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[Patch 14.22] BodyThoseFools' Rank 1 Challenger Azir Guide [In-depth] (10,000,000+ Mastery Points)

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32 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Body Those Fools

Azir Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (32) More Azir Guides

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Runes: Best scaling page to carry teamfights and melt tanks

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Precision

Lethal Tempo

Presence of Mind

Legend: Alacrity

Cut Down

Sorcery

Manaflow Band

Gathering Storm

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+65 Base Health

Spells:

1 2 3 4 5

Standard (Highly recommend TP every game to help azir bad early game and so you can side lane)

Flash

Teleport

Items

Starting Items

Standard

Full Build Examples

vs Frontline/HP Stacking Team

vs Squishies

Alternative Items

Burst Build with Hail of Blades vs no Tanks

Dive/AD Threats

CC/Pick/AP Threats

Anti-Healing

Into heavy melee / short ranged comps

VS Little Magic Resist (Cheap+Heal+CDR)

VS Squishies or for Extra Tower DMG or replace boots with LICH

Tanky Azir Build for Engaging if team has no frontline and lots of damage

Ultimate Engage Build

Ability Order Standard

Azir Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Kalista

Extreme

It's a rare matchup but it can be very difficult, especially in the top lane where the lane is longer. Kalista has a very strong early game, but she falls off incredibly hard so just focus on scaling. When Kalista AAs, she is able to hop foward and close the gap very easily; she'll constantly be trying to get close to you and trade during the laning phase. Her Q has strong poke if she chooses to put a few points into it early, and, if it last hits a minion, it will continue to travel so be ready to dodge this. Her Rend allows her to win long trades so I prefer to play this matchup from afar and hitting her with a Q+AA then backing off to avoid her being able to trade back. You need to freeze the minion wave near your turret in this matchup as much as possible until you get an item or two. When facing solo lane Kalista, know that she will likely bind her Black Spear to her jungler. At level 6, she will be able to set up ganks and throw her jungler into you, be ready to drift away when you see it. If shes hopping into you, you can Ult her away rather easily.

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

More Azir Counters

Champion Build Guide

Introduction

About Me

I'm Austin or BodyThoseFools. I've been rank 1 Azir world multiple times every season getting highest winrate and KDA whenever I do a solo q climb. I have over 10 Million mastery points total on Azir and have played him since his release in 2014.I've peaked Challenger in Seasons 9 and 10. I solo-killed Faker multiple times since he came to NA.

Season 14 https://imgur.com/a/Tp4eVjq

Why Learn Azir?

Azir, the Emperor of the Sands

is one of the most fun and interesting champions in the game, albeit incredibly hard to learn and play properly. His damage is insane and his carry/1v9 potential is incredible. He's very unique in the sense that you can't level any of his abilities at level 1, rather W is leveled for you.

doesn't have any horrible matchups, which makes him a solid pick for any team comp. Learning him, however, is a different story. With the help of this guide, I will teach you everything you need to know about Azir!

Pros and Cons

Azir, the Emperor of the Sands

PROS

+ Insane solo carry potential
+ Safe/strong/oppressive laning phase
+ Strong mid and late game
+ Flexible to Top, Mid, and even ADC
+ Amazing damage output
+ Excels in teamfights
+ Extremely fun
+ Not many bad matchups
+ Can make flashy, montage plays

Azir is the most fun and fulfilling champ in the game (at least for me). He has so much outplay potential in every single situation. With Azir, there are no limits. There is always a higher level of play you can obtain because of how complicated he is fundamentally.

CONS

- Low damage early game
- Hard to play to his fullest potential
- Susceptible to ganks early game
- Hard to last hit with
- Even harder to last hit under tower
- Requires good positioning
- Very squishy
- Did I mention hard to play?

The biggest issue with Azir is that he is extremely hard to play and master. It will take you many, many games to learn how to play him properly as well as learn all of his mechanics. However, with the help of this guide, you will learn everything you possibly can about Azir!

Abilities

Shurima's Legacy (P)
RANGE: 400
COST: 0 mana
COOLDOWN: 180

Azir can resurrect a turret every 180 seconds. The turret deals an additional 15% ability power as physical damage, but disintegrates over 60 seconds.

This ability is probably the coolest in the entire game. You get to make your own turret. You can be dead and still get gold/xp from minions/kills. It's apperance changes with each of Azir's different skins, too.

Conquering Sands (Q)
RANGE: 740
COST: 55 mana
COOLDOWN: 14 / 12 / 10 / 8 / 6

Azir orders all Sand Soldiers to dash toward the target location, dealing magic damage to all enemies they pass through and slowing them by 25% for 1 second. Enemies hit by subsequent soldiers are instead slowed by an additional 25% per soldier.

This ability is Azir's main harass tool. The slow is good for setting up ganks. Coupled with and , Azir's early game poke can be oppressive.

Arise! (W)
RANGE: 500
COST: 40 mana + 1 stack
COOLDOWN: 1.5
RECHARGE: 8 / 7.5 / 7 / 6.5 / 6

Passive: Azir gains scaling attack speed. Upon having 3 or more Sand Soldiers, he gains additional scailng attack speed for 5 seconds.

Active: Azir summons a Sand Soldier for 10 seconds. When Azir attacks an enemy near a Sand Soldier, he instead orders the soldiers to stab, dealing magic damage in their direction (depending on level).

This ability has 2 charges and cannot attack structures, wards, and traps.

This ability is Azir's main ability. Just like , I think this ability is one of the coolest in the game. Summoning and ordering a soldier to do stuff for you? Badass! It's a bit hard to get used to at first, but the more you practice, the easier it will become. There's a tether for his soldiers. You must be in range of said tether to use his soldiers or they will do nothing. If you wander off too far, the soldier will disappear. If you use within the range of an enemy tower, it will only last for 5 seconds instead.

Shifting Sands (E)
RANGE: 1100
COST: 60 mana
COOLDOWN: 14 / 12 / 10 / 8 / 6

Azir grants himself a shield for 1.5 seconds and dashes to one of his Sand Soldiers, dealing magic damage to enemies he passes through.

If Azir hits an enemy champion, he stops and gains a Sand Soldier charge.

This ability is Azir's main escape and engage tool. When used with , can set up some insane plays in teamfights or be used to reposition, escape ganks, or traverse the map faster. The shield will help with poke as well.

Emperor's Divide (R)
RANGE: 400 (front) / -325 (behind)
COST: 100 mana
COOLDOWN: 120 / 105 / 90

Azir summons a wall of armored soldiers that charges forward, knocking back enemies and dealing magic damage. The soldiers remain, blocking enemy paths for 5 seconds.

This ability is what Azir is known for: the Shurima Shuffle, the Revenant Shuffle, etc. This ability does insane damage and can single-handedly win you teamfights if used properly. However, you don't need to make the flashy plays. It is just as good to be used for peeling your team.

Complete Matchup Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet is here.

This spreadsheet has all the advice from the Threats section in this guide. It also includes all viable runes for each matchup, recommended summoner spells, all enemy cooldowns, an example build, and links to all VODs where I've played each matchup.

Runes

is very diverse with his rune choices. He is versatile with many keystones. A lot of people have different pages they prefer; I will be sharing which runes I prefer and why. Refer to the example pages at the top of the guide for full example pages.

SORCERY

EXPLANATIONS

is one of the keystones I take on . It is better for poke and into mages / long range champs. It's good into immobile squishy champs. It feels really good vs and , too. I trade slightly outside their range with Q+AA and back off before they can use their combo. is decent into shorter ranged matchups, but I'd much rather use either or into those matchups. is bad on so never take it.

is the best 2nd rune in for . 's mana and mana regen are pretty awful before , so helps with that. 's ideal trade pattern is W + Q + AA when both and are available to maximize efficiency. and aren't that good when compared to , so just take every game.

is the best 3rd rune in for . The free ability haste helps a lot. The level 11 part of makes 's mid game even stronger with the takedown cooldown reduction. is pretty useless on , as he doesn't benefit from move speed bonuses in any way. is rarely ever my choice here because the free stats from are just too good to give up.

is the best 4th rune in for . is useless, so never take it. used to be good for early game poke, but since the Durability Update on 12.10, playing for lane isn't relevant anymore; play for scaling. is the best option by far.

Always take the Attack Speed shard and one Adaptive Force shard. The last shard just depends on your matchup. If the enemy laner is AD, take the Armor shard. If the enemy laner is AP, take the Magic Resist shard.

DOMINATION

EXPLANATIONS

is one of the keystones I take on . It is better into shorter range champs as well as ADCs and Assassins. It's good into immobile squishy champs, too. I prefer over because it has a shorter cooldown and gives more DPS. is very bad and doesn't synergize with that well, so never take either.

is the best 2nd rune in for . can proc with both his Q and R, but ideally just his Q for poke in lane. I usually take with either (if I go ) or (if I go ). is okay, but I strongly prefer to win early trades and poke my laner out of lane. will rarely be used because of how long ' cooldown is.

is the best 3rd rune in for . You can start stacking it level 1 with your . I prefer it over both and because it's independent of killing wards and snowballing (it's guaranteed).

and are the best 4th runes in for . is good when you build for your mythic; the more stacks of you have, the shorter cooldown will be. I personally prefer because I love making plays with my ult. Both of these runes are viable, but is viable with both and . is very bad and isn't really good for because it doesn't synergize with his playstyle.

PRECISION

EXPLANATIONS

is one of the keystones I take on . It is better into melee champs, usually bruisers and tanks OR when you want to play for a max scaling build. Lethal Tempo and Conqueror are also very similar and good on Azir, take any of these 3 you find most success with or enjoy using the most. Fleet Footwork is viable if you feel you need extra sustain in matchups you get poked in.

is the best 2nd rune in for . can proc rather easily because he's ranged. The extra mana regen will help him with his horrible early game mana costs and mana regen. The mana you get from takedowns can be insanely helpful in skirmishes and teamfights. is useless, but is okay. If I'm ever going , however, I'm almost always going to take just because of how well it synergizes with 's kit.

is the best 3rd rune in for . Attack speed synergizes so well with 's kit. More attack speed means more soldier attacks, which means more damage. isn't very good on because if you get CC'd, you're probably already dead. does nothing for , so never take it.

and are the best 4th runes in for . Take when the your laner and/or the enemy team has a lot of HP stacking champs / frontline. Otherwise, you should take . doesn't really do much for ; he's already very squishy, so being low HP will just mean he's easily susceptible to dying.

INSPIRATION

EXPLANATIONS

is one of the keystones I take on . It is better into shorter ranged champs and/or when you want to play for a max scaling build. and are bad on , so never use them.

is good because it allows you to hit your item spikes faster without spending 300G on boots. is something I'd take if I was playing against champs with point click Ults like , , or . is pointless so never take it.

Both and can be considered. I prefer when I take and . More gold = more items.

is the only rune I'd consider in the 4th row for . He doesn't benefit from and you're always starting so is pointless.

Summoner Spells

is a must-have on in my opinion. You can use it to escape, last hit kills, or set up a shuffle. Take this every game.

is a solid choice to pair with . If you have no kill pressure, or if you just prefer to play safer and with/for your team, is better.

is my favorite spell to take on . I usually play to win lane, so having will help me have more kill pressure. Poke enemies down with , , and , then all-in and finish them off with .

is very situational. I would only take into assassins such as , , or OR ADCs such as , , or . However, I am very confident with , so I usually just take .

is even more situational than . I would really only take into matchups like , , or , matchups that rely on CC to kill you OR into comps with champs that have a lot of hard CC such as , , or .

Items

This section will only cover the most viable items on . If it's not here, I don't recommend building it.

Starting Items

is the best starting item for . Its passive helps with last hitting, which struggles with immensely AND it help with his awful mana regen early game pre-. Combined with and/or , is the best starting item for . Pick up 2 as well.

First Back

Ideally, your first back every game is going to be . is 's first powerspike. The extra mana and ability haste will help his weak laning phase immensely. If you don't have enough gold for , build into it with first and second.

is good if you have to reset early or if you get first blood. It will help you snowball your games. You can eventually build it into to help you snowball even harder.

is good if you have to reset early, but don't have enough gold for or .

Boots

You can pick up early if you're against a laner with skillshots or if they're higher mobility to match their movement speed.

are the best boots on . More damage!! You should get these every game.

feel good, but you will lack damage. Coupled with and , will make farming and skirmishes feel a lot better.

Mythics

is one of the best mythics on . Build when the enemy team has a lot of frontline, champs that stack HP, bruisers, and/or tanks.

is one of the best mythics on . Build when the enemy team has a lot of squishy champions. If you build , consider taking in your runes; it will reduce 's cooldown.

is one of the viable mythics on . Build when the enemy team has a lot of short-ranged champs and/or champs that try to dive you. Its passive will help prevent you from getting bursted when dove. It goes very well with DPS rune setups like , , and for example.

Core Build

Against heavy frontline, bruisers, etc.

If your laner and/or the enemy team stacks a lot of HP with their items such as , , or , then is the best mythic for . 's passive will deal more damage to champions with more bonus health, so it' s a must have into beefy comps.

In my opinion, is the best 2nd item for . It provides an insane 2 item spike; you get 100AP for more soldier damage and 50% attack speed, which synergizes so well with 's kit. I have 1v9d a lot of games by going this item 2nd.

is the best 3rd item for . Most HP-stacking champions will have some form of resistances with their items such as , , or . If you forgo , you will have a very hard time doing any damage to them. If the enemy team is immediately building MR, you can actually build 2nd to negate some of the MR, and then build 3rd. But, ideally we're building it 3rd item just because of how strong is as a 2nd item powerspike for .

Against squishies

If your laner and/or the enemy team is mostly squishy, with champions such as , , or , then is the best mythic for . 's passive will make your abilities hurt more, plus the mana and ability haste are both what needs the most. When building , you can take to reduce the cooldown of 's passive. I prefer in most cases regardless of my mythic, but is good in some situations; just do what is more comfortable for you!

Other items

is a very solid defensive item for . If the enemy team has lots of pick potential with champs such as , , or Q, is your get-out-of-jail-free card. Build first and then finish it. You can finish earlier in your build if the enemy team has a fed AP threat.

is a staple item in a lot of games in this season because there's so much healing. If you're against a laner with a lot of built in sustain such as , , or , OR if you're against a team comp that has a support such as or , it is very beneficial to purchase an early and sit on it until your core items are finished. can apply grevious wounds rather easily because of his range advantage, so this item is always a solid pick if your team needs anti-heal. can replace your defensive item ( or ) or .

is really good on as well as other mages; it provides the biggest possible damage spike, but it is the most expensive mage item in the game. I usually build this item either 4th or last. Late game will always pack a punch, especially after you have this item.

is a very solid defensive item for . If the enemy team has lots of dive threats such as , , or , then can come in clutch. Build first and then finish it. You can finish earlier in your build if the enemy team has a fed AD threat.

Finally, we have . This item is usually only bought in late game, but it's the best potion for when that time comes. You'll take turrets faster and the bonus AP and mana regen will benefit you as well.

isn't as good anymore on since the Durability Update (12.10). If you need magic penetration, is better 99% of situations; the only time I would build is if they had like 5 ranged champs with a lot of shields. If they have more than 60 Magic Resist, just go because 's magic pen is countered by magic resist items.

is pretty niche on . I would really only build it into teams with a lot of melee champs where I'd want to self-peel or peel for my team. If there's a lot of melee champs on the enemy team, ESPECIALLY with dive potential, like , , or for example, then is a good purchase. If is very fed with , then the enemy team will have a very hard time running away.

Full Build Examples

Against heavy frontline, bruisers, etc.

This is the build I would go into teams with a lot of frontline and dive potential, or if they had a fed AD threat.

This is the build I would go into teams with a lot of frontline and pick potential, or if they had a fed AP threat.

Against squishies

This is the build I would go into teams with a lot of squishies, shielding, and a fed AD threat.

This is the build I would go into teams with a lot of squishies, shielding, and a fed AP threat.

Combos, Mechanics, Tips/Tricks

Coming soon!

This will feature the section from our Season 12 Ultimate Azir Guide video on YouTube! We don't have a release date yet, but we are working hard to get it done ASAP!

Laning Phase and Early Game

Azir has a pretty safe, strong, and oppressive laning phase.

Depending on your matchup, your laning will be a bit different. If you took , wait for it to be active and use it whenever is also active for maximum efficency.

The basic trade pattern for is relatively simple: Q + AA. If you took , then try to use as much of the procs as possible to maximize harass.

If you took , just be careful of the enemy's retaliation trades. is a bit weaker than and because it's a more scaling rune.

's early game damage is rather low compared to other champs in the game, but his oppressive laning sorta makes up for it. Ideally, you'll have priority in most matchups. Not many laners can match your harass besides or .

Tip: Try not to use recklessly; it is your only escape ability. Without it, you are incredibly susceptible to ganks.

Tip: Use wisely; not having a solder for an escape with will result in more deaths!

Mid Game

In mid-game, 's main objective is to side lane and take towers, then group with his team.

While pushing waves into turrets, make sure you have vision so you don't get collapsed on and picked with no vision; your team will lose a lot of pressure if you die.

Tip: While sieging towers, make sure to use behind you. This is for 2 main reasons: 1, gets attack speed for every consecutive soldier after the 2nd with and 2, if you do get collapsed on or someone tries to engage on you, you can just use to escape.

Tip: Be sure to use either before or after sieging enemy side lanes and turrets; it will be a last line of defense for you.

Late Game and Teamfighting

Late Game

Late game is pretty much the same as mid-game, except there's a higher priority over grouping with your team because of objectives.

Ideally, you'll have 's core items built. Continue to side lane and push waves.

If you have , make sure you're in the side lane opposite of the next big objective. If is the only objective on the map, your side lane will be Bot Lane. If is the only objective on the map, your side lane will be Top Lane. If you took , , or , make sure you're in the side lane closest to the next big objective: ? Top Lane. ? Bot Lane.

Late game can be very stressful. Never go into any unwarded areas or you can cost your team the objective, an inhibitor, or even the game.

Utilize the same tips as discussed in the Mid Game section.

Skins

Warring Kingdoms Azir is my favorite skin.

Conclusion

If there's any mistakes or feedback, please do not hesitate to comment on the discussion page! I will try to resolve any issues as quickly as possible :)

If you want more content, I stream daily on my Twitch channel and I upload daily to my YouTube channel!

If my guide helps you, make sure you hit the upvote button and comment! Thank you for reading and for your time!

Social Media

Discord

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

Twitch

Twitter

YouTube

Changelog

02/15/23 - Added embed for Azir video
07/10/22 - Added descriptions for Kalista and Kog'Maw.
07/09/22 - Matchup spreadsheet is available.
07/06/22 - Updated all matchups. Added Kalista, Kog'Maw, Olaf, and Rengar. Spreadsheet will be available soon.
06/20/22 - Small changes to the runes descriptions (Inspiration is viable); added Lucian matchup since it was forgotten, updated Akali matchup advice
06/19/22 - Fixed Camille's description (it was actually Brand's description)
06/18/22 - Added all mid lane matchups' descriptions; updated the difficulty/tier levels; top lane matchups will be updated after we finish the Top Lane tier List video on YouTube!
06/17/22 - Added Rylai's to items sections
06/16/22 - Added Crown to recommended mythics after further testing
06/14/22 - Small corrections to grammar/spelling/etc.; changed the default summoner spells to Flash, TP since it's more beginner friendly; added new rune page (Comet with Inspiration secondary)
06/13/22 - Added First Strike to Rune section. Updated Spreadsheet, Combos, and Conclusion sections.
06/12/22 - Guide finished; will add Matchup explanations at a later date

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[Patch 14.22] BodyThoseFools' Rank 1 Challenger Azir Guide [In-depth] (10,000,000+ Mastery Points)

Introduction

Why Learn Azir?

Pros and Cons

Abilities

Complete Matchup Spreadsheet

Runes

Summoner Spells

Items

Combos, Mechanics, Tips/Tricks

Laning Phase and Early Game

Mid Game

Late Game and Teamfighting

Skins

Conclusion

Social Media

Changelog

[Patch 14.22] BodyThoseFools' Rank 1 Challenger Azir Guide [In-depth] (10,000,000+ Mastery Points)

[Patch 14.22] BodyThoseFools' Rank 1 Challenger Azir Guide [In-depth] (10,000,000+ Mastery Points)

Recommended Items

Runes: Best scaling page to carry teamfights and melt tanks

Spells:

Flash

Teleport

Flash

Ignite

Exhaust

Flash

Cleanse

Flash

Barrier

Flash

Items

Ability Order Standard

Shurima's Legacy (PASSIVE)

Conquering Sands (Q)

Arise! (W)

Shifting Sands (E)

Emperor's Divide (R)

Threats & Synergies

Aatrox

Ahri

Akali

Akshan

Anivia

Annie

Aurelion Sol

Brand

Camille

Cassiopeia

Cho'Gath

Corki

Darius

Diana

Dr. Mundo

Ekko

Fiora

Fizz

Galio

Gangplank

Garen

Gnar

Gragas

Graves

Gwen

Heimerdinger

Illaoi

Irelia

Jax

Jayce

Kalista

Karma

Karthus

Kassadin

Katarina

Kayle

Kennen

Kled

Kog'Maw

LeBlanc

Lissandra

Lucian

Lux

Malphite

Malzahar

Mordekaiser

Nasus

Neeko

Olaf

Orianna

Ornn

Pantheon

Poppy

Qiyana

Quinn

Renekton

Rengar