The Shuriman Emperor has continued to see a stable pick and ban rate in pro play inspiring many in the community to look for the best Azir build in League of Legends season 14. With the amount of quality-of-life updates that AP items received in the new season, Azir has climbed his way up the solo queue tier list in the Mid Lane.
He is hitting his power spikes sooner in the game, having the potential to solo-carry teams once he starts to snowball.
While he remains one of the hardest midlaners to master in League of Legends, Azir is incredibly rewarding, and someone that most players pick up in higher elos due to his outstanding carry potential.
Contents
- Best Azir Build
- Pros and Cons of playing Azir
- Azir Tips and Tricks for Early Game, Mid Game, and Late Game
- Azir counters, matchups, and Jungle synergy
League of Legends 14.11 best Azir build (Mid Lane)
Runes
| Resolve | Precision | Passive Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Grasp of the Undying | Presence of Mind | +10% Attack Speed |
| Demolish | Legend: Alacrity | +9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP) |
| Bone Plating | +10-180 Health (Levels 1.18) | |
| Overgrowth |
Itemization
| Core Build | Alternate build path | Situational Items |
|---|---|---|
| Liandry’s Torment | Stormsurge | Banshee’s Veil |
| Sorcerer’s Shoes | Sorcerer’s Shoes | Rylai’s Crystal Scepter |
| Nashor’s Tooth | Shadowflame | Cryptbloom |
| Void Staff | Rabadon’s Deathcap | Frozen Heart |
| Rabadon’s Deathcap | Void Staff | Rod of Ages |
| Zhonya’s Hourglass | Horizon Focus | Warmog’s Armor |
Spells
- Flash
- Teleport
Skill Unlock Priority
 Q: Conquering Sands | 2 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||||
 W: Arise | 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||
 E: Shifting Sands | 3 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | |||||||||||||
 R: Emperor’s Divide | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Azir Pros and Cons in League of Legends Season 14
Pros:
- Azir scales incredibly well into the Late Game, which is one of the reasons why he sees some of the highest pick and ban rates in the profession scene of Riot’s MOBA . He has one of the highest solo-carry potential in the game.
- His R, Emperor’s Divide can be a game changer when used right, allowing you to catch out carries from the back line and push them into your team.
- Azir excels in teamfights and peeling down enemies from a distance. While he is quite hard to master, the Shuriman Emperor is rewarding and once you get more familiar with him, he will help you win more matchups.
Cons:
- Azir is quite weak in the early stages of the game. His poke is not as significant as some of the other midlane champions in the meta, and he is also quite susceptible to ganks if his E is on a cooldown.
- Azir is also quite difficult to farm with. Last hitting with him needs a fair bit of practice to get used to, and you will be struggling to CS under the tower especially when you are starting out with him.
- Because of his squishy nature, Azir needs proper positioning to be relevant in teamfights. In the late game, he can very easily be taken down if you take a step into the enemy carry range. So make sure you are chipping down the enemy frontline from a distance before going for an Emperor’s Divide onto the carries.
Azir Tips and Tricks (Mid Lane)
Early Game:
- Azir will have an easier time in the lane if he is up against melee champions like Sylas and Akali. Make sure you poke them out with your Q and then Auto-Attacking them with your Sand Soldiers. One good combo to use in the early game will be W -> AA -> Q ->AA. You will be able to constantly poke out any enemy with this.
- Place wards frequently on the bushes and other entry points into the mid-lane. Azir is very susceptible to ganks and can very easily be taken down if his E is on a cooldown.
- Much of the early game for Azir will go into farming and securing tower plates. He does not do much damage before his items start to kick in and he puts more levels into his skills. So focus on last-hits and CSing before looking to roam.
Mid Game
- Azir has one of the best wave clears in League of Legends. Hence, during the mid-game you can start capitalizing on this and push in the lane to help your jungler secure objectives.
- Focus on taking out the Voidgrubs and then securing tower plates to get early leads. Try positioning for the Drake as well and look to zone the enemy with properly placed sandsoldiers.
- Always keep a Sandsoldier behind you for a good bailout option. If you are caught out of position you will be able to E+Q out of it.
Late Game
- With his wave clear and turret-taking potential, Azir will be able to pressure side lanes. If the team is gearing up for a fight around a major objective, you can always teleport in. But focus on split-pushing if your team is not looking for a fight.
- Look to peel away at the tanks. Items like Liandry’s Torment are perfect for chipping away at the enemy frontline’s health. So don’t be afraid to position a bit aggressively once Azir’s core items are done.
- If your team is at an item disadvantage, look for a flank angle and then use Emperor’s Divide to push the enemy backline into your team. Combining it with your E and Q is what is called the Shurima Shuffle. To pull it off you will need to place a sand soldier at max range, then E onto it, and just before the dash completes hit Q to the position you want to be in, this will carry Azir along with his Sand Soldiers and you can then use the Empreor’s Divide.
Azir counters, best match-up, and Jungle synergy in League of Legends season 14
Countered by:
Azir doesn’t do well against picks that have mobility. It makes it difficult for him to place Sand Soldiers and get some damage off. He also struggles against picks that outrange him.
Favorable match-up:
- Lissandra
- Yasuo
- Ryze
- Talon
- Naafiri
- Jayce
Azir has an easier time in lane against the above mid-lane picks.
Jungle synergy:
Azir synergizes really well with the following jungle champions:
- Sejuani
- Lillia
- Jarvan IV
- Xin Zhao
- Rengar
- Rammus
- Gragas
Try pairing him with junglers who come with some point-and-click CC. It will help Azir get some DPS uptime during a gank.
