The League of Legends preseason is in full swing and many players are now trying to learn all of the new items that have been introduced to the game and the abilities that they bring. As expected, however, there are a handful of items that are a tier above the rest in terms of power and utility on release.
Whether you’re an assassin fan, ADC main, or a tank enthusiast, there’s an item that should stand out to you in the shop. Here are some of the items that have caught the eye of many different players in the 2021 preseason.
Immortal Shieldbow
For any AD carry mains, Immortal Shieldbow has finally brought back the marksman role to some semblance of power again. This item is perfect for many players since it provides a ton of self-sustain, burst protection, and damage that can help turn the tides of any skirmish.
When taking damage that would reduce you below 30 percent maximum health, Shieldbow gives the user a shield that ranges from 250 to 750 health based on level for three seconds. It also grants the player 15 percent life steal for eight seconds, but this effect is set on a 90-second cooldown.
It’s a great item to survive an assassin attacking the backline or a good combo from an ADC-support duo. Afterward, the item also gives the user a chance to fight back by letting them heal up quickly, while also dealing a great amount of damage.
This item allows an ADC to play a lot more aggressively with a one-item power spike. If a player is ahead, they can crush the following skirmishes, but if a teamfight goes wrong, the shield and lifesteal can prevent things from going from bad to worse.
Eclipse
In a similar vein to Shieldbow, Eclipse feels like it brings a ton of great effects onto a player’s plate. The item has a unique effect called the Ever Rising Moon, which activates when the user hits a champion with two separate attacks or abilities within 1.5 seconds.
This effect deals six percent of a target’s maximum health as bonus physical damage. The user also gains 15 percent bonus movement speed and a significant shield for two seconds.
The item was actually stronger before Riot deployed a hotfix that lowered the bonus physical damage from eight percent to six and the bonus movement speed from 30 percent to 15. Even still, this item is great on burst assassins that need to take out a target quickly and efficiently.
The shield can also prevent them from getting killed during a quick engage, teamfight, or enemy dive.
Sunfire Aegis
For tanks, Sunfire Aegis is one of the most deadly items they can build during the preseason. In this form, the item gives a ton of health and armor. It also deals a good amount of damage over time, which is perfect since tanks survive longer than any other champion in a fight.
What makes Aegis so strong is the Immolate effect that it applies to enemy champions, minions, and monsters. When a player takes or deals damage, Aegis will deal 12 to 30 magic damage—plus one percent bonus health—per second to nearby enemies for three seconds. This is increased by 25 percent against minions and 150 percent against monsters.
If the player attacks an enemy affected by Immolate, Aegis adds a stack of the effect for five seconds, increasing subsequent Immolate damage by 12 percent to a max of six stacks—or a 72 percent increase. Additionally, when a player reaches max stacks, their basic attacks explode, burning nearby enemies for their current Immolate damage for three seconds.
Sunfire deals a ton of damage without needing to be too complicated. With this item, tanks are able to soak up damage and crush teamfights with sustained damage over time. You can’t ignore tanks since they’ll just burn you down.
Duskblade of Draktharr
Assassins are thriving in the preseason and there are a few items that are making it easy for them to flourish. One item in particular that has many people scratching their heads is Duskblade, an old item that’s been given a new paint job.
In addition to the Nightstalker passive that gives additional damage and a slow on a user’s basic attack, assassins can now go invisible for 1.5 seconds if a champion they recently damaged dies. The cooldown of the additional damage, slow effect, and invisibility is also refreshed if they get a takedown.
For any team, this item can be a real pain to deal with, especially with the refresh for the passive on takedowns. If an assassin is slightly ahead, they’ll be able to roam around and assassinate people with ease—even if they have some teammates around to help.
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