Urf Day

Urf Day commemorates the tragic event in the League of Legends history. On that fateful day, April 1st 2010, a dear friend was senselessly taken before his time. This friend, of course, was.

Background
Despite the traditionally peaceful ways of his people, Urf, the Manatee, idolized the strength and prowess of Champions in the League of Legends and strived to become one. Of all the League's Champions, there was none that Urf admired more than. Since the introduction of the arena, no man has forced the League of Legends to revise their regulations more often than Jax, and the self-proclaimed Grandmaster at Arms rattled off a streak of 152 consecutive wins. In order to compensate for the extreme power of this Champion, the League created special sanctions for Jax: He is only allowed to fight with weapons the League deems suitable. For now, that list includes a lamppost, a chicken's foot, a spatula, a fishing rod and a cardboard tube.

In his admiration and pursuit to become a weapons master like Jax, Urf has equipped himself with the two great symbols of his Manatee heritage as his weapons: a fish (to symbolize the bounty and providence of the sea) and spatula (to pay homage to his people's age-long pursuit for culinary mastery). Urf now begins his aquatic journey as the League's first Manatee Champion, hoping one day he will have the opportunity to cross fish and spatula with chicken's foot and lamppost.

Death
Unfortunately, today, the story of Urf Day took a tragic turn, for as Urf was swimming along, dutifully guarding the river in the Summoner's Rift, he met with a tragic demise. Eye-witness accounts have been unreliable at best, but everyone seems to agree that just before it happened a blue streak was seen darting out of the nearby jungle. A great clamor ensued, followed by the doleful screams of a manatee done wrong. In the end, all that was left of this brave prince amongst sea cows was his skin... and even that was stolen by this most nefarious of perpetrators.

Now any good story needs a moral. So if there's anything that the story of Urf Day and the story of the Big Bad Wolf have in common, it's this: deep within every wolf, there is a cunning master of disguise just waiting to get out. Take, for instance; a giant, bloodthirsty werewolf able to cunningly adapt by blending into even the most innocent of surroundings. He could be anywhere at any time... behind a rock, in the brush, in the jungle, or cleverly masquerading as a lovable, spatula-wielding manatee.

Urf Memorial Contest Winners are in! Urf Day Proceeds go to Save the Manatees!
Announced by ByronicHero:

Well, summoners, your long wait is over. The committee of Riot has met, and we have rendered a decision. But before we announce the results, there are a few caveats, and I'd like to say a few words about Urf.

So, we had originally announced our intention to issue one winner of the memorial contest. Little did we know, however, that in a little more than 24 hours, we would have received over 800 contest entries, including 398 poems, 130 pieces of artwork, 74 memorial videos, 20 recorded songs, and 150 other entries, including flash games, eulogies and short stories.

Over the course of the day, a record breaking number of people visited the League of Legends forums to pay their respects to the passing of Urf. If he were still with us, this noble manatee would be truly moved by the unparalleled outpouring of affection he received.

Urf Proceeds to Benefit Manatee Conservation

While we knew that Urf was pretty fantastic, there was no way for us to possibly foresee the level of community response Urf's death would garner. You were moved by the tragedy of the event, and so were we. We were so moved, in fact, that we wanted to guarantee that Urf would live on in the hearts and minds of everyone as a champion of all manatees.

And so, to help ensure that no sea cow shall have to suffer the same fate as our poor, beloved Urf, all the proceeds generated by the sales of Urf’s skin on Urf Day have been donated to the Save the Manatee Club. And given that over 15,000 Runeterrans chose to celebrate the memory of this majestic marine mamal in style by sporting their very own Urf suit, that’s no pocket change! Even in death, Urf’s indomitable spirit endures to help his fellow sea cows in their hour of need! If you’re interested in learning more about Save the Manatee Club visit: www.SaveTheManatee.org.

And the winners of the Urf the Manatee Memorial Contest are…

And so, without further ado, allow me to present the winners of the Urf the Manatee Memorial Contest. Now, brace yourselves, because there’s a lot more than one of them. There were so many people whose efforts we wanted to recognize that we created six different categories and selected winners from each. These winners fall into three reward tiers. Grand prize winners will receive 5,000 Riot Points along with the obligatory “Friend of Urf” forum title, Runner Up winners will receive 2,800 Riot Points and, naturally, a “Friend of Urf” forum title, and Honorable Mentions will have to content themselves with just receiving their “Friend of Urf” forum title. Can I get a drum roll, please?

Song


 * Grand Prize 1: Mayrunner – The Greatest of All Manatees
 * Grand Prize 2: Giant Joso – Tribute to Urf, the Manatee
 * Honorable Mention: Zelos – Skinned by a Claw
 * Honorable Mention: Infobrains – Mad World (Manatee Edition)
 * Honorable Mention: At1as – Urf Rap

Artwork


 * Grand Prize: jouste – Magic Urf Statue
 * Runner up: Arafel – Warwick’s Remorse
 * Honorable Mention: dconwheels – Urf for Change
 * Honorable Mention: dankyart – Urf in Heaven
 * Honorable Mention: vlidark – Urf’s Funeral

Lyrics


 * Grand Prize: firebrand37 – Epic Manatee Guy
 * Runner Up: Frosh – Candle in the Wind (Manatee Edition)
 * Honorable Mention: elisondra – Ode to a Fallen Hero
 * Honorable Mention: Zantai – Bohemian Manatee
 * Honorable Mention: Venzael – Piano Urf

Video


 * Grand Prize: Angry Goran – Urf the Manatee Memorial
 * Runner Up: Keun – Urf Dance
 * Honorable Mention: omnibus – The Legend of Urf
 * Honorable Mention: Cacti – Urf the Cartoon
 * Honorable Mention: Sup Dood – The Urf Tapes

Poem


 * Grand Prize: Bulltrout – Urf Limerick
 * Runner Up: M1NDS3T – The Legend of Urf
 * Honorable Mention: NegativeLogic – The Deathsinger’s Ode to a Fallen Hero
 * Honorable Mention: TraceF0rm – Breaking News!
 * Honorable Mention: Churchy – Lost Without Urf

Other


 * Grand Prize: Zvardin – Urf Attack
 * Runner up: BuddytheRat – Urf’s Journey
 * Honorable Mention: Militiades – An Open Letter of Grief, Sorrow, and Vengeance
 * Honorable Mention: Bridget – Urf Day Nightmare
 * Honorable Mention: Tenant – Riot Girl Tristana and Urf

Rest in peace, Urf! Your deeds will always be remembered!

Urf Day 2011
On March 21st 2011,, was re-confirmed on the official League of Legends website through a Champion Sneak Peek.

On March 22nd, Riot Games released art via their YouTube channel which includes.

On March 24th, the "A new champion approaches" article, official screenshots of Lee Sin can be seen. Interestingly, in the screenshots the deceased champion Urf, The Manatee, can be seen as well.

On March 28th, Lee Sin's Champion Spotlight came out, but it was an Urf Day related video, furthering the belief that he wouldn't actually be released. However, the video stated that he wouldn't be released with the V1.0.0.114 patch, but rather on April 1st because he had "not been buffed enough".

On March 31st, Lee Sin's actual | Champion Spotlight was released, once again stating that he would be released on April 1st.

On April 1st, Lee Sin was actually released and became available to buy in the Store.

Pay Tribute in the Urf Remembrance Contest!
Announced by Nikasaur: Summoners!

As we all know, Urf the Manatee had the heart of a champion. Unfortunately, he had the skin of a manatee, which some nefarious evil-doer ripped away in the most heinous crime ever witnessed in the League of Legends. But we do not dwell on the abrupt messiness of Urf’s death; instead, we choose to celebrate the brilliance of his life…

Celebrate the life of Urf the Manatee using video, photos, art, writing or any other methods of expression.

From March 30th until April 2nd PST, we’re hosting a contest celebrating all things Urf. We’ve seen some incredible memorials of Urf in the past – everything from baked goods to hoodies to cartoons – and we know you’ve got what it takes to add to that proud legacy.


 * This must be your own work! Don’t use anyone else’s stuff!
 * Keep it classy, nothing inappropriate.
 * You can enter as many times as you like, but you can only win once.

Post your submissions in the thread below, and our Urf Remembrance Committee will evaluate all entries for creativity and general appeal. On April 2nd, we’ll announce the winners, who will each receive a 10-win IP boost (approximate value $5 USD) and maybe even a new surprise skin! You can find the official rules here.

This Urf Day, help us remember the great sea cow he was and how much he brought to all of us. The League won’t be the same without him… but you can help us ensure that he’ll never be forgotten.

Urf Day 2012 is Coming!
Announced by NeeksNaman:

Summoners!

Those of you who are veteran members of the League know that April 1st marks the commemoration of a tragic event in League of Legends history. On that fateful day in 2010, a dear friend was senselessly taken from all of us before his time. I’m talking, of course, about Urf the Manatee.

The Sad Tale of Urf the Manatee

On the very eve of what would have been his triumphant induction into the League of Legends, this brave prince amongst sea cows met with a most cruel fate at the hands of a diabolical werewolf! On his journey from the sea Urf was ambushed by Warwick, the Blood Hunter. An epic struggle ensued, but in the end it was wolf that triumphed over manatee, carrying off his aquatic adversary’s skin as a trophy!

In the wake of this most odious misdeed, summoners of the League banded together to support one another during this trying time. The outpouring of affection for this brave, young manatee was tremendous, and hundreds of summoners put their creative talent to work memorializing his awful fate. The Urf Warwick skin also became one of the best-selling skins in the League history, with the proceeds going to benefit the Save the Manatee Club in memory of this paragon of sea cow glory.

Now that Urf Day is drawing closer, we will once again join together in the tradition of honoring this brave, young manatee. Put your creative talents to work memorializing the sacrifice of Urf, the Manatee, and you could win an IP boost! For inspiration, here are some of the most tearful tributes from the previous year.

Urf’s Triumphant Return!

Lost, but never forgotten, summoners of the League had suspected that this might be the end for Urf, the Manatee, until the end of March 2011 – when he teamed up with Corki, the Daring Bombardier, forming the duo of Urfrider Corki!

Through the magic of GANK Industries, Urf and Corki were able to join forces and return to the Fields of Justice much to the delight of manatee enthusiasts everywhere! But with the eve of Urf Day 2012 fast approaching, all the denizens of Valoran have gathered together in anticipation. After his unexpected revival in 2011, where could Urf, the Manatee, be popping up next?