The Crystal Scar
Crystal Scar is a place located south of Kalamanda in the North-West part of the Shuriman Continent as part of Shurima.
It was also a Field of Justice in League of Legends designed for the Dominion game mode. Dominion was disabled on February 22, 2016, but some of the Crystal Scar assets are still used for the Rotating Game Modes Ascension and Definitely Not Dominion.
Related Champions
Azir is the Shuriman ruler of Kalamanda.- Camille uses a Brackern hex-crystal as her hearth.
- Jayce used a Brackern hex-crystal for his research.
- Skarner was awoken near Crystal Scar.
- Viktor used a Brackern hex-crystal for his research.
Lore
Dreamsong
- We are one. We cannot be shattered.
- Starring Skarner.
History
The Long Sleep of the Brackern
When the cataclysmic forces of the Rune Wars began to devastate the world, the Brackern feared the turmoil would soon mark the end of their species. They resolved to hide in hibernation until humans wiped themselves out, as it seemed certain they would. Only then would it be safe to emerge from the sands once more.
They slept in peaceful isolation as centuries passed before Skarner awoke from his shallow burrow in a panic. Deafening explosions shattered the ground, targeting the Brackern where they lay sleeping and stunning those closest to the surface. A band of robbers had discovered the dormant creatures and were prying crystals from crystalline flesh. Skarner, protected from the brunt of the attack by his crystal, erupted from the sand in a terrible frenzy of sharp 
pincers and poisonous 
stabs. Though their numbers all but overwhelmed him, he killed many of the thieves, and the rest fled in terror. Skarner was horrified to learn he was the only one awake, and that many of his people's crystals had already been stolen.
Skarner tried to revive his dormant companions, but the men had broken so many life stones in their thoughtless theft that several Brackern with damaged crystals died moments after Skarner woke them, while others would not wake at all. For weeks Skarner paced the sand above his sleeping brethren in sorrowful mourning. He was certain the crystals would quickly perish in the hands of men, and mourned their loss too.
Yet as the sun broke over the horizon many weeks later, Skarner heard distant echoes calling in his mind. The cries were faint, but rang clear over the land. These voices of the lost stones reached out to him in terror, imploring Skarner to reconnect them with their kind. Skarner hesitated, torn as to whether he should rescue the lost crystals or continue guarding the still-living Brackern. After weeks spent erasing all traces of the excavation, he could not stand to hear the minds of his kin suffering at the hands of the violent humans, and resolved to set out to save the missing crystals.
Skarner began the arduous task of tracking the stones, hoping no others would discover his kin beneath the sand. Though his search is lonely, he occasionally hears a lost crystal calling to him, a feeling that brings joy and anguish in equal measure. He focuses his sorrow into unshakable determination, and refuses to rest until he has recovered every last life stone.
Gameplay
Crystal Scar Minimap
The Crystal Scar is a circular map with 5 capture points.
Unlike other maps which feature laning, the Crystal Scar features a capture-and-hold style of gameplay. This new League of Legends experience is called Dominion. Here two teams of five players battle over a circular map and fight for control over five capture points in an effort to destroy the opposing team’s Nexus, which has a starting health of 500. The team that has captured more points than the other begin to deal damage to the opposing enemy nexus until its health reaches 0. This gameplay is designed to be fluid, with both teams constantly seizing the advantage from one another.
Crystal Scar Map
- This bit of map description is non canon and was around the time the map was removed from the game.
The Crystal Scar was once known as the mining village of Kalamanda, until open war between Demacia and Noxus broke out over control of its vast underground riches. Settle your disputes on this Field of Justice by working with your allies to seize capture points and declare dominion over your enemies!
Features
The outer ring of the Crystal Scar is approximately 28,000 units around, taking about 80 seconds for the average champion to run around without any boots.
Capture Points
- Main article: Capture point
Master Yi attempting to capture the Quarry
Capture points represent important strategic locations across the map. Controlling these points and defending them against the opposition is the central focus of Dominion. These locations are:
- The Windmill, located in the northern part of Kalamanda.
- The Drill, located in Kalamanda’s northeastern section.
- The Boneyard, located in the southeastern section.
- The Quarry, in the southwestern section.
- The Refinery, located in the northwestern section.
Buffs
- Main article: Buff
In the crystal scar there are several fixed position buffs that are placed in strategic locations on the map and come in three different forms:
Greater Relic
Nidalee obtaining the Greater Relic
The Greater Relic grants two powerful, short duration combat buffs, 
Storm Shield: Shield and Lightning, granting an absorption shield and a damaging nuke (that attacks and spellcasts proc) to any one teammate. There is one relic for each team and are team-specific. Positioned right next to each other the relics are located at the very center of the Crystal Scar.
Speed Shrines
Speed Shrine (Crystal Scar)
The Speed Shrines are areas on the map that grant a significant, yet short duration, movement speed bonus to any champion that passes through them. These relics are located in a triangle around the seal.
In Dominion and Ascension, there are 3 Speed Shrines while in Definitely Not Dominion, there are 4.
Health Relics
The Health Relics are placed in ten areas on the map that grant a replenishment of health and mana for the champion that walks over it. A health relic is located behind every capture point and the rest are positioned around the seal.
Items
Crystal Scar Shop
Due to the different pace of the game, Dominion offers new items available only on the Crystal Scar and also prohibits other items to maintain balance. Each champion is also provided with a set of recommended items specially for Dominion mode.
Replaced items
Many Summoner's Rift items are replaced with other items to maintain balance. For instance, the Prospector items replace the Doran items with double the stats and cost (excluding 
Doran's Shield). They are variations of the original items, and remain beneficial to the fast-paced game style of the Dominion game mode. Many of these items are also used on other maps to maintain balance as well.
Replaced items:
| Original items | Dominion items | Twisted Treeline item | Howling Abyss item |
|---|---|---|---|
 Banshee's Veil
|
 Odyn's Veil
|
|
|
 Doran's Blade
|
 Prospector's Blade
|
|
|
 Doran's Ring
|
 Prospector's Ring
|
|
|
 The Bloodthirster
|
 Sanguine Blade
|
|
|
 Zhonya's Hourglass
|
 Wooglet's Witchcap
|
|
|
 Rabadon's Deathcap
|
Wooglet's Witchcap
|
|
|
Notes
- Doran's Shield did not get a replacement item and can still be purchased from the shop.
- Entropy and The Lightbringer were items exclusive to this map but they have since been made available on the Howling Abyss.
- There is only one trinket available. It is different, base on different modes.
Dominion Version
Dominion version of the map was primarily used for the Dominion and Definitely Not Dominion game modes. It hold the standard look until the maps removal from the game.
Ascension Version
Ascension version of the map was used for the Ascension game mode. The largest difference between this map and the standard Dominion one was the increased fog of war placed in all areas of the map besides the centered and ally fountain areas. Besides the channel areas, the outer ring lanes were closed off. Players were not allowed to recall back until they were killed in battle.Trivia
- After the removal of the map from the game and subsequent lore retcon of the The League of Legends, Crystal Scar's canonicity remained unknown.
- Its gradual reintroduction started with the release of the Medarda map (which canonized Kalamanda), and later in the Updated Runeterran Map Development video showcased a Biome map of Runeterra showing Crystal Scar as a location near Kalamanda.
Crystal Scar map has been used for certain special, limited-time, featured game modes that circulate in and out.
- Between September 10 and 25, 2014, Riot made Ascension mode.
- In this mode, it is not possible to leave the fountain on foot. Instead, players must teleport onto one of the ports (originally the capture points in Dominion) via a game mode-exclusive trinket: the Golden Transcendence.
- Ascension features a Shuriman-themed user interface, which displays the team scores and the current Ascended.
- This mode uses all the items and champion changes of Dominion.
- At the center of the map resides Xerath as an Ancient Ascendant: An immobile neutral monster. Killing him bestows the "Ascension" buff. Champions can only ascend by killing the monster and not by killing another Ascended; instead, the Ancient Ascendant will reappear after an Ascended champion is killed. After the ascended is killed, the Ancient Ascendant will respawn ~30 seconds later with a knock back burst.
- Several Icons were given for completing certain task in the mode.
Media
- Related Music
- Related Videos
See Also
- League of Legends: Dominion
- League of Legends: Dominion - Gameplay Behind The Scenes
- League of Legends: Dominion - Art and Sound Behind The Scenes
- Designing Dominance: The Buffs of League of Legends: Dominion
- Designing Dominance: The Minions of League of Legends: Dominion
- Designing Dominance: Quests in League of Legends: Dominion
- Designing Dominance: The Arsenal of League of Legends: Dominion
- League of Legends: Dominion Game Mode Spotlight
References
Template:Places