First Look: Lulu, the Fae Sorceress

[LazaHorse]

Riot finally released a new "support" champion for the first time in a year. Here's a problem. She's not a support champion. She has Orianna syndrome. Riot labels her as a support, but her kit lends toward a very strong mid AP Carry. She has a LOT of utility in her kit, don't get me wrong, and CAN be played as a strong bot lane support similar to Taric or Janna, but she's an even strong AP mid.

 

Her kit can be seen here:

http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Lulu_the_Fae_Sorceress

 

Passive: Pix, Faerie Companion

Her passive is what I consider her most OP ability and what I think makes her a stronger AP mid than support. It adds a LOT of free damage to her auto attacks and thus makes her a stronger farmer than she would be without it. At lvl 7, it's a free BF sword and at lvl 14 it's 100 free damage. Realllllllly strong for last hitting, and coupled with another ability, really strong for harass.

 

Q: Glitterlance

This ability is sooooooooo strong, that I think it will most likely receive a nerf in the near future on its base damage or ratio (.6 seems more suitable). It's a skill shot line nuke that has a cross-sectional area. It also has a devastatingly strong slow of 80% (dissipates over time). It becomes free harass with a large range, but is even stronger when coupled with another ability. Max this ability first when playing AP carry. If support, get it lvl 1 but max it last.

 

W: Whimsy

Polymorph is one of the coolest things I think Riot has done as far as an ability is concerned. It turns enemies into woodland creatures (or a cupcake if you have the skin XD) that cannot cast spells or attack, but can still run around. It's great for disrupting channels or simply gimping a carry who is about to deal a lot of damage to your team. The other effect (if cast on yourself or a teammate) is great for closing the distance on an enemy (though I think the AP boost on it is pretty negligible). Get a point in this at lvl 4 if playing AP carry, but max it first (starting from lvl 2) if playing support.

 

E: Help, Pix!

This is the ability that I think sets her up to be an AP carry instead of a support (if not her passive). Yes it is a shield for a teammate. More impactful, it is a single target nuke that has the base damage and ratio of most skill shots (stronger than Kennen's Q - Thundering Shuriken). It allows for easy harass in lane and combos well with her Q and passive. Here is how you do it:

 

W yourself to close the distance on the enemy in lane.

E them to deal immediate damage and send Pix to them.

Q ANYWHERE to proc the slow as well as the nuke from your Q.

Auto attack them as many times as possible to proc pix to shoot the champion since he is already attached.

Ignite should help you secure a kill on a champion even from 100% HP.

 

This combo... is stupidly strong. I think they're going to nerf her E range and her Q ratios in the future, because right now this combo has very little backside to it. Whether laning AP Carry or support, this is the ability you're going to want to level up second.

 

R: Wild Growth

This ability sounded really cool in the spotlight, but it's somewhat lacking in my opinion. On cast, it creates a knock back effect similar to Fizz's ult - Chum the Waters. It gives the ally you cast it on free health as well as an aura that slows. It has great synergy with champions like Mundo and Shyvana who have a hard time sticking to champions but do shit tons of damage if you CAN stick to them. Other than that, it seems to lack strong utility, but can be a strong disruption in the middle of team fights.

 

Overall, Lulu looks to be a strong champion with a playstyle similar to Orianna at mid or Janna/Taric at bot. If you're looking for a fun champion to play that doesn't have too high of a skill cap, she could be the choice for you.

[Jolle]

With other words, Lulu is the perfect champ for a troll. I mean, Polymorph and knockback and speed The only more annoying champ I could think off would be Udyr!

 

So far I have yet to see a AP carry Lulu but then again... Her support is great and there are better AP carrys. So why bother

Also she's a great jungler! Tried her out today, easy to gank with and the slows just make it very hard to escape her.

[BluHorse]

so much early game utility, if you are melee bottom enjoy getting denied a fuckton.