How to beat Azir

Common role: Mid

The emperor of sand soldiers — a lategame DPS army with a wall ultimate.

What makes Azir dangerous

Azir commands sand soldiers that attack for him from range, repositions them with Q slashes, dashes to a soldier (E, with a shield) enabling the famous insec, and his ultimate is a soldier wall that knocks enemies away — or scoops your whole team into his.

How to play against Azir

• 1Kill lane pressure: he's weak levels 1-5 with slow soldier cooldowns.
• 2Stand away from soldier range — they do the damage, not Azir.
• 3Respect the E-Q-R insec when you dive him.
• 4Force fights before three items — his lategame DPS is oppressive.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Weak early laning and heavy mana costs.
• ✓Soldiers can't attack what's on top of Azir himself in melee gaps.
• ✓High skill floor — punishes his own misplays.
• ✓Scaling-dependent: behind Azir is a minion.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Azir's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Shurimas Erbe

  Azir kann die Sonnenscheibe aus den Ruinen verbündeter oder gegnerischer Türme beschwören.

  Strong: he raises a sun-disc turret from destroyed towers. Weak: situational — matters only in siege stalemates.

• Q
  Wanderdüne

  Azir schickt alle Sandsoldaten an einen Zielort. Sandsoldaten verursachen an allen Zielen, an denen sie vorübergehen, magischen Schaden und bewirken 1 Sekunde lang eine Verlangsamung.

  Strong: repositions all soldiers with a slowing sweep. Weak: soldier micro costs him time — jump him during the shuffle.

• W
  Erhebe dich!

  Azir beschwört einen Sandsoldaten, der für ihn Ziele in der Nähe angreift und seine normalen Angriffe gegen Ziele innerhalb der Reichweite des Soldaten ersetzt. Seine Angriffe verursachen in einer Linie magischen Schaden an Gegnern.

  Strong: soldiers attack for him at range — he never touches you. Weak: soldiers are stationary — step out of their poke bubble.

• E
  Sandläufer

  Azir schützt sich kurzzeitig mit einem Schild, springt zu einem seiner Sandsoldaten und fügt Gegnern Schaden zu. Wenn er einen gegnerischen Champion trifft, bereitet er sofort einen neuen Sandsoldaten zum Einsatz vor und hält an.

  Strong: a shielded dash to a soldier — engages and escapes both. Weak: needs a soldier placed — his mobility is prep-work.

• R
  Imperiale Phalanx

  Azir beschwört eine Mauer aus Soldaten, die vorwärts stürmt, zurückschlägt und Gegnern Schaden zufügt.

  Strong: a soldier wall that knocks away or scoops teams (the insec). Weak: fixed width — flank around its edges in fights.

Itemization

Punish early, end mid-game. Dive with the insec in mind — bait his E-shield first, then commit.

This guide covers Azir's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.