Now let's talk about the next new champion we plan on releasing into the wild. This new champion will be a solo lane AD assassin. It's been a while, I know. There are very few of these types of champions in the game and we know a lot of you love playing them. This champion's arrival will send you deep into the jungles of Runeterra where a brand new faction, hidden from the rest of the world, will reveal itself. This assassin has powers which give them all the elements they need to use their surroundings in clever and innovative ways.
Trespassers beware and stay away from the walls, for nowhere is safe when you enter deep into these jungles.
The first attack or ability against an enemy champ deals bonus damage. This cooldown resets when she draws a new element.
Edge of Ixtal
Qiyana slashes the area in front of her dealing damage. If her weapon is using an element, her weapon hurls forward as a projectile and explodes.
River - Roots opponents on hit.
Wall - Deals bonus damage to units with low health.
Brush - Leaves a stealth trail that gives movement speed.
Terrashape
Targeting an element, Qiyana dashes forward to gather its power. While enchanted, she gains movement speed near the element, attack speed, and bonus damage.
Audacity
Qiyana dashes a fixed distance towards a target, dealing damage to them.
Supreme Display of Talent
Qiyana creates a shockwave, knocking back enemies. Any River, Brush, or Wall hit by the shockwave then explodes dealing damage and briefly stunning enemies.
Qiyana's gameplay hook is based around picking up the various elements around the map and using them.[4]
Influences for Qiyana include various rappers, telenovela villains and Zsa Zsa Gabor.[5]
Qiyana's codename in development was EleRivenBlade.[6]
Qiyana's placeholder model in development was a recolored Riven.[7]
One of the original visual directions for Qiyana was for her to be from a new race of metal people from a new continent.[8]
One of the original narrative directions for Qiyana was for her to be the Queen of the new faction (now known as Ixtal).
Visual goals for Qiyana included her being a female AD assassin as well as a cute yet evil champion, due both opportunity spaces previously lacking.[8]
Qiyana's visual design is possibly influenced by Tira from Soul Calibur.
In development, Elemental Wrath's river enchantment was her stealth and the grass enchantment was her root.[9]
In development, Qiyana was able to control fire but was scrapped due to the lack of fire on Summoner's Rift.[10]