Xin Zhao

Xin Zhao earned his allegiance rather than having it handed to him. For years he was locked into Noxus’s cruel fighting pits, winning bout after bout where his own skill was the only thing standing between him and death. When Demacian soldiers stormed that arena and set the captives free, Xin Zhao did not go back to the life he had before. He bound himself wholly to the kingdom that had freed him.

Seneschal of a Kingdom

That vow made him a Seneschal, sworn to the ruling Lightshield family, and he has worn the title through many campaigns since. He now stands with Demacia‘s defenders, fighting alongside the likes of Jarvan IV and wielding his trademark three-talon spear into battles he rarely expects to lose. That confidence comes from a lifetime of facing odds stacked against him in the pits and walking out alive.

His spearwork carries the same fearless streak. Three Talon Strike empowers his next three attacks, and the third one flings the target into the air. Wind Becomes Lightning dashes forward and then drives his spear out, slowing whoever it catches and tagging them as Challenged. Audacious Charge hurls him into an enemy, boosting his attack speed while dealing damage and slowing every foe around him, and it hits harder against a Challenged target. Crescent Guard, his ultimate, brands an enemy he has recently damaged; when detonated, it deals damage to nearby enemies based on their current health and knocks back any who are not already tagged. Determination, his passive, rewards the constant pressure his kit demands: every third strike deals bonus damage and restores his health, so he can charge into a fight much as he once had to in the pits, with no thought of retreat. He is usually the one who opens a fight instead of trailing behind it, lining up so Crescent Guard’s knockback sweeps up as many enemies as possible. Opponents, in turn, learn to spread out and to deny him his Three Talon Strike combo, since much of his damage and his cooldown resets hinge on landing all three hits.