Azir Mid Guide: Strategies for Sand-Soldier Effectiveness

Learn how to harness the full power of Azir through our detailed strategies and pro tips.

Azir, the Emperor of the Sands, is a unique champion in League of Legends requiring precise control and strategy to unleash his full potential. This guide will cover various aspects of playing Azir in the mid lane, providing you with the knowledge needed to dominate your matches.

Mastering Azir’s Soldier Mechanics

Azir’s Sand Soldiers are the core of his kit, and mastering their mechanics is crucial for effectiveness. Here are key tips to get the most out of them:

Positioning and Commanding Soldiers

• Q – Conquering Sands: Use Azir's Q skill to reposition your soldiers. This is essential for poking enemies, farming, and repositioning during fights.
• W – Arise!: Always have soldiers deployed in optimal spots to control the lane. Place soldiers in bushes or behind minions to surprise your opponent and maintain lane pressure.
• E – Shifting Sands: Utilize Azir’s E to dash to your soldiers, either for aggressive plays or to escape ganks. Mastering the distance and angle of your E is crucial for positioning.

Combining Abilities for Maximum Impact

• W + Q Combo: Deploy a soldier with W, then immediately use Q to command it to attack. This combo is your bread and butter for poking.
• Shurima Shuffle (W-Q-E-R): Initiate with W, dash to it with E, Q to reposition the soldier and enemy, then ult (R) to sweep enemies into your team. This combo is vital for key engages and turning fights.

Lane Control and Farming Techniques

Dominating the mid lane with Azir involves both harassing your opponent and optimizing your farm.

Early Game Tactics

• Level 1-3: Focus on positioning your soldiers to poke and last hit. Harass your opponent when they go for last hits. Utilize Azir's long range to establish lane dominance early.
• Mana Management: Be mindful of your mana consumption. Azir can easily run out of mana, so use your abilities judiciously and consider conserving for crucial moments.

Mid to Late Game Farm

• Wave Clear: Use your soldiers and Q to quickly clear waves. Focus on managing minion waves to maintain pressure and create opportunities to roam or secure objectives.
• Sieging: Azir excels in sieging due to his soldiers’ range. Setup soldiers from a distance to safely poke down turrets and zone enemies away.

Optimal Item Builds and Runes

Building the right items and choosing the right runes are critical to maximize Azir’s potential.

Essential Items

1. Nashor’s Tooth: Provides attack speed and AP, enhancing Azir’s auto-attacks through soldiers.
2. Luden’s Tempest: High AP, mana, and cooldown reduction. Great for burst damage and wave clear.
3. Zhonya's Hourglass: Essential for survivability. Use its active ability to avoid critical damage during fights.
4. Rabadon's Deathcap: Maximize your damage output with the high AP it provides.
5. Morellonomicon: Effective against healing champions, adding grievous wounds to your abilities.

Standard Rune Page

• Primary (Sorcery):

  • Arcane Comet: Enhances your poke damage in lane.
  • Manaflow Band: Helps with Azir’s mana issues.
  • Transcendence: Additional CDR for more frequent use of abilities.
  • Gathering Storm: Scales well into late game, providing a significant AP boost.

• Secondary (Domination):

  • Taste of Blood: Sustain during the laning phase.
  • Ravenous Hunter: Provides healing from ability damage, enhancing your sustain.

Team Fight Execution and Positioning

Azir’s impact in team fights can be game-changing if executed correctly.

Positioning

• Backline Presence: Stay in the backline, utilizing the range of your soldiers to damage and zone enemies.
• Peeling: Use your R (Emperor’s Divide) defensively to protect yourself and your carries from diving enemies.

Impactful Engagements

• Initiation: The Shurima Shuffle combo can be an effective way to initiate fights by displacing key enemy targets into your team.
• Zoning: Utilize your soldiers to control space around objectives and limit the enemies' movement options.

Summary and Call-to-Action

Mastering Azir’s soldier mechanics, dominating the mid lane through effective farming and lane control, optimizing your item builds and runes, and perfecting your team fight positioning and execution are key strategies for sand-soldier effectiveness. Apply these tips in your games to elevate your Azir gameplay and lead your team to victory.

Ready to take your Azir skills to the next level? Practice these strategies in your next matches and become the ultimate Emperor of the Sands! Follow our blog for more in-depth guides and updates. Happy gaming!

By following the steps in this comprehensive guide, you can become proficient in harnessing the full power of Azir. Focus on mastering the mechanics, staying adaptive with your builds and runes, and positioning yourself perfectly in team fights to truly dominate as Azir in the mid lane.