Riot said in its most recent champion roadmap that starting in 2022, they’ll be releasing a series of ASUS to bring certain ancient champions up to speed with the game’s new look and feel. ASUS are Art & Sustainability Updates, which, unlike VGUS, are primarily cosmetic in nature but are crucial in giving the game a new look.
They’ll start with the initial champions and work their way up, according to Riot. It’s unclear how many champions will need to be updated, but with over 140 champions on the roster, it’ll be a lengthy process to bring everyone up to speed.
For an ASU, Riot should prioritize the following three champions:
Annie
Annie was fortunate enough to be one of the recipients of a VGU. The upgrades she received in the upgrade were a tremendous improvement over where she was before, but her character is still quite dull. Rippling fire and a flowing skirt can only get you so far. Annie’s makeover is well deserved: not only is she practically every player’s “My-First-Mage,” but she also consistently returns to the fold as a viable selection.
Blitzcrank
Outside of Alistar, Blitzcrank is definitely one of the most uninteresting support options. It is, nonetheless, extremely satisfying to land that hook. This champion has previously been given some extremely great skins, and an ASU may turn those into some of the best skins in the game, especially if his new character model leans more towards the mecha-monster side. He obviously deserves better than what he’s working on right now in terms of animation. Although it’s amusing, his ultimate still looks terribly archaic, and they could do so much more with his W than flailing arms while he sprints.
He obviously deserves better than what he’s working on right now in terms of animation. Although it’s amusing, his ultimate still looks terribly archaic, and they could do so much more with his W than flailing arms while he sprints.
Tryndamere
Tryndamere is here because well… It’s Tryndamere. This is one of the champions that’s been in need of a tune up for an incredibly long time. There’s a lot that can be changed about this champion. Firstly, it’d be nice to get more than just two slash attacks for his auto-attacks. But at the least, it’d be great if they changed it for when he accumulates rage so it doesn’t look like he has a hernia every time he swings.
All of these characters have one thing in common: their movements are horribly out of date. They still have a place in the game, especially now that they’ve made their way back into the meta or pro play, but these ASUS were designed specifically for champions like these.
