The latest League of Legends champion, Naafiri, has officially been announced, with her release slated for Patch 13.14. The Hound of a Hundred Bites is one of the first non-humanoid champions released in League of Legends in quite a while. Naafiri is a Darkin avatar and is the latest character in the mysterious race. She is described as a mid-lane assassin, and has a unique set of abilities that allow her to shred her enemies in the blink of an eye.
Her bread and butter ability will be her Q, Darkin Daggers. Players looking to main the newest League of Legends champion must familiarize themselves with her moveset and the Bleed mechanic that Naafiri’s Q offers.
What does Naafiri’s Darkin Daggers (Q) do in League of Legends?
Darkin Daggers will likely be the first ability that Naafiri players will have to max out in a game of League of Legends. It provides various affects, with her ability to inflict Bleed on her enemies being the most prominent and interesting aspect.
The daggers travel in the target direction upon casting and deal physical damage. If it hits an enemy champion, Naafiri is healed. This ability can then be recast within a short period, similar to abilities such as Gwen’s ultimate, Needlework.
The second cast acts exactly like the first one. However, if an opponent is affected by Bleed and the second cast hits, the status effect is removed early and deals bonus physical damage instead. Another thing to keep in mind is that enemies hit by Darkin Daggers will send Packmates spawned by Naafiri’s passive to attack them.
How to effectively use Naafiri’s Darkin Daggers in League of Legends
Darkin Daggers will be Naafiri’s primary damaging and harrassing tool in the laning phase. Since she is predicted to be a mid-laner, Darkin Daggers will act in a way similar to Zed’s Razor Shurikens.
However, Naafiri’s ability looks superior in terms of DPS and overall effectiveness. As a melee champion, consistently landing this ability should keep her healthy in the laning phase against ranged laners.
The Bleed mechanic that Naafiri’s Darkin Daggers inflicts is akin to a Damage Over Time (DOT) effect. It can be seen in other champions’ abilities, such as Darius’ Decimate.
Players will have to be accurate with Naafiri’s Q to consistently make opponents bleed and take huge damage. Overall, Darkin Daggers looks to be a highly important ability to set up Naafiri to quickly eliminate valuable targets.
Ideal playstyle for Naafiri in League of Legends
Naafiri’s abilities shape her up to be a deadly assassin focused on bursting down her opponents quickly with Darkin Daggers and her Packmates. Meanwhile, she can also traverse big distances quickly, with her two dashes being provided by Hounds’ Pursuit (W) and Eviscerate (W).
The Bleed mechanic should be leveraged to wittle down the enemy laner’s health to establish lane control and roam around the map at level 6 with her ultimate, The Call of the Pack, which provides bonus movement speed when not in combat.
Naafiri in the mid-to-late game will be focused on picking off high value targets such as AD Carries. Players should maximize the potential of her mobility and her packmates. Additionally, she can also be used as a split-pusher similar to other assassins and quickly group up for fights from unsuspecting angles.
Best items for Naafiri in League of Legends
As an assassin, items that Naafiri players should prioritize include:
- Duskblade of Draktharr
- Youmuu’s Ghostblade
- Ravenous Hydra
- Black Cleaver
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Death’s Dance
- Serylda’s Grudge
- Prowler’s Claw
Mythic items such as Duskblade and Youmuu’s should be the rush picks to give Naafiri a boost to her strong early-game phase. Naafiri’s Bleed mechanic, along with her ability to heal off of Darkin Daggers, should be utilized to its best. This can be done by building items such as Ravenous Hydra and Death’s Dance, which give even more damage over time, wave clear, and incredible sustain.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity will be the boots of choice for Naafiri as it allows her to cast her abilities more frequently and get more lane pressure. Black Cleaver is also a great item and allows her to shred enemies faster while also having decent defensive stats.
Serylda’s Grudge and Prowler’s Claw are great options for a more aggressive approach as they synergize very effectively with Naafiri’s kit.
Naafiri, The Hound of a Hundred Bites, will be the newest champion and is expected to hit the PBE cycle soon before being released into the main servers via Patch 13.14. The assassin’s simple and effective kit should make her a pretty popular pick upon release.
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