Azir is one of the most popular and challenging champions in League of Legends. He requires time and patience to master and once you do, he can become a monster of a champion when the late game rolls around. He is also one of the most dynamic champions in the game because of how flexible his primary keystone can be. He is a champion that can find utility in a handful of runes that can be flexed depending on the lane matchup you are in. Today, we will go over some of those runes to give you the options you have when jumping into the rift as the emperor of Shurima.

Lethal Tempo

Azir’s most popular and favorite keystone, Lethal Tempo is perfect a champion like Azir. For those that do not know, Lethal Tempo is a keystone that provides you with bonus attack speed from 40% to up to 110% after you hit a champion with an ability, like the Sand Soldier. If you attack the enemy champion more than once, the effect is extended up to six seconds. Furthermore, it allows to break past the attack speed limit, which gives you faster attacks on your enemy. Now you may seem to understand why this rune is Azir’s favorite. His primary damage source is his Soldiers and the faster they can attack the enemy champions, the easier it will be for you to come out victorious in teamfights. This makes the keystone extremely valuable for Azir when the late game comes around, as he would be much more powerful late game thanks to his scaling.

This rune works exceptionally well against melee champions. The close range they have to be to cs properly will allow you to constantly poke and stack Lethal Tempo, allowing you to get the edge on trades against them during the lane phase. However, this rune does not run well into long range mages, as Azir usually has to be in close range with his soldiers in order to get trades and more often than not, the opposing champion would be getting the better deal of the trade. Furthermore, this rune does not run well when you’re facing off against assassins. While they are indeed melee champions, they are made to burst down targets quickly and Lethal Tempo does not provide that same level of burst that an Electrocute assassin, or any assassin for that matter, does.

Arcane Comet

The second widely used keystone for the Shuriman emperor, Arcane Comet is a great poke tool for Azir. For the uninformed, Arcane Comet hurls a comet at the enemy champion once you strike them with an ability. The damage and cooldown of the Comet scales as the match progresses, 0.2% with AP, with cooldown varying from 20 to eight seconds. The cooldown reduction is also based on the type of damage you deal, so for Azir, an auto attack from a Soldier would give Arcane Comet a 20% cooldown reduction. This keystone, like Electrocute, which we’ll get to next, will scale in damage as Azir levels up, giving him more power as the match continues.

This rune works really well against mage champions. Unlike his other keystones, Arcane Comet allows you to poke down mages and other champions that are at a farther range. The keystone also gives you access to the Sorcery tree, which most Azir rune builds don’t commonly use, allowing you to take things like Manaflow Band for sustain in lane and Gathering Storm to keep you scaling as the game progress. Unlike some of Azir’s other widely used runes, Arcane Comet does not provide much in the teamfight department. It is important that you make the most of the lane phase, as the rune won’t provide much for you outside of poke and harassing.

Electrocute

This rune is the answer to when you are against champions that can burst you down. Electrocute is the keystone where after you strike a champion with three separate attacks or abilities within three seconds, you also deal bonus adaptive damage. The damage can range from 30-180 damage, with a 0.25% increase for AP damage dealers like Azir. As previously stated, this rune works well for champions that can burst you down. A simple solider AA, Q, soldier AA would be enough to proc the Electrocute. This rune is one of his best in the lane phase, as he is very weak during that phase of the game. The extra damage is huge for you so you can be able to maintain yourself during Azir’s weak early game. This keystone is best paired with the Precision tree as the secondary instead of Sorcery, as the Precision tree offers more for Azir than Sorcery because of his late game dominance.

Use this rune when facing off against assassins and other similar champions that can burst you down in an instant. It provides you with good early game damage to make up for his weaknesses in that phase and it can give you great 1v1 potential with all-ins. This rune can also work well against close range mages, as they don’t provide as much burst to counterattack you in trades. However, the runes biggest weakness comes from when you leave the early game and reach into the teamfight phase of the match. Electrocute is good for the 1v1 and for poking out key targets, but not as useful for the teamfight as Lethal Tempo, Hail of Blades, or Conqueror. This keystone should be used very sparingly and with the right team comp to back you up.

Hail of Blades

The second keystone from the Domination tree, Hail of Blades works similarly to Lethal Tempo. Both keystones provide Azir with a burst of attack speed, with Hail of Blades providing a 110% attack speed increase when you attack an enemy champion. There is a catch however, as you will only be able to use three attacks against that enemy champion with Hail of Blades active before it goes on cooldown. You also cannot wait longer than three seconds per attack or the keystone will automatically reset. Similar with Electrocute, you have extra damage in the early game thanks to rapid attack speed and more AP thanks to the domination tree. This rune is also at its best when you’re in the laning phase of the game and when you are in skirmishes instead of full on teamfights.

The rune is best used for when you are against champions that are strong in the early game. As early game is Azir’s weakest spot, Hail of Blades provides you with bonus AP and the attack speed in order to gain a better advantage in the early game. The shorter cooldown compared to Electrocute is also a big bonus, as the cooldown for HoB is a flat eight seconds, instead of the scaling cooldown Electrocute has.

Conqueror

One of the most powerful keystones in the game, Azir can abuse this thanks to his Soldiers. Conqueror provides you with adaptive force, which is a fancy term for more ability power or attack damage, for each stack you build. When you are full stacks, you get 9% healing for the damage you deal, since his soldiers aren’t technically ranged, but spells. While your auto attacks with your staff will only be one stack, you Sand Soldiers will provide you with two stacks, since technically they are abilities. This provides Azir with a fast stack of Conqueror when he enters the mid to late game. Early game is when he is weakest with this keystone, as his attack speed is slow unless you decide to invest in W points as you level up instead of Q points, which is completely up to personal preference.

Like Lethal Tempo, this works well against champs that can’t burst you down and are at mid-range. Try not to play aggressive in the early game and focus on killing minions and controlling the wave. Once you hit that mid game stage, that’s the time to go ham on the enemy champions, as it will be much easier to get the fully stacked Conqueror.

Conclusion

Each of these runes are great for Azir, but it all depends on your lane matchup and what you’re comfortable playing with. Against a mid-range champion or fighter? Pick up Lethal Tempo or Conqueror. Against an assassin, pick up Hail of Blades or Electrocute and if you’re against a long range mage, pick up Arcane Comet. Azir’s flexibility with keystones is what makes him a unique champion. Each one brings something different to the table for the emperor of the sands. It is important to understand each keystone strength and weaknesses in order to have a good game as Azir. While he does have a high learning curve, once you mastered him and mastered the utilize his dynamic keystones, you can become a monster on the rift. It will take time and patience, but it will be well worth it to master this champion of all keystone trades. Thanks, and see you on the rift summoners.