Poppy/Background

"I'm no hero. Just a yordle with a hammer."

Runeterra has no shortage of valiant champions, but few are as tenacious as. Bearing a hammer twice the length of her body, this determined yordle has spent untold years searching for the Hero of Demacia, a fabled warrior said to be the rightful wielder of her weapon.

Lore
Main= As legend describes it, this hero is the only person who can unlock the full power of the hammer and lead Demacia to true greatness. Though Poppy has searched the furthest corners of the kingdom for this legendary fighter, her quest has proven fruitless. Each time she has attempted to pass the hammer on to a potential hero, the results have been disastrous, often ending in the warrior’s death. Most people would have abandoned the task long ago, but most people do not possess the pluck and resolve of this indomitable heroine.

Poppy was once a very different yordle. For as long as she could remember, she had been in search of a purpose. Feeling alienated by the chaotic whimsy of other yordles, she preferred to soak up stability and structure where she could find it. This drive brought her to the human settlements of western Valoran, where she gazed in wonder at the caravans striping the countryside in an endless file. Many of the people there looked tattered and weary, but they stumbled on in pursuit of some ephemeral better life that might lie just beyond the horizon.

One day, however, a different sort of caravan passed through. Unlike the other travelers, these people seemed to move with purpose. They all awoke at the exact same time each morning, roused by the sound of a watchman’s horn. They took their meals together every day at the same hour, always finishing within a few minutes. They set up their camps and took them down with remarkable efficiency.

While yordles used their innate magic to fashion extraordinary things, these humans achieved equally astounding feats through coordination and discipline. They acted in concert like the cogs of a gear, becoming something much larger and stronger than any single person could ever be. To Poppy, that was more marvelous than all the magic in the world.

As Poppy watched the camp from the safety of her hiding place, her eyes caught the gleam of armor emerging from a tent. It was the group’s commanding officer, wearing a brigandine of gleaming steel plates, each piece overlapping, each an integral part of the whole. The man’s name was Orlon, and his presence seemed to stir the souls of everyone there. If someone became discouraged, he was there to remind them of why they pressed on. If someone collapsed from exhaustion, he inspired them to get up. It reminded Poppy of certain yordle charms, though again, without magic.

Poppy crept in for a closer look. She found herself following this shining commander, as if drawn to him by fate itself. She observed Orlon as he led his soldiers in training exercises. He was not a large fellow, yet he swung his massive battle hammer with surprising alacrity. At night, Poppy listened intently to his hushed discussions with the elders of the camp. She heard them making plans to pull up stakes and head west to build a permanent settlement.

Poppy’s mind was overwhelmed with questions. Where was Orlon going? Where did he come from? How did he assemble this meticulous band of travelers, and was there a place for a yordle in it? At that moment, she made the most important decision in her life: For the first time ever, she would reveal herself to a human, as this was the first time she’d ever felt a connection with one.

The introduction was a jarring one, with Orlon having just as many questions for Poppy as she had for him, but the two soon became inseparable. He became a mentor to her, and she a devotee to his cause. In the training grounds, Poppy was an invaluable sparring partner–the only member of Orlon’s battalion who was unafraid to strike him. She was never obsequious, questioning his decisions with an almost childlike innocence, as though she didn’t know she was supposed to meekly follow orders. She accompanied him to the site of the new settlement–an ambitious new nation called Demacia, where all were welcome, regardless of station or background, so long as they contributed to the good of the whole.

Orlon became a beloved figure throughout the kingdom. Though few had actually seen him wield his hammer, he always bore it on his back, and the weapon quickly became a revered icon for the fledgling nation. People whispered that it had the power to level mountains and tear the earth itself asunder.

Orlon passed the hammer to Poppy on his deathbed, and with it, his hope of an enduring kingdom. It was only then that Orlon told her the story of his weapon’s creation, and how it was never truly intended for his hands. He explained to Poppy that the hammer was meant to go to the Hero of Demacia–the only one who could keep Demacia whole. As her friend drew his last breath, Poppy swore to him that she would find this hero and place the weapon in his hands. But what Poppy possesses in resolve, she lacks in ego, as it never even occurred to her that she might be the hero Orlon described.

The Slayer
Poppy had nothing against the briar wolf, aside from the fact that it was about to maul her. Its muzzle was stained crimson from a previous kill, and the yordle wouldn’t chance being its next. She was hot on the trail of a renowned monster slayer, and she didn’t intend to die before she found the man and judged his worth.

"You should step back. You won’t survive this," Poppy told the wolf, holding her hammer aloft as a deterrent. But the briar wolf was not discouraged. It padded toward her, propelled by some strange desperation that Poppy couldn’t identify. Then she saw the telltale foam at the corners of its mouth. This animal was not driven by hunger or territorial instincts. It was in pain, and it wanted release. The wolf leapt at her, as if it had made up its mind that its next act would be to kill or be killed.

Poppy swung the hammer, using every ounce of her strength to move the weapon’s considerable weight. The blow she delivered collapsed the animal’s skull in an instant, ending its torment. Poppy took no pleasure in the kill, but she supposed it was the best possible outcome, for her and the wolf.

The yordle looked around at the empty meadow, but sensed no trace of the monster slayer she’d come to find. She had roamed the countryside, following rumors of his activities, hoping this mysterious hunter might be the fabled hero she had sought for so many years. But thus far, all she’d found were wolves and wyverns and highwaymen, most of whom she’d been forced to kill in self-defense.

She had spent weeks traveling from hamlet to hamlet in the far-flung corners of Demacia. She walked as fast as her tiny gait would allow, but the monster slayer always seemed to be one step ahead of her, leaving naught but tales of heroic exploits in his wake. For a yordle, time is a curious thing whose passing is seldom felt, but even for Poppy, the search was beginning to grow long.

One day, just when she was beginning to doubt herself and her mission, she spied a notice nailed to a roadside post: "All are invited to attend the Festival of the Slayer!"

It was a celebration to honor the very monster hunter Poppy had been seeking. If there was any hope of locating this elusive hero, she would certainly find it there. He might even make an appearance, and then she could size him up in person to determine if he was worthy to carry the hammer Orlon had bequeathed her. The prospect put a spring in her step, and she marched with renewed purpose toward the celebration.

Poppy was anxious when she arrived at the village, its banners and streamers gaudily proclaiming the day’s festivities. Ideally, she would have arrived early at such a public event and claimed a spot in the rear of the crowd, so as not to draw attention. But the main market was already packed with spectators, and Poppy found it hard to maneuver through the press of bodies. She squeezed through the legs of the townsfolk, most of whom were too inebriated to notice her.

"I’d buy ’im a pint if ’e were here," slurred one voice above her. "Saved my goats by killing that monster." Poppy’s heart raced, as it always did when she heard tales of the hunter. What if he turns out to be the one? she thought.

But deep inside, Poppy asked a different question. What would she do once she was rid of the weapon? Would she find an entirely new purpose? A yordle without one was a pathetic sight indeed. She stopped her mind from wandering and brought it back to the task at hand.

The tiny warrior finally managed to weave her way to the back of the market. She found a tall lamppost both easy to climb and behind the eyes of the crowd. She then shimmied up the post, just high enough to see over the throng. Poppy was just in time. On the far side of the market, a speaker stood with several Demacian officials on a dais, and behind him, something tall was draped in a ceremonial veil.

Even with her keen yordle senses, Poppy could barely hear the man’s words. He was talking about the monster hunter, and how he had saved numerous farms and villages from wyverns, rabid wolves, and bandits. He said that although this revered warrior had chosen to remain anonymous, it shouldn’t stop them from celebrating his deeds. The slayer had been spotted several weeks ago near the town of Uwendale, leaving the first eyewitness accounts of his appearance. With that, the speaker pulled off the veil to reveal a stone statue.

Poppy grew faint with excitement as she saw the hunter’s likeness for the first time. He was the paragon of a Demacian warrior—seven feet tall, armored in heavy plate mail, and rippling with sharply defined muscles. Beneath him lay the corpse of a wolf he had presumably slain.

Just as the image had begun to settle in Poppy’s mind, she heard the sound of a child’s voice a few yards away. "Look, Da. It’s the slayer! The one from the statue!" declared the wide-eyed girl.

Poppy saw the girl was pointing in her direction. She whirled around to see if the slayer was standing behind her. But no one was there.

"No, lass," said the girl’s father. "That one’s no monster slayer. Too small by half."

The girl and her father quickly lost interest and strolled through the village to partake in the various amusements. As the crowd in front of the statue dispersed, Poppy moved in for a closer inspection. Now she could see the fine details of the hunter’s marble depiction. His hair was long, fair, and bound in two separate side knots. His hands were gnarled from a hundred battles, and in them, he held a massive battle hammer not unlike the one Orlon had given her. If there was a truer hero in the kingdom, Poppy had never seen him.

"He has to be the one," Poppy said. "Hope I’m not too late."

She turned and left the festival as fast as her legs could carry her, taking the swiftest route to Uwendale.

A Hero's Calling
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Quotes
Classic=


 * Upon selection


 * Upon starting a game


 * Attacking


 * Upon attacking


 * Upon attacking the


 * Movement


 * Taunt


 * Taunting an allied


 * Taunting an allied


 * Taunting an allied


 * Taunting an enemy


 * Taunting an enemy


 * Taunting an enemy


 * Taunting an enemy Yordle


 * Joke


 * Laugh


 * Upon hitting an enemy with a


 * Upon picking up a


 * Upon casting


 * Upon casting


 * Upon casting


 * Upon stunning an enemy with


 * Upon knocking away an enemy with


 * When an uses  after being hit by


 * Upon buying an item


 * Upon buying


 * Upon buying


 * Upon buying


 * Upon buying


 * Upon placing a ward


 * Upon finishing


 * Upon consuming a Health Potion


 * While on low health


 * Upon death


 * Upon respawning


 * Unknown champion taunts

Old= ;Attacking
 * Upon selection


 * Movement


 * Taunt


 * Joke


 * Laugh

Development
 was designed by Coronach.

Champion Sneak Peek
By Pendragon
 * Prepare yourselves. The tiny but mighty Poppy has joined the League of Legends! This compact little warrior packs one mean punch with her mighty hammer, Whomper. Boasting a powerful set of abilities, Poppy is ready to pulverize anyone who thinks it funny to make a short joke.

Poppy Visual Talks
By Fruity Sebbles

"Everyone’s favorite hammer girl has been on our scopes for a while, as she’s one of those older champions in need of across-the-board work to bring her up to current standards. To be clear, we LOVE her core identity - who doesn’t want to play the fearless Yordle striking hammer-induced terror into enemies across the map? In fact, the gap between her awesome premise and lackluster execution is exactly why we’re working on her.

Artistically, Poppy will still look like a heavily armed and armored ball of golden death. We’re looking to preserve her thematic and color scheme while bringing her art up-to-date both technically and stylistically. Similarly, there’s a lot to love in her story, we just plan to bring it up-to-date and cement her more firmly in the world and among her fellow Yordles. On the gameplay front the challenge is a bit bigger, as Poppy’s kit is pretty archaic at this point. Nevertheless, we’re looking to keep her current fearless style of gameplay and core dash-and-smash mechanics - we still want her to have that same diver mentality.

Poppy is definitely a hefty undertaking - not quite a Sion-level project but pretty close to it. She’s still a ways out and is going to take a lot of work, but will hopefully offer an awesome experience for players once we’re done with the job."

Champion Insight: Poppy
BY FIZZNCHIPS "Poppy’s champion update’s been on the list since before there even was a list. With the Keeper of the Hammer making her debut on PBE, read the story of how it came together.

Design notes from Solcrushed

Narrative notes from JohnODyin

Art notes from Lonewingy

We started exploring Poppy more than a year ago. With her outdated visuals and awkward, imbalanced kit, she’s long been a candidate for a champion update, but getting it right meant expanding on the limited things we knew about her (she had fewer than twenty lines in game) while finding a new gameplay design that would fit with her character and satisfy fans of the little-yordle-that-could.

Poppy’s the Demacian yordle. That was clear from the beginning. But as a champion proud and loud about her love for Demacia, it was important to keep her from seeming like a mini-Garen. So while she can fangirl for Garen and kneel to Jarvan IV, she has to stand out as her own yordle. Demacian in her own way.

The solution we arrived at was embracing the notion of an unaware hero. She was given a legendary weapon and tasked with finding the hero worthy of wielding it. She’s an answer to the question, what would a hero be like if they had all of the strength, courage, and potential of legend, but no idea of it?



Poppy’s the underdog, even when she’s packing the biggest hammer in the fight. Poppy’s a walking contradiction. Small, but unbelievably tanky. First into the fray, but last to believe in herself. She’s earnest to the point where you can’t quite trust her, but honest to the extreme that you know you have to.

Hammering home her personality keeps her identity distinct among the yordles, while showing off an alternate take on the traditional Demacian warrior. Whether defending a small village besieged by a nefarious dragon, or a sidelane squishy under assault by a gank-hungry jungler, Poppy’s coming to save the day. She just might apologize afterwards.
 * Like a giant Demacian hero, but yordle-r

Balancing the contradiction inherent in her character and then expressing it through gameplay, art, and story proved a unique challenge. At the same time we were puzzling out how to really put the hammer down in terms of her story, it was our chance to figure out how Poppy should look. Some champs are dark and grim like Thresh or horrifying like Hecarim. And others have a snaggletooth. Unlike a champ like Sion, Poppy’s in-game visuals were outdated, but not far off from the way a yordle decked out in Demacian dress would appear.

The one thing that really stood out was the hammer. Her story, gameplay, and art all center around her weapon, but it wasn’t always the biggest thing about her. So we re-rolled the drop. Now her hammer is twice the size of the diminutive yordle, representing the burden of her quest to find the hero of legend and the power she packs into a small frame.

To show off those unique sides of her that make her different from other Demacians (and yordles), we’ve played up the extremes of her personality in art and in-game visuals as well as the story and gameplay: she’s introspective and full of doubts but also eager and full of energy. She shoulders the burden of her quest with pluck and courage, but her humility leaves her with a glaring blind spot. She can’t see that she might be the Demacian hero she’s been seeking the whole time.






 * Frontline Demacian juggeryordle



No part of a champion update happens in a vacuum, and while we explored different storytelling and visual possibilities for a pint-sized brawler, we were also experimenting with gameplay kits. When we first brought Poppy into the ol’ update workshop, we had to deal with one of the most powerful, but least compelling abilities in the game.

Poppy’s old ultimate, Diplomatic Immunity, could render her immune from damage and crowd control from everything that wasn’t trapped in a glowing gold cylinder of sadness. Diplomatic Immunity defined her kit, and pushed her play pattern towards “assassinate the backline with absurd damage out of nowhere.” That squishy-squasher style didn’t make sense given Poppy’s original story or the direction we were taking her, and Diplomatic Immunity was so powerful, Poppy’s entire kit had to be limited because of it.

After initial explorations, it became clear that straight up nerfing Diplomatic Immunity meant losing what made the ability cool and unique. Once we made the decision to remove it instead, we could play around with new signature abilities to anchor the kit around. After trying a few different themes, we circled back to her story and focused on one aspect of her character in particular--disproportionate power--which led to her new ultimate. With the exaggerated hammer slap of Keeper’s Verdict in place, we found we were able to really push Poppy’s strategic niche of tanky disruption to eleven.



We’re looking forward to bringing her back to the battlefield packing a whole new wallop.

Poppy’s new unique gameplay identity embraces her small-stature/big-hammer duality. Despite being one of the smallest champions in the game, she brings a ton of crowd control that’s perfect both for causing commotion in a big scrum and flattening bad guys one-on-one.

Through her art, gameplay, and story, we’ve refined the core of Poppy’s personality and playstyle while discovering a few things, too. She’s on PBE now, but we’re looking forward to bringing her back to the battlefield packing a whole new wallop."

The Arsenal: Forging Poppy’s Hammer
BY RUMTUMTUMMERS

"Reworking Poppy was a chance to tune up her biggest, baddest character elements while giving her completely new play patterns. We knew the hammer, her signature weapon, would be critical in solidifying her refreshed identity; like Jinx’s rocket launcher, Nautilus’ anchor, or Riven’s sword, Poppy’s hammer is an integral part of both her kit and her personality. We had to get it right for both to ring true.

In short, it was hammer time.

Poppy’s original hammer and shield were designed to fit her small stature. “Before, Poppy had a Yordle hammer and a Yordle shield,” explains concept artist Gem Lim. “But we wanted to do more with it.” The team realized that by choosing one primary item for Poppy to wield and over-emphasizing it, they could create a champion with a silhouette and style different from any other champion in League. “Instead of equal attention for the hammer and shield, we toned the shield down and made the hammer ginormous,” says Gem. “What struck me the most about Poppy was this sense of disproportionate power. She’s a small character who does big things. The hammer should communicate that.”
 * Small character; big impact

Poppy’s new champion-smasher wasn’t custom-made to fit her; it’s a regular-sized hammer she wields with incredible power. “The new hammer is more than a weapon,” Gem says. “Its humongous size contributes to her silhouette and her movement. No champion moves like her. When you see her swing that hammer, it’s so different from Sion with his axe or Garen with his sword.” Senior narrative writer John O’Bryan adds, “It’s almost like she puts all of herself into every swing.” The new hammer design contributed to Poppy’s new ult and each of her re-tuned abilities.


 * " When others run away, Poppy runs forward. She’s indomitable. "

Gem emphasizes the idea of a tiny character packing a big punch: “We want people to feel that crazy disproportionate power. Like, ‘Oh, look at the cute little—ouch!' It’s over-the-top and unexpected.”


 * A hero’s journey

Poppy’s hammer is an important part of her personal journey. “A Hero’s Call,” which offers players a glimpse into Poppy’s world, is centered on the hammer and what it means to her. O’Bryan elaborates, “Even she doesn’t think it’s hers. She thinks it’s a tool for someone else.” Scaling the hammer to make it a normal hammer size helps emphasise the idea that Poppy doesn’t necessarily believe the hammer is hers to wield, that somewhere in the world is a hero meant to carry it. The hammer existed long before Poppy took possession of it.



Though she’s been carrying the hammer for a long, long time, Poppy hasn’t yet realized that she’s what gives the hammer its strength. O’Bryan explains, “If you were to ask Poppy, she would probably think she’s nothing special. Everything she’s doing is because of this hammer she’s carrying around. But really, it’s all coming from her.” Players know one thing Poppy doesn’t: The hammer is right where it needs to be. The immovable object

Poppy’s new weapon is meant to emphasise core elements of her personality. “She’s purposeful,” says O’Bryan. “Nothing can stop her; if you knock her down, she’s going to keep getting back up.” The team behind the Poppy update wanted to give a sense of solidity to Poppy, the idea that to get to Poppy’s team, enemies have to go through her. “When others run away, Poppy runs forward,” says Gem. “She’s indomitable.”

The hammer is a symbol of Poppy’s strength, her unflinching dedication to her task, and her world view. “Poppy doesn’t think of herself as a small character,” O’Bryan says, “because she really isn’t.” Gem says, “She’s the pebble you thought you could kick, but couldn’t. There’s no one like her.”"

Previous Lore
Hide= While other young yordle girls played skip-step and braided wreathes out of posies, Poppy spent her youth earning calluses and grease stains in her father's armor shop. Blomgrun, her father, was Bandle City's finest smith. The only thing he loved as much as his work was his young daughter, Poppy - named for the sprightly sounds of the sparks that leapt from his ever-burning forge. He swelled with pride the day she was first able to lift his trusty hammer, Whomper. Poppy immediately took to his art, demonstrating a natural gift for smithing, which Blomgrun honed with devoted instruction.
 * -|2nd lore=

One day, a Demacian general named Florin Berell commissioned Blomgrun to craft a helm, glorious beyond comparison. Blomgrun toiled away on this project, determined to present Florin with his finest work. He let Poppy set the center jewel, entrusting her with the most important piece. When the pair finished, they departed for Demacia to deliver it in person. Word of the general's order, however, was leaked to the Noxian High Command, and two Noxian assassins were dispatched to intercept the delivery. Blomgrun was able to occupy the assassins long enough for Poppy to escape with the prized helm. She watched helplessly from the brush as her father was slain. Instead of fleeing home, she carried the helm the rest of the way to Demacia alone. She refused payment for it, saying that no amount would compensate for her father's life. Instead, she offered it as a gift, honoring her father's final intentions. Florin saw the grim determination behind the tears in her eyes, and requested that the leadership of Bandle City appoint Poppy as the yordle ambassador to Demacia. Soon after, seeking to crush Noxus with her father's hammer, Poppy volunteered for the League of Legends.

"Poppy may be small, but Whomper - or her will - is not."

Prior to V1.0.0.116:
 * -|1st lore=

While other young yordles would play skip-step and make wreathes out of braided posies, Poppy was earning calluses and grease stains in her father's armor shop. Blomgrun was a well-respected armorsmith, and he named his daughter for the sprightly sounds that accompanied the sparks leaping from his ever-burning forge. He was filled with pride when she was first able to lift his trusty hammer, Whomper. One day, Blomgrun was commissioned to create a glorious helm for a Demacian general. Word of the charge was leaked to the Noxian High Command, and two of their best spies ambushed Blomgrun's caravan en route. Though Poppy escaped with the helm, she helplessly watched as her father was slain. Instead of fleeing home, she carried the helm to Demacia alone. When the Demacian general saw the grim determination behind the tears in her eyes, the general requested that the leadership of Bandle City appoint Poppy as the yordle ambassador to Demacia. Soon after, seeking to crush Noxus with her father's hammer, Poppy volunteered for the League of Legends.

Previous Abilities
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