New League Of Legends Champions Explained

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Arcane season 2.

Arcane season 2’s finale hinted that one of the show’s impending spin-offs will center on Mel Medarda, teasing two League of Legends characters as villains in the process. Arcane season 2’s ending was world-altering for Mel. After being taken by the Black Rose and revealed to be a sister of the magical coven, she fully unlocked her latent magical powers. This positioned Mel as one of Arcane‘s many League of Legends champions, while also providing the basis of a new story in Netflix’s animated world.

Many League of Legends-based spin-offs of Arcane are in the works, as was confirmed by the show’s creators before season 2 even started airing. Since Ambessa Medarda’s introduction to Arcane and the brief backstory she provided about Noxus, many have suspected that the warmongering kingdom would be the setting for another story in this universe. Through Mel, an important member of Arcane‘s cast of characters, this was all but confirmed, as were two villains that could oppose the former councilwoman of Piltover.

Mel’s Ending Teases Upcoming Noxus-Based Arcane Spin-Offs

Mel’s Story Took A Major Turn

Firstly, it is worth exploring the ways that Mel’s ending in Arcane confirmed Noxus as the setting of an upcoming spin-off. After uncovering her powers and forming a defense of Piltover against Ambessa, Mel fought directly against her mother with the aid of Caitlyn. After a hard fight due to Ambessa’s brutal skills as a warrior, Mel and Caitlyn manage to overpower the Noxian warlord. With the aid of Arcane‘s Black Rose,Mel subdued Ambessa and killed her, setting her on a new path.

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As Ambessa was defeated, however, Mel turned her back on the Black Rose. She somewhat exorcised the leader of the magical coven, defeating Ambessa herself while making an enemy of the witches. In Arcane‘s epilogue, Mel is shown wearing clothes similar to her mother’s, holding her golden mask, and sailing away from Piltover with her fleet, implying that she is taking Ambessa’s place as the leader of her Noxian regiment. This, combined with her opposition to the Black Rose, sets up her return to Noxus as a spin-off of Arcane.

League Of Legends Champions Swain & LeBlanc Were Teased In Arcane Season 2’s Ending

Two New Champions Are On The Horizon

The new League of Legends villains that Mel will have to come up against in her spin-off are Swain and LeBlanc. Starting with the latter, LeBlanc was theorized to be part of Arcane season 2 since the emergence of the Black Rose. In League of Legends lore, LeBlanc is the leader of the Black Rose, with a line from Arcane season 2’s final episode essentially confirming her as the person Mel defied in the fight against Ambessa. Mel states “I see your face, deceiver,” before defeating the Black Rose witch. In League of Legends, LeBlanc’s subtitle is “The Deceiver.”

Where Swain is concerned, Arcane‘s set-up of his character is slightly more subtle. In League of Legends, Swain is known as the ruthless grand general of the Noxian empire. In order to secure the Noxian conquest, Swain uses multi-eyed ravens as scouts and spies, which are extensions of his demonic powers. In Arcane season 2’s finale, a multi-eyed raven is seen picking over the remains of Piltover, later flying alongside Mel’s fleet. This teases that Noxus’ leader has his eye, or eyes, on Mel as she returns home.

Swain & LeBlanc Fit Mel’s Arcane Storyline Perfectly

These Champions Are Excellent Choices For Arcane Spin-Offs

Overall, Swain and LeBlanc are the best League of Legends champions to include as enemies of Mel due to how well they fit what has been established of her character. As alluded to, Mel’s opposition to the Black Rose is overt, meaning LeBlanc fits as a natural extension of her Arcane ending. The Black Rose will likely want revenge against Mel or even want to continue trying to recruit her given how powerful her magical abilities are. Regardless, LeBlanc has solidified herself as a key player in Mel’s future.

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Regarding Swain, he could be a replacement for Ambessa. Mel has always been opposed to her mother’s warlike ways, and although Mel embraced them to a point in Arcane season 2’s finale, it is hard to imagine her accepting Noxus’ tyranny completely. When she returns home, she will likely look to be a better leader for Noxus than the one her mother was and, by extension, the one Swain is. When imagining Swain as a replacement, only on a much bigger scale, for Arcane‘s Ambessa, the choice of him as one of two League of Legends champions to oppose Mel makes a lot of sense.

Set in the League of Legends universe, Arcane focuses on sisters Violet and Powder (later Jinx) as they end up on opposite sides of a growing conflict between the wealthy utopia of Piltover and its dark undercity whose citizens wish to break away from their oppressors. Hailee Steinfeld, Ella Purnell, and Kevin Alejandro star in this animated adventure. 

Release Date

November 6, 2021

Writers

Christian Linke , Alex Yee

Directors

Pascal Charrue , Arnaud Delord

Showrunner

Christian Linke , Alex Yee