Usually, whenever a new champion is about to be released, the community is very eager to discuss the arrival of a new member in League of Legends. However, Lillia’s case can be considered an exception, as the champion nicknamed “The Bashful Bloom” has continuously faced criticism from netizens. Many believe that Lillia is merely a flawed “fusion” of two previously released champions, Hecarim and Neeko.
Introduced in the lore as a divine creature born directly from the Great Mother Tree of Ionia, Lillia has the ability to transform energy from dreams into pure strength to combat enemies. For those who may not know, in Ionia’s culture, the Great Mother Tree is viewed as the lifeblood of the entire kingdom. Even the emblem of this spiritually rich land is derived from the image of the Great Mother Tree. Therefore, it can be said that Lillia represents the very essence of Ionia.
Despite such a grand origin, all that we see in Lillia is dullness, from her appearance to her abilities. Although Lillia’s skills are beautifully designed, they are merely rehashed abilities that have appeared in the game before, lacking any freshness. Even her ultimate ability, “Lilting Lullaby,” is essentially just a stronger version of Zoe’s previously released E ability, Sleepy Trouble Bubble.
Worse than the character’s skill set is the appearance of “The Bashful Bloom.” Even before the official reveal video, many speculated that Riot was out of ideas and simply copied the appearance of Neeko and Hecarim to create this champion. It can be seen that Lillia’s head, aside from a change in hair color, is virtually identical to the original Neeko. Meanwhile, her body appears to be directly taken from Hecarim, resembling a head from one champion fused onto another to create a new character.
In a heated discussion on a major Esports forum, many gamers expressed their disappointment with Lillia. They had expected much more from a champion symbolizing the Ionia kingdom.
User “Hoàng Lê Gia Khánh” commented: “It feels like Hecarim + Zoe + Neeko. But for the skills, we’ll have to wait for a comprehensive review.”
User “Nguyễn Minh Tùng” remarked: “This champion is a failure…”.
User “Quyên Dạ Nam” along with many others rated: “She feels clunky, ganking is extremely awkward compared to a jungle champ.”
Although not yet officially released, it seems the majority of League of Legends players are quite dissatisfied with this character. Compared to previously released champions, Lillia lacks creativity in both appearance and skills. Perhaps Riot will need to make significant adjustments to their working methods before unveiling another new champion in the future.