In League of Legends, the champion Kindred has been introduced as a new champ. It is a jungler with a wild mix of abilities.
After cryptic hints Riot surprisingly revealed the new champ early: Kindred.
Most junglers in League of Legends are tough, resilient guys with burst potential, who spend a long time on their hunting trips in the jungle, then appear in a lane and strike hard.
The new hero “Kindred” is different in many ways. Kindred is a kind of “archer-lamb” accompanied by a (possibly psychopathic) wolf spirit that constantly flies around it. Kindred is equipped with a wild mix of abilities.
Will the lamb kill me? Or is it just bluffing?
It can mark champs “as Passive” across the entire map and sacrifice them to death. However, the marking only becomes active after a while, creating an announcement effect: I’m coming to get you. If it then actually kills the marked champ, there is a permanent bonus on auto-hits.
How will its opponents react when the mark appears over their heads? Or is Kindred just bluffing? Additionally, certain jungle camps may be marked as prey by the hungry wolf. Everyone can see on the map which camp would now grant bonus power to Kindred. That’s an interesting situation.
Arrows, wolf spirits, “No one dies on my watch” zone
The Q, W, E abilities are of mixed nature, allowing him both ganks and ensuring that he can handle stationary camps in the jungle.
The Q allows Kindred to hop forward and shoot three arrows.
The Passive of W grants, when Kindred is in motion for a longer period, the ability to siphon life from its next attack. An active W creates an AE zone, where the wolf attacks enemies, and the lamb can use Q more quickly.
E is a typical “gank ability”: the target is slowed. If Kindred hits it three times, it receives increased damage.
The ultimate ability “R” creates a zone where all units, including enemy champs, cannot drop below a certain health value. When the effect ends, all champs still in the zone are healed for a certain amount.
Riot has clearly designated Kindred as a jungler with the “Passive Jungle” mechanic, who stays in the backline during team fights. Especially against tough counter-junglers like Lee Sin, it is supposed to be vulnerable while needing a stable frontline to shine in team fights.
