Assassin Itemization
Current AD assassin items barely do more than increase the raw damage output of their wielders. While items still need to pack a punch so assassins can close out their kills, we're updating them to include more tricks to help assassins set-up, stalk, and ambush—not just burst.
Lethality
Flat armor penetration's been changed to Lethality. They're pretty much the same thing, but the bulk of Lethality's penetration scales with your opponent's level. This makes it less snowbally, meaning we can give Assassins more of it than we could flat armor penetration!
Serrated Dirk
The AD assassin's bread and butter.
Summary
- + Attack Damage
- + Lethality
- + Out of combat movement speed
Poacher's Dirk
New
We're basically encouraging theft.
Summary
- + Attack Damage
- Passive: After poaching enough large monsters from the enemy jungle, transforms into a Serrated Dirk.
Edge of Night
New
Anti-anti-engage.
Summary
- + Attack Damage
- + Lethality
- + Out of combat movement speed
- + Magic Resist
- Active: Veil: Briefly channel to gain a spell shield.
Duskblade of Draktharr
For when you're out of sight but not out of mind.
Summary
- + Attack Damage
- + Lethality
- + Out of combat movement speed
- Passive: Nightstalker: After being unseen, your next basic attack deals bonus true damage.
- Passive: Blackout: Disable nearby enemy wards after being spotted by one.
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Now literally a ghostblade.
Summary
- + Attack Damage
- + Lethality
- + Out of combat movement speed
- + Cooldown Reduction
- Active: Grants movement speed and ignores unit collision.
Maw of Malmortius
This isn't for you, assassins.
- Now builds out of Caulfield's Warhammer instead of Serrated Dirk. Doesn't grant Lethality. Carry on.
Stealth Mechanics
The Assassin update seemed like a good opportunity to revisit stealth in League. Broadly speaking, we think of stealth in two ways which roughly map to long/moderate-duration effects (Evelynn), versus short-duration effects (Wukong). We're embracing the distinction to add consistency within the champs that occupy these two camps.
Camouflage
Camouflage is what we call 'strategic' stealth. It's strongest when used to get around the map unseen, moving from one victim to the next. Evelynn's had this mechanic for a while, and we're extending it to Rengar and Twitch as well.
Invisibility
Invisibility can be thought of as 'tactical' stealth and is the more common of the two mechanics. Invisibility effects don't last long enough for its users to move from one lane to another, but are well-suited for combat maneuvering (whether that's within a fight or starting one). Champs like Wukong and LeBlanc possess this mechanic.
Control Wards
Now that Rengar and Twitch are in the Camouflage camp, we're able to give power back to stealth champions. So, Vision Wards have been updated into a more focused anti-vision tool: Control Wards. Control Wards still grant their own vision, but also provide strong vision denial—they reveal and disable nearby enemy wards and traps—but they don't reveal Invisible champs.
