Hwei, the latest addition to the mid-lane mages in League of Legends, brings an artistic twist to the battlefield. This champion is all about the art of war, using painting-inspired abilities to create destructive, controlling, or supportive effects. Hwei's intricate kit allows for a high skill ceiling, offering a variety of combos and strategic plays. The perfect champ for anyone wanting to play a control/burst mage carry.
Ability Rundown: The Artistic Arsenal of Hwei
To start, it is important to note that pressing Q, W, or E opens up new abilities. After your initial keypress, you are required to once again press Q, W, or E depending on what ability you would like to cast. Now to the abilities!
Passive - Signature Spawn: Upon hitting an enemy with two damage-dealing spells Hwei's signature spawns below the enemy, exploding after a short period and dealing magic damage.
Q Abilities - Disaster: The Destruction Palette, these abilities are your main source of damage.
QQ - Devastating Fire: Fires an explosive projectile, inflicting magic damage and percent max health damage in a small area.
QW - Severing Bolt: A long-range fiery lightning bolt comes down that deals magic damage, it deals more damage to isolated or immobilized targets. This ability's damage also scales with the enemy's missing health (Very Similar to Kog'Maw R)!
QE - Molten Fissure: Creates a fiery eruption in a line in front of Hwei that transforms into a damaging lava pool that deals damage over time and slows enemies hit (perfect for wave clear and is my favorite ability).
WQ - Fleeting Current: Paints a line of water boosting allies' movement speed.
WW - Pool of Reflection: Forms a shielding pool that grants a shield that gets larger over time.
WE - Stirring Lights: Generates three orbs that empower auto-attacks with on-hit magic damage and restore mana.
EQ - Grim Visage: Sends forward an orb that fears and damages the first enemy hit.
EW - Gaze of the Abyss: Paints an eye at the targeted location that roots and damages the first enemy that stays inside of it (this is essentially Swain W with a root).
EE - Crushing Maw: Drags enemies to the center of a painted jaw, then slows them.
Combos: Mastering Hwei's Artful Attacks
Hwei being League of Legends newest edition to their line of "200 years" champs, has quite possibly the most confusing kit on the rift purely based on how many abilities and combos he has. A few basic combos that you should be using are:
Area of Effect Combo: Initiate with QE to slow down the enemy and follow up with EE to slow them again and proc your passive. This combo is great for those times when there are multiple enemies grouped up or even during the laning phase to clear the wave while simultaneously weakening the enemy champ. QE is far and above your best wave clear ability and EE assists in cleaning up any pesky minions that survive.
One Shot a Single Enemy: Start with your EQ to fear the enemy, then unleash your R and follow up with QQ while they are slowed. This deals an insane amount of burst damage and in the mid to late game, this is almost always a guaranteed kill. If you have enough ability haste using WE at the very end will allow you to proc your passive a second time dealing even more damage.
Poke and Run: Hit WQ for the movement speed to get onto the enemy, next use EQ to fear them and follow up with a QQ to get your passive and deal a healthy amount of damage. If you can get your abilities off fast enough you may even have your WQ still allowing you to disengage. But if you don't the fear alone will allow you to disengage if the damage didn't scare the enemy off.
Escape Strategy: Fear the engaging enemy with EQ and quickly follow with WQ to give yourself a speed boost away from them. This combo is perfect for when you experience a gank and need to run back to safety. Some may recommend using WW for the shield but when you cast WW you lock yourself in place for a moment which kind of defeats the whole escaping part.
Advanced Weave Combo: Cast WE to start, Auto attack the enemy, follow with EQ to fear them, during the fear auto attack them then unleash R, use your final empowered auto, and follow up with a QQ. This Combo will allow you to maximize your damage by weaving empowered auto attacks between your abilities, allowing you to utilize your passive three times within a matter of seconds. Not many enemies are going to be able to survive this, but it can be difficult to weave auto attacks if you're unfamiliar with Hwei's kit.
Masterstroke Strategies: Refining your Hwei Gameplay
A few strategies you can implement to take you to the next level when it comes to playing Hwei are:
Mana Management: Use WE frequently for mana regeneration, especially in the early game. Sometimes it may be best to grab W at level 1 purely for this ability. As well, it can be beneficial to follow up any combo with WE just to regain some mana.
Jungler Awareness: Stay vigilant against ganks, especially pre-level six. Hwei is a squishy champ and if not played well will die very easily. But if you are aware of the enemy jungler's presence you can outplay any 2v1.
Skill Expression: Fast casting and occasional ability canceling (using R) can outplay opponents. Hwei has one mechanic that most won't notice at first glance but when you initially press Q, W, or E Hwei raises his brush and the paint around him becomes Red, Blue, or Purple indicating he is about to cast an ability. You can use this to your advantage by casting your abilities fast enough that the enemy is not able to see your telegraphed abilities. Or you can cancel your ability by pressing R after pressing Q, W, or E. This adds a whole other layer to being unpredictable.
Wave Management: Utilize QE for efficient wave clearing. QE is the best wave clear you have and a single cast after you have an item and some points in Q will decimate the wave, allowing for you to roam or pressure plates or even your opponent's life.
Weave Autos: Initializing any combo with WE allows you to weave in empowered auto attacks which count as a damaging ability for your passive. This maximises the damage you can do in any combo providing you extra procs of your passive. However, it does put you in auto-attack range of the enemy so use caution when trying this out.
Ideal Runes: Painting the Perfect Runes
On Hwei there are generally only three rune pages that are taken, however, feel free to experiment with other runes as the champ has only been out for roughly two weeks so not everything has been discovered!
Sorcery: This is the most common rune page for Hwei, Take Arcane Comet, for your keystones take Manaflow Band, Transcendence, and Scorch. On your Secondary tree take Inspiration with Biscuit Delivery and the other is completely preference-based most common is Cosmic Insight.
Inspiration: In this tree take First Strike, Magical Footwear, Biscuit Delivery, and Cosmic Insight. Secondary: Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Gathering Storm
Domination: For a bit of an off meta rune page take Dark Harvest, Cheap Shot, Ghost Poro, and Ultimate Hunter. Secondary: Sorcery with Manaflow Band and Gathering Storm
Optimal Arsenal: Crafting Hwei's Build for Victory
When it comes to outfitting Hwei for the artistic battle that is the mid-lane, the right build can elevate your game from a mere sketch to a masterpiece. Here's a curated palette of items that synergize with Hwei's unique skill set:
Core Mythic Items
Liandry’s Anguish: Ideal for a control mage playstyle. Harmonizes with Hwei's QE combo for wave decimation and complements his damage-over-time abilities in R and QE.
Luden’s Echo: A burst mage's dream, this item amplifies Hwei's damage potential, and really helps to ensure any isolated squishy targets under roughly 30% health are vulnerable to being one-shot with a well-placed QW mid to late.
Starter items
Poke or Mana: As your starter item it's generally best to take Doran's Ring but if you are worried about not having enough mana or it's your first couple of games on Hwei, taking Tear of the Goddess might be best. As it provides you with a decent buff to your mana pool.
First Back: Once you take your first back it is generally best to pick up a Lost Chapter and boots if you can afford it. An alternative first back would be to purchase a tear if you are having mana issues or if you plan on buying Archangel's Staff, followed by a Lost Chapter or a Fiendish Codex if you're strapped for gold.
Boots
Sorcerer’s Shoes: This is really the only pair of boots that goes well with Hwei as he needs that little bit of magic penetration to pump his damage up.
Legendary Items
Rabadon’s Deathcap: Amplifies your ability power, just an absolutely perfect item for Hwei, I would recommend slotting this in as your fourth item.
Void Staff or Shadow Flame: Depending on the canvas (your opponents), you may choose to take Void Staff for the 40% magic penetration especially if the enemy team is a bit on the tanky side. Shadow Flame is better for targets who don't build a bunch of magic resist and it's quite common to see players build both on Hwei.
Cosmic Drive: For the artist who values agility and cooldown reduction to weave a dynamic dance of destruction. This item is good on Hwei as it gives him enough ability has to be able to weave spells for longer combos while also providing him some extra getaway power with the move speed bonuses in Cosmic's passive.
Archangel’s Staff: A personal favorite, good for those who prefer a mana reservoir to extend their expressive capabilities, along with a protective shield once upgraded to Seraph’s Embrace.
Conventional Liandry’s Build
Pair Liandry’s Anguish with Sorcerer’s Shoes, Shadowflame, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void Staff. Complete the build with a Horizon Focus. Zhonya's Hourglass can be a very good situational item here if you need a bit of survivability.
Luden’s Burst Build
Combine Luden’s Echo and Sorcerer’s Shoes with Shadowflame and Rabadon’s Deathcap. The finishing touches come with Void Staff and either Morellonomicon or Zhonya's Hourglass.
For people who require a visual aid, I’ve included snapshots of my personal item sets for Hwei throughout this build section, just keep in mind these are my personal builds. Like any good artist, don't hesitate to adapt your palette to the situation at hand. For those seeking additional guidance, League of Legends companion apps such as Blitz.gg, Mobalytics, or Porofessor offer a wealth of knowledge to help fine-tune your build.
The Art of Victory: Final Reflections on Mastering Hwei
As the curtain falls on our guide, it's clear that Hwei is not just another champion—he's a medium through which the art of strategy and the finesse of skillful play are painted across the Rift. With a kit as rich and complex as a tapestry, Hwei demands patience and practice. Whether you're orchestrating the perfect combo or crafting the ideal build, each game is a chance to refine your technique and leave your mark on the canvas of battle.
Embrace the complexity of his abilities and remember that each match is a blank canvas, an opportunity to evolve your playstyle. The true essence of Hwei’s power lies in the fluidity of his gameplay, allowing for moments of sheer creativity and ingenuity.
So summoners, take up Hwei’s vibrant palette and let your imagination run wild. With time, your understanding of his nuances will grow, and so too will your influence over the game. May your journey with Hwei be as rewarding as it is enlightening, and may you paint your path to triumph with bold strokes and brilliant plays. Keep experimenting, keep learning, and above all, keep enjoying the game!
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Image Credit: Riot Games, 'Hwei - Ability Cheatsheet', League of Legends [online], available at https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-au/event/hwei-abilities-rundown/
The character guide and analysis provided in this blog post are based on 'Hwei,' a champion from 'League of Legends,' which is a property of ©Riot Games.
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