DH5: 040 -Zilean, The Chronokeeper

Crabthief Fridays and our 40th highfive!

Looks like its time to buy some magic resistance! It's that chronokeeping king Zilean!

Zilean is a really fun looking character that fits into the classic mage role very well. I usually don't care for the floating champions but Zilean's mode of transportation really fits his character. The large time piece on his back really adds to his silhouette and  his spells are just cool enough to get a mention as well. Newer champions are getting better and better looking spells and the original champion's effects are really starting to show their age, luckily Zilean's looks are staying timeless! Uh-oh! That cunning crustacean is back! It looks like he's stolen Zilean's favorite wristwatch and Zilean isn't too happy with him!

In game i'm sure we've all had a BRUTAL experience against this time-bombing terror. Or maybe almost gotten that enemy only to see some wispy clouds form around him and him resurrect and get away? sure we've been on the giving end as well but we can agree that Zilean can really be a really powerful champion. I remember getting nailed with a rewind double timebomb and watching my health just blast down to nothing when i was first getting into the game. Zilean used to be able to sip in and naily you with one without even pulling turret aggro! So is there any time keepers out there that fancy talking about this time-bender? Drop us all a line in the comments below so we can stay on schedule!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 039 -Kennen, The Heart of the Tempest

Alright! 39 highfives!

Man that's our third ninja in a row! it's that storm slinging shurikener Kennen!

Kennen is the third ninja in the ninja trinity and he is a pipsqueak in purple pajamas. He hurls shuriken and zaps around the map in lightning bolts and for the first 2 weeks of his release I thought he was a girl. The trouble with yordle characters I find is that the designer has to try and cram as much stuff onto their small frame as they can to keep him from looking overly simple. They remedy this by giving characters large weaponry or vehicles, Kennen falls into the category of the former with a shuriken he could eat off of. Here he is tossing that ninja-star backwards at whoever is chasing him and applying a shocking mark of the storm to the poor guy!

In game Kennen is a menace, I remember after a buff where he would gain more armor when he does his lightning rush, fighting Kennen made me cry. He's so shrill and can escape from almost anything as well as tie up nearly whole teams with his electrifying ult. Kennen is a monster than needs to be stuffed all game or else you're going to be in trouble. He tends to be built as a AD and AP hybrid and I always found those to be interesting builds because you usually have a greater variety of items to choose from. Although he isn't my kinda champion I know that theres gotta be some folks out there that love storming around with this guy! Sound off below as we wrap up our ninja triniity.

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 038 - Akali, The Fist of Shadow

Alright! Number 38!

Another ninja!? bah, alright let's get these guys all out of the way. It's Akali! That side-boobin' slayer!

Another basic ninja with not too much going on in the design department. But it must be said that a good friend of mine (Ipsquiggle) brought up her dynamic posture and silhouette and I have to agree that with the twin kamas and stealthy, widespread pose she does look interesting on screen. I like the whole smoke bombing thing with lightning quick strikes and it could be totally by accident but she is quite reminiscent of the two ninja type sisters from MK. Although she is most likely derived from some Anime or Manga series that I'm not familiar with and i could just be using my typical ignorance on the subject to totally westernize this character's inspiration, Mortal Kombat invented ninjas right guys?

I have to give a shout out to the player "bogieman" who played a really solid Akali with me a few days ago, I could play a pretty strong push game while Akali would be taking on multiple threats and tying up a lot of the enemy team. I initially thought that Akali was one of those characters that you needed to snowball to be good with but I've been proven wrong on a lot of occasions now and even though she's a ninja I still appreciate her presence on my team. Any fans of this kama-slinging slicer? drop a comment below along with your favorite smoke bomb!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 037 - Shen, Eye of Twilight

37th highfive! no way!

Ewwww it's a ninja! How did he get in here!? looks like it's that saving shinobi Shen! ready to stop those assailants with a well timed shield!

I gotta say that the ninja champs that hang around in LoL are a bit on the generic side. They are all extremely symmetrical with hardly any variety at all. I think the main problem is they tried to be too authentic with these designs and the weapons and armor stray so little from the norm that they fall on the side of blandness. Shen is still a neat champion regardless though because of his toughness and tanky nature usually reserved for character types other than ninjas. the dual ninja-tos on his back and spiky shoulder armor are a nice touch and his surgeon skin is pretty slick as well. I'm also a pretty nostalgic guy, so to see him look like the ninjas in MK is pretty cool. (even though pirates ARRRR a lot better).

I pick on Shen a lot in some of my other sketches but it's really because he can save people at the perfect time and totally ruin a fight for the other team. He has a neat playstyle and is hilarious when put on a global team with TF, Pantheon and Nocturne or something. I was  always a little suspicious of the energy system in LoL but I figure that they are adding even more systems like rage and heat so there's gotta be something in the balance. Shen can taunt and although I hate getting hit by it, i love that it force taunts characters. It really makes you think before committing to a team fight or even a tower dive. So is there any Shen fans? sound off here with your stories of ninja saving action!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 036 - Gragas, The Rabble Rouser

Our 36th Highfive! Hooray!

Get out of his way! it's that bruising boozer Gragas! Ready to body slam his way right into your team!

Gragas is a really fun looking champ, there definitely aren't enough giant bellied champions with lightning bolts war-painted to their bulks. He's probably got some of the greatest skins out there that range from gentleman to scuba, to hillbilly. His weapons are the casks that are rolled around and thrown around. he also slides into combat gut fist ready to bust up the enemies with his barroom brawling. A giant beard to go with his Giant Girth and you got yourself one hell of a champion! I've already given this one a shot but had to revisit him in the daily highfive style and get him a sportier cask for those champions on the go!

I never really got into caster Gragas, I primarily was tank Gragas and on the odd time attack damage Gragas. Those roles were a lot of fun to take on and you could get a lot of control to start happening in team fights. Then a nerf came that ruined my game, they added one more second to the cool down on body slam. It's weird but this totally ruined my Gragas game. I was so used to body slamming a certain way, that to add a second to the timer would totally throw me off. It was really interesting  to notice how one second can make all the difference in the world. Now I'm more focused on caster Gragas, but I think that I'd miss rocking that AP burst machine Sion too much to switch. Any Fans of the Grags? Drop us a line so we can Revel in this Rabble Rouser's glory!

-jouste the drawbarian 

Weekender vol. 008

Time to detect some metal with that deranged duo!

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The eighth weekender is here!

Another week has blown by and with it a series of daily highfives! I'm racking up something like 35 pictures so far and 8 weekenders it's actually going by pretty good! Picked up the Mortal Kombat this week and boy is it great. I've been super blown away at the amount of content on the disc and how trapped in the 90's the game is. It's a video game that knows it's a video game and isn't afraid to embrace the cheesiness of the characters and situations.

Lets follow some artists! I know these guys get billions of press anyways but check out the daily chops of Skottie Young and Scott Morse  when they tackle characters daily right Here! Its so great to see that whimsical style applied to some of the most famous characters ever created. Those champs even sell thier originals! what an awesome collaboration!

Have an excellent Easter pals!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 035 - Nasus, The Curator of the Sands

Crabthief Fridays! And our thirty fifth highfive!

Keep an eye on that steamrolling Anubis! Looks like it's Nasus the biggest dog on the block!

Egyptian stuff is pretty sweet. Nasus has a pretty cool look about him sans his strange staff that appears to be made from jade and incorporates an eye of Rah motif. The staff just doesn't read too well and if a had to say something else it would be that his proportions are a little too even and could use some mixing up. I'm probably picking on him too much, the fact is, when Nasus hits that steroid ult and all that sand whirls around his avatar form it's a very cool thing to behold. And it looks like that sneaky Crabthief is back! Taking away Nasus' favorite remains, a juicy bone!

In game a few of my close friends rock the Sand storming stomper that is Nasus. They get his siphoning strike stacked up to stupid amounts and crush towers and champions alike by late game. A really cool champion that fits a role of off tanking with a sever punch. And man do I love wither, it's like a poor man's exhaust that can really take the wind out of an AD champ's sails and allow your team to take them out of the fight early, or catch up to that straggler. Any fans of that dog-faced destroyer of doom? Drop a comment right here and howl!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 034 - Vladimir, The Crimson Reaper

Hooray! it's the 34th highfive!

Hold onto your blood people! It's that pooling powerhouse Vladimir! Did you think that you could have brought this slippery slayer down? Shink again! Sanguine pool!

Oh man do I detest this cool whipped topping, castlevainia clothes wearing, creep. His look really never impressed me because it felt so familiar. He's got the metal finger set up that's kinda cool and his abilities seem to match what a hemo-mage might be doing but other than that I could never really find anything to endearing about this character design wise. I do understand the draw however, he's a romanticized version of that regal vampire lord that we are all familiar with and to be able to play that arrogance is a lot of fun.

In game I cannot stand this guy, he's got a stupid blood pool that basically lets him slip away from practically anything, the ability to build straight damage and still be tanky or build tanky and still be able to dole out huge punishment. I hate the fact that at level nine he feels like the most powerful champion there ever was, and the list goes on. As you can probably tell I never really got into Vlad, i know people play him and can really abuse his power and that's great but this is one champion that really gets my blood boiling. Anyone main his monster? drop us a blood-soaked line in the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 033 - Swain, The Master Tactician

The thirty third highfive! Alright!

Stay on your toes! it's that hobbling horror Swain! ready to go all death crow-transformation on your ass!

Swain is another character who's design initially just didn't gel with me. He has he sweet laser-crow and some fun skins but he boils down to some old guy with a cane and a smothering of robes. After doing this highfive I started to appreciate his simplicity a little more and now kind of like the way he looks. When he transforms, it makes the ultimate spell seem all the more intense when his regular form appears to be a little mundane so I suppose that was the direction his designers were going in. I love familiars and his 6 eyed purple crow monster is a perfect addition to this lean design.

Swain seems to fill a strange role in games. His CC is pretty awesome if aimed correctly, his lifesteal can make him tank straight through certain situations, and his laser-crows can really add a huge amount of damage if they get off at the right moment. So he's kind of a bulky caster with some specialized attacks, a character that i'm not very strong with but I know a few players that can really become a menace with this guy. Anyone main this monstrous man? A few comments regarding his regal reputation would be welcomed!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 032 - Garen, The Might of Demacia

Alright! the thirty-second highfive! Hooray!

What's that thing spinning out of the bushes!? Why it's everyone's favorite helicoptering hero, Garen!

Garen is a pretty typical design of a buffed out knight but I really like his presence and heroic proportions. He was one of the first champions, in my opinion that really started showing some great modeling and design work. his abilities are pretty straight forward but the real show-stopper is his ult where he lets out a mighty bellow and a giant sword comes right down from the sky to impale his enemies. He's one of the only champions who can be heard constantly by the other team, Garen's war cries are definitely a part of his character as well as his heavy armor.

In game, Garen was almost always picked when he first came out. a monster who owned the bushes and could pull back for a second and regenerate up no problem for longer laning. no cost to any abilities? check, a solid silencing ability for casters? check, the ability to finish off low HP stragglers in one move? check. The guy was a beast. you didn't even need to get that many items on  the guy to really ruin the other team. Sunfire stacking Garen was a force to behold, but he soon was met with some nerfing. Sunfire capes became unique and his stats were brought down as well. We'll all still look fondly on Garen and being able to "spin it to win it". Any fans of Garen? original Sunfire stacking slayer, or the newer, toned-down terrorizer? Drop us a line in  the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 031 - Trundle, The Cursed Troll

Zounds! our thirty first highfive!

Stay out of the jungle folks! It's that creep from the cave Trundle! 

Trundle is another champ that came out amidst a pretty long stint of boring looking champs. I already took a quick crack at him, but honestly could probably draw rotting trolls all day. I like his giant club and the way he hobbles all over the place, and his colors are simple but effective as well. Trundle's spells are nice and nasty, with my favorite being a stony monolith rising out of the ground in a pool of filthy slime that slows down your foes. His story is a tad tragic as well because of his martyrdom to his tribe. All in all an interesting character design from multiple angles. I even picked Trundle for my Pony entry in a Forum contest.

In game I'm slowly getting the hang of Trundle, my jungling is getting tighter and i'm figuring out where to jump out and when to dive into their jungle to mess up the other team. I've seen Trundles pick up thorn mail and just ruin champs, and with his "invisible" ultimate, also bring down tanks. I say invisible because amidst the flashing of a team fight, a lot of players can't see his filthy dandruff DoT style ultimate and quickly forgets that their armor and magic resistance is down. Anyone Trundling? drop us a line! we'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

Weekender vol. 007

Did it just get a little James Bond in here?

Looks like it's service with a bang! Our degenerate duo have come across a box of active grenades! It's a good thing Frugal Spaceman brought along his neighbor's tennis racquet!

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Week six is over! Huzzah!

This week was ridiculous, I almost wrecked my arm from drawing so much. It's time to seriously start organizing the amount of things to start up and commit too. Work has been a lot of fun and it's been refreshing being able to talk comics and artists again with a pile of people who really appreciate it. A friend of mine is wanting to get into writing, so I told him to write, like now. It bothers me that writers spend a lot of time and every not writing or hunting for excuses on why they aren't. If I can draw on a sky train a writer can write something down on one just as easily.

Lets follow up some blogs! Here's Gorrem! A slick art-jockey residing in NY and rocking out at 38 Studios. Gorrem always cranks out high quality stuff but the biggest draw for me is how he can swing so seamlessly switch from monstrous to mass-appeal with seemingly no effort. The guy is all over the place with awesome and can pull off a seriously convincing Dan Hibiki to boot.

Have an excellent week pals!

-jouste the drawbarian   

DH5: 030 - Corki, The Daring Bombardier

Crabthief Fridays and our thirtieth highfive!

Better get some thornmail son! today we're visiting that aggressive aerial attacker Corki! 

Corki exhibits the pushed geometry of most of the mechanical creations in League of Legends. Most Yordel technology tends to have this warped look to their structure and Corki's bomber is no exception. I do think that the bomber itself suffers from that same generic look with little to no visual breaks over it's body, but the welding and paneling makes up for the stock gray of the body in a few ways. the mustache is awesome. It appears that Crabthief has pilfered a wrench! Watch out crab! looks like Corki isn't afraid to open up on thieving crustaceans!

In game corki is a monster (and pretty broken in ARAM). He's a high damage carry that can escape pretty easily and keep pounding his enemies a range. the minigun at the front cuts down armor adding big utility in team fights and he can pop stealthers with his phosphorus bomb. He's kind of a jack of all trades and if he isn't handled with some strategy, an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Anybody fans of this high-flying fiend? drop us a line in the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

  

DH5: 029 - Kassadin, The Void Walker

29th highfive! Hooray!

There is no escape! it's that vicious voidwalker Kassadin! ready to silence you forever with his void sphere!

I've already given Kassadin a shot but not in the style of the highfive and I also gave him feet which some people did not like very much so here he is! Kassadins design is a little strange. He's got this mess of a respirator on his face like some kind of metal squid and the blacks and purples aren't different enough in value to really let anything pop. The most noticeable thing is his "Void" powers that are represented by kind of a static blast noise pattern on a very bright purple/pink, I feel that it's a good representation of something foreign in the world but it comes off as a little too strong. It cold be that Malzahar's Void attacks are more recent so appear to be better looking due mainly to the more practiced effects team.

In game I haven't seen to many Kassadin's lately but when a good one shows up and snags a few kills the get to be these roaming, un-catchable monsters. With a teleport on very low cooldown that deals damage and an on demand silence he really is a mean character to be fighting. Kassadin has a pretty difficult playstyle that definitely isn't for everyone, I really admire strong Kassadin players because the few times I gave this Voidwalker a shot I was soundly thrashed. Any fans of the teleporting typhoon Kassadin? Drop us a comment so we can catch up!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 028 - Galio, The Sentinel's Sorrow

The 28th highfive is hot off of the presses!

I hope you're all wearing your mercury treads! Looks like it's that grand gargoyle Galio! Ready to waltz his way into your entire party!

Galio is a pretty neat design over all, he feels like a very durable character and the animations carry a lot of weight even though he is constantly airborne. He is another champ who's body pattern is a little too consistent and could use something to break up the visual monotony. Again we are seeing those pushed proportions on another champion that Riot seems to nail on their more bizarre characters consistently. His spell effects mix up his look nicely and he has a real visual presence on the battlefield.

I remember when Galio was the most popular tank out there. It seemed that he was in every game, and the team whoever Idol-ed last laughed last. A tank where stacking magic resistance made him deal more damage? yes please. Galio could lane like a monster, poke with his abilities, and then wrap up entire team fights with his brutal crowd controlling ultimate. He curved well into all parts of the game and was nerfed into obscurity. I see the odd Galio now but he's not as crazy as he used to be. I always like champions that use flash for initiating and Galio is no exception to the power of a bush flash ultimate! Any of you goons think the grand gargoyle is great? drop us a line in the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 027 - Poppy, The Iron Ambassador

Alright! The 27th highfive is here!

Better get running away because it's that durable damsel Poppy! Totally ready to beat you down and body check you into oblivion!

Poppy is a neatly designed character, I worry that her unique approach might have turned some people off because she's one of those characters that teeters on the edge of "cute" and "circus freakshow". Recently she's been given some better splash screen art that I'm pretty sure was drawn by the talented Katie of Riot games. She's kind of a squat bruiser that has a bit of that World of warcraft gnome/dwarf thing going for her, unfortunately the weapon and armor designs are a little too obtuse and lack  the clean efficiency that other fantasy games tend to execute in their designs.

In game Poppy can really tear it up. She Makes carries cry and just ignores everything but her target while she utterly destroys them in a very barbaric series of boisterous moves. I hear that she farms pretty slow so you can out pace her in creep score but I think we've all been in a position as a caster or squishier character, and seen this miniature monster come tearing after us while sporting a banshee's veil and move speed quints. Anyone a fan of this furious female? Leave some stories or strats in the comments below!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 026 - Mordekaiser, The Master of Metal

Hooray for Week 6!

Get ready for some durable lane work. It's that notoriously nasty Mordekaiser! Swinging around that massive mace must get pretty strenuous for that metallic monster!

Mordekaiser is a pretty neat design, A living suit of armor with a giant weapon covered in spines. He's got a great silhouette but has a no visual breaks in his metallic body. This makes him look like a big,sharp and shiny blob at times. The huge Mace is swung well in the attack animations and his clunky stride looks great in game. Another home run on the proportional side of things and his spell effects add an interesting touch of shrapnel to his design. Here we have him taking a break to appreciate some small yellow birds.

In game Morde can really push a lane, he can just stay in there forever, charging up his shield and regenerating health from his ultimate spell. I remember when he was a little more buffed, you could just throw him solo mid or top and take the tower down super early because the jerk could out push like anyone. One of the more interesting things I head about Mordekaiser was that a team in one of the tourneys based off their entire strategy on his ultimate and the slave it made. The team would roam around and when they got into team fights they'd throw Morde's Ultimate on a champ, focus him down in seconds and get the ghost to help them make the fight a 6v4. it was a really neat strategy.

-jouste the drawbarian.

Weekender vol. 006

Power zip line doubles!

Frugal Spaceman and Major shark take to the skies with some cheap zip line action! looks like even major shark wasn't too sure about this idea!

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Week five is no longer alive!

I'm wrapping up some side projects and continually drawing for cartoons at my work. Trying to decide which, if any, of my own characters would fit well into a web series. I'm tied between a long story or a series of short ones, although I've found that setting your standards too early can be a pain like in my Tales from the Tarpit series. The 15 panel set up was established without me even really thinking what I was getting into and all of a sudden I was trapped in this Pseudo-Sunday funnies format that requires a whole bunch of gag-panels.

How about a couple Blog shout outs! Here's my good friend Jake Collinge on the blog deal. A tight artist who is up to his armpits in creature and environmental skills (that may be undercutting him a bit because he is pretty short). And how about everyone who' a fan of monsters! check out that awesome blog Monster Brains that gets in some amazing retro and contemporary monster art, everything form classic paintings to VHS covers, one of my faves for sure!

Have an excellent week everyone! More LoL characters on the way!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 025 - Twisted Fate, The Card Master

Crabthief Fridays! And our 25th highfive!

Hope you travel in packs! Because here comes that crafty card-slinging comrade Twisted Fate! Always ready to deal out some damage and fold his enemies in half!

Twisted Fate seems like a pretty classic design in League of Legends.He's got a simple palette, bulkier and slab-like chunks of armor, and pushed proportions making him an interesting looking character to say the least. He seems to be in control and very confident which is a great bow to his design when it can procure those kind of elements out of nothing but his silhouette. he's also got a bit of a Gambit feel which is a fun 90ish throwback. Here he has been playing a game of poker with the crabthief, it looks like the crabthief decided to change the game and bolt away with some cash in the face of an obvious loss!

In game TF has been changed a few times but has always remained a tricky character that can keep the entire enemy team on their toes with a full map reveal and a teleport anywhere. He can backdoor quite easily and end up dealing so much damage that any 1v1 instance will usually end in his favor. I do find him pretty squishy and remember a game where we solely picked on the enemies TF over and over, keeping his levels low and is moral even lower. You gotta be pretty crafty to keep this card-slinger in the runnings and stay out of the big scraps and choose your fights well. Any fans of this full-house flinging fiend? share your strats or stories on this super-quick sultan of the straight!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 024 - Renekton, The Butcher of the Sands

Alright! The 24th highfive is here!

Keep a wary eye out everyone. It's Renekton! That crocodillian killing machine!

Egypt is a really cool place to pull inspiration and design ideas from. there's that symmetry and almost mathematical air about Egyptian aesthetics that traditional medieval warfare just wont have. Its cool that Riot brought Renekton into the mix as the second Egyptian influence after Nasus. He's got a great looking weapon and is a crocodile man, a cool combo of design choices and a solid looking champ for sure.

In game Renekton is my kind of champion; Burly and Scrappy, ready to get knee deep in a fight and stay there. His steroid feels really strong and his move kit is a pretty tight one. I believe that currently people are claiming that he's a bit too strong but I think that it's just this whole "tanky DPS" problem that the current meta game might be running into. Are you crazy for this croc? drop a story or strat in the comments and keep this scaly slayer sated!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 023 - Jax, Grandmaster at Arms

The 23rd highfive! Alright!

Yikes! Leap strike! It's that dodging and damaging death-dealer Jax! flying through the air to end your time alive!

I like the proportions of Jax quite a bit, he's built like a very tough looking guy with some speed in him. I actually remember first seeing him and his street-lamp wielding set up really early in the beta and being drawn to a pretty well laid out color palette and interesting accessory choices. Riot tends to cram every element of eastern culture into their champs but I believe that with Jax they scored a healthy medium of their own influences. His skin selection is very interesting and "Vandal Jax" is very well done with a much meaner looking masher.

In game Jax used to be a monster, he's one of those champions that's gone through some fluctuation during his time in the roster. Initially we'd get first time players to try him out amongst our friends for his very direct play style. Now I don't really see a lot of Jaxes in the games I play but every now and then one will show up and remind me just how terrible that auto-attacking monster really is. Any fans of that weaponless wonder Jax? sound off here in the comments or that giant leap strike he's doing will land on you!

-jouste the drawbarian.

DH5: 022 - Annie, The Dark Child

It's the 22nd highfive! hooray!

Looks like things are going to be heating up! It's that pint-sized pyromaniac Annie! ready to rain down doom and destruction along with terrifying teddies!

Annie's design is a pretty interesting one. My favorite aspect of it is her giant stuffed bear golem who lumbers around and enters from the sky as a crazy flaming meteor. Her voice is like a concentrated ray of cuteness that gets a little overwhelming after about her third line. The firepowers are pretty neat and she skips along the battlefield instead of walking along it like a regular champion. Annie's always been a favorite from a community standpoint and they seem to be eagerly waiting for a teenager Annie to make it to the field.

Game wise she has one mean initiator, the giant bear named Tibbers that can crack down and stun everybody in a big blast of fire. The only time I ended up playing her was in an ARAM game and even with that unorthodox playstyle, I could use her pretty well. I also remember back when Leviathan would give you 2 stacks just for assisting and every caster in the game would buy the thing. Annie players would pick up a Leviathan and become unstoppable. Any Annie adorers out there? Let that pipsqueak know you care with some comments!

-jouste the drawbarian

DH5: 021 - Cho'Gath, The Terror of the Void

The 21st highfive is here!


Keep an eye on your health total folks, because here comes that violent void terror Cho'Gath who is always willing to take a bite out of anything!


I've always had a problem with Cho's design. Mainly it's because it looks very similar to Todd McFarlane's Violator with some of his Maleboglia in there for good measure. Both those designs are fine for the Spawn series, but it literally looks like they were just ripped right off and plugged into League of Legends. He's supposed to be a horrible monster from the Void but ends up coming off as a cheap imitation in my opinion. Luckily he has one of the most fun legendary skins with a monocle and dapper top hat as Gentlemen Cho. In this picture I made the greedy Cho Rupturing a piece of pie so he can chomp it in mid air!


In game Cho'Gath is a beast who can become such a giant battlefield presence that people end up never even engaging the monster at all due to his insanely high health pool and strong crowd control. Another character that can be turned into a mage for some really surprising burst damage and a feast that can rip the lighter characters apart. Any fans of the beastly Cho'Gath? Any players take up the terror as a tank or monstrous mage? 


-jouste the drawbarian

Weekender vol. 005

Bargain bin of DvD action!


Looks like Frugal Spaceman got caught up in the deal of a lifetime! Major Shark might need to pull up a little more slack in this fight, at least until Frugal Spaceman makes a decision!
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Week four is out the door!


What a super week it has been, I recently got back in touch with a very interesting opportunity that I'm hoping goes through. My work's been a lot of fun, designing stuff for cartoons sure is a blast and I'm learning a ton.


I'm also learning that I might need to upgrade my home set up to a 21ux cintiq because I've tasted the sweet sweet nectar of the 21ux at work and would really like one for my personal projects at home. 


Anybody excited for the new MK? I know I am, such a meaty and snappy game that's gonna bring back a ton of memories and make a few new ones as well.


Here's hoping everyone has an awesome week! I'll still be cranking out the LoL champions!


-jouste the drawbarian.

DH5: 020 - Urf, The Manatee

Alright! the 20th highfive! happy April Fool's everyone!

Buy a flak jacket and turn on on your outboard motor because it is Urf, The Manatee!

Urf was announced as a champion for April Fools day and has snuck his way into some maps and champion spotlights. To be honest I was a little sad to learn that he was only going to be a Warwick skin (the BEST Warwick skin IMO) mainly because i was hoping for the character design to take a little bit of a surreal twist as the game went on. Urf has that eclectic and bizarre style that makes him just crazy and fun to talk about, he wields a mini-gun, a spatula, and a fish and flops around the battle field.

So today's hero is paying tribute to that flabby fighter with the fatal folds of fat. And it looks like crabthief is back! Stealing some fish and escaping as fast as he can! i think I will try to get crabthief in at least one picture a week. So sound off if you remember this great joke character! It's always great when developer's get into the spirit of April Fools, especially with results as zany as this one!

-jouste the drawbarian