Thoughts on - Varus, The Arrow of Retribution

League of Legends has released another new champion, Varus, The Arrow of Retribution, and it's time for another one of Munch's "Thoughts on -." I've played a couple of 5v5s, 3v3s, and even a few games of Dominion as Varus. Once again, as a refresher I'll give you the quick rundown of how I work this:

• Champs may play the same in every mode, but their overall usefulness and quality changes. All three of League's Modes are different experiences.
• This is just a list of thoughts and may be a tad biased to what I saw and felt. It is "My Thoughts," so feel free to take this with a grain of salt.
• None of the games I played were Ranked. I feel that you absolutely should NOT play new champions in Ranked games unless you are with a full team. No one has "mastered" a champion within the first few games, let alone the whole week. If you are in the Public Beta Environment, you may have played him for more then a week. This does not apply to you, lol.

5v5

In 5v5's, Varus is, ideally, in either Bot Lane or Mid Lane. He is an AD Carry through and through, who needs Minions, Kills, and lots of attention. His Q is sort of a Skill Shot, but not really. When you activate it, he starts "drawing his bow," which is code for "making his circle to hit people with bigger and he walks slower." It works a lot like Caitlyn's Q, but instead of being some generic skill shot, it actually increases in range. He can, essentially, out-ranged almost anyone with this move. The only downside is that he can't do anything else till he shoots, which is as simple as pressing Q again. His E is an AoE Attack that leaves a patch of slowing ground. Think Singed's Puddle with damage and less slow. It also lowers the effects of healing abilities. His W is a stacking ability that deals extra damage when you hit with another ability of his, which is a nice touch. His Ulti is a skill shot that deals a moderate amount of damage and snares whomever it hits. However, after about 2 seconds or so, it will then stretch out to OTHER enemies nearby, essentially giving you a team wide snare, if shot right and they all wait their turn. Varus excels at making sure you know who owns the lane. He can out-range almost anyone, he can slow you down, and he can put the hurt on you, not to mention snare you. He's a total squishy, although he DOES have more Base HP then some of the other AD Carries, but that's not really saying much. Having 25 more HP then Vayne does not amuse me. While I have seen him (and played him) do great in Mid Lane, I stand by the meta mentality of "AD Carry Bot." With someone like Soraka feeding him or Janna buffing him, he's damn near unstoppable. Varus has enough methods of escape and damage dealing that he's a nightmare to go toe to toe with and it's no wonder I've already seen him in Ranked Games.

So, how do you win with Varus?

1. Get Minions. I know this is an AD Carry thing, but Varus is still a HARD Carry. He needs dem minions. He's not as much of a Hard Carry as Ashe is, but he's still one. Also, it keeps your passive alive, which is good.
2. Don't be afraid to AIM you're Q. Seriously, you get a LOT of time with Q, so take your time to aim and shoot it from a distance. I have secured (and stolen) a lot of kills JUST by taking my time shooting Q off. Besides, you'll get half the mana back if you hold it too long, so it's not THAT big of a deal.
3. Get some auto attacks off first. Blight gives you the edge on your opponent. Your "combo" is 3 auto attacks, your E, your Q, and then maybe your R. It deals A LOT of damage, lemme tell you.
4. Build some Armor Pen and debate Rageblade. Crit Damage isn't a big deal on Varus, since he is, essentially, Ashe, Cait, and Urgot mixed into some bow-legged weirdo. Armor Pen and Attack Speed are you're biggest friends, next to flat AD of course. I also suggest getting Guinsoo's Rageblade on him. The increased AS and the extra AP will give you an edge when shooting your ulti and setting you're Blight Stacks off.

And how do you kick his ass?

1. Dodge his arrow. Or at least get hit by it last. It follows Caitlyn rules, so if it hits you first, it's gonna hurt.
2. Focus him in team fights. Early game, he's probably going to beat you. If you can dodge his arrows, you SHOULD be able to stand a chance, but he's REALLY good at shutting people down. When you go for ganks and teamfights, GET HIM ASAP. He is a sneaky little bugger and he deals a lot of damage in bursts. If you take him down, there's one less guy in the back you have to worry about.
3. CC is key. If you can stun him, you can kill him. I had a Panth who would wait for my arrow to get shot, then stun me, EVERY SINGLE TIME. Stuns are amazing already, so spam them out on stupid Varus.

Overall, Varus is one of the BEST AD Carries in the game and it shows. I give an A in 5v5s. He's hard to counter, hard to fight, and good at staying far away AND dealing damage to you.

3v3

I stand by it, AD Carries don't have a REAL place in 3v3s. In 3v3's, you really need some tanky-ness and/or a form of HARD CC/HARD Damage. While Varus DOES have a slow AND can deal out some nasty damage, that's not going to do shit against someone like, say, Sion, who will just stun him and hit him 2 times, taking 1/3rd of his HP. That aside, Varus can make a formidable top-laner. His range is great and he can put the hurt on most of his enemies. The problem comes in with the fact that if he doesn't have a serious form of back-up, he is going to get slaughtered by the usual 3v3 team format. He MIGHT get someone if they're squishy, like Kennen, but even that's not likely. A lot of 3v3 team champs have stuns and ways to get away from Varus, making him less viable in 3v3s. Overall, I give him a D+ Rating in 3s. This is the average rating I give for AD Carries in 3v3's, since none of them really have a viable spot in 3v3s.

Dominion

Varus in Dominion is a total blast, lmao. He's just nasty and that's that. He's got the range to prevent champions from capturing points, the AoE CC to help the team get people, the damage to wreck enemies, and a repertoire that is designed for wrecking people in Dominion. Essentially, he becomes like Urgot, Kog'Maw, and Xerath, only better. He can hide behind walls and tag people, chasing down any stragglers, and he can offensively defend his bases and attack enemy bases from a distance. He still suffers from faster champions catching up to him, but with the speed and increased damage of Dominion, he can handle most everyone he comes up against. In Dominion, Varus is an A. He can attack, defend, and capture with the best of the best.

Final Thoughts

Varus is one of the most fun champions in recent memory. He's got all the workings of a great AD Champion; His range and versatility makes him a force to be reckoned with. I will say, his joke and taunt kinda suck. But his dance is made 1,000,000 times cooler if you hum the "Song of Storms" from Zelda.

Overall Review

5v5s: A 3v3s: D+ Dominion: A  Overall Rating: B+ (Almost an A)