a webbed net over 16 seconds while not attacking. Once the net is complete, Elise's next basic attack gains 225 bonus range, deals 40/60/80/100/120 + (90% AP) + (100% total AD) magic damage, and roots its target for 2 seconds. This attack is prepared twice as quickly while Elise is within a Spiderweb.
SPIDER - PASSIVE: Elise and her Spiderlings gain 20/25/30/35/40% bonus movement speed that is disabled for 1.25 seconds upon dealing or taking damage. Elise and her Spiderlings are additionally camouflaged while within a Spiderweb.
Range: Self
Targeting Type: None
Cooldown: None
Cost: None
E: Homemaker/Rappel
HUMAN: Elise channels for 3 seconds to create a Spiderweb at the target location for 4 minutes. While within a Spiderweb, enemies are slowed by 15% and revealed. The oldest spider web will expire 100% faster if more than 4/6/8/10/12 have been placed.
SPIDER: Elise channels for 1.5 seconds before rising into the air and becoming untargetable for up to 2 seconds. During this time, Elise can right-click on an enemy to descend upon them, granting her and her Spiderlings 60/80/100/120/140% bonus attack speed for
5 seconds. Elise can descend upon enemies within one of her Spiderwebs from further away.
Range: 300 (web target range), 400 (web radius), 600 (Rappel), 900 (Rappel bonus range)
Targeting Type: Skill Shot - Circle (Homemaker), None (Rappel)
Cooldown: 16/14/12/10/8 (Homemaker), 20/19/18/17/16 (Rappel)
Cost: 50 mana (Homemaker), None (Rappel)
R: Spider Queen
HUMAN: Elise transforms into a menacing spider, gaining 25 bonus movement speed, melee basic attacks, and access to her arachnid abilities. Additionally, Elise's basic attacks deal 10/20/30/40 + (30% AP) bonus magic damage and heal her for 4/6/8/10 + (10% AP) on-hit.
SPIDER: Elise transforms into her human form, gaining ranged basic attacks and access to her human abilities.
Elise begins the game with one rank of Spider Queen, and can rank it up 3 additional times.
Range: Self
Targeting Type: None
Cooldown: 4
Cost: None