League of Legends: Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow revealed

Riot Games has officially unveiled their newest League of Legends champion: Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow.

Adding versatility to a team comp, Jayce can fill the role of fighter or ranged carry. His transforming weapon allows him to adapt to any situation that unfolds on the Fields of Justice.

Unlike the majority of champions, Jayce's ultimate is available at level 1. He can activate it to transform the weapon into either the short range Mercury Hammer or hte long range Mercury Cannon. On each transition, Jayce receives a bonus effect on his next basic attack that either shreds the target’s defensive stats (ranged mode) or deals significantly increased damage (melee mode).

"Selecting the right weapon type for your current engagement is the key to playing Jayce effectively," Riot said in the champion reveal. "While ranged, Jayce can pepper enemies with ranged attacks, deploying Shock Blast and Hypercharge to wear down opponents while utilizing Acceleration Gate to keep his team at a safe distance. Having worn an enemy down in this manner, Acceleration Gate can be repurposed to give chase, allowing him to shift his weapon into its hammer form and leap into the fray with To The Skies!"

"Once he’s closed the distance, he can utilize Thundering Blow to pick up a quick kill, while the additional Armor from being in melee mode gives him the toughness necessary to either withdraw or continue fighting at close range. However you choose to play Jayce, canny shifting between his weapon modes will make or break your success on the battlefield."

So let's get right down to his abilities. Jayce actually has two sets of abilities, one for his Mercury Hammer and the other for his Mercury Cannon.

Abilities (Mercury Hammer):

• Hextech Capacitor (Passive): Jayce gains a quick burst of movement speed and ignores unit collision each time Transform is cast
• To the Skies!: Jayce leaps to an enemy dealing physical damage and slowing enemies.
• Lightning Field:
  • Passive: Jayce restores mana per strike.
  • Active: Jayce creates a field of lightning damaging nearby enemies for several seconds.
• Thundering Blow: Jayce deals magic damage to an enemy based on their maximum health and knocks them back a short distance.
• Transform: Mercury Cannon (Ultimate): Transforms the Mercury Hammer into the Mercury Cannon gaining new abilities and increased range. The first attack in this form reduces the target's Armor and Magic Resist.

Abilities (Mercury Cannon)

• Hextech Capacitor (Passive): Jayce gains a quick burst of movement speed and ignores unit collision each time Transform is cast
• Shock Blast: Jayce fires an orb of electricity that detonates upon hitting an enemy (or reaching the end of its path) dealing physical damage to all enemies in the area of the explosion.
• Hyper Charge: Jayce gains a burst of energy, increasing attack speed to maximum for several attacks.
• Acceleration Gate: Jayce deploys an Acceleration Gate increasing the movement speed of all allies who pass through it. If Shock Blast is fired through the gate the missile speed, range, and damage will increase.
• Transform: Mercury Hammer (Ultimate): Transforms the Mercury Cannon into the Mercury Hammer gaining new abilities and increasing Armor and Magic Resist. The first attack in this form deals additional magic damage.

I haven't yet had a chance to play Jayce on the public testing environment, but he sounds like a lot of fun. There's been a lot of negativity surrounding Jayce since his announcement. Since he's the 100th champion to come to League of Legends, fans have been complaining that he isn't special enough or doesn't offer uniqueness that one would expect from the landmark number.

Personally, I see nothing wrong with him. He looks like a fun champion, albeit similar to Nidalee. Before I cast my official opinion on him, I'll have to get some hands on time with Jayce first. Be sure to check back when he releases for our thoughts and opinion on Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow.