PBE: Thresh, the CC-Machine!

After a quite a long time, we have another champion being tested on PBE! You want to know his strengths and weaknesses? Check out this champion preview to learn more about this upcoming champion.



Let me introduce to you: Thresh, The Chain Warden. CC-machine extraordinaire! He comes with numerous ways to not only lock down enemies, but deal tons of damage in the process. Thresh is a member of the Shadow Isles, he was a merciless jail warden in life, and a force of evil in death. He was hung by the inmates he looked after by the very chains he not only tortured them with, but also carries around with him this very day. It appears that he’s searching for something, a specific soul, but we know not who that soul belongs to.





Preview of her Abilities









Let’s delve right into his abilities! (clickable)

• Keeper of Souls (Passive)
  Thresh collects souls from his defeated foes. Each soul is worth a set amount of AP/Armor, starting at a 1:1 ratio and slowly decreasing until it reaches .5 per soul at 51 stacks. This used to work for Magic Resistance as well, but that part of his passive has currently been removed on the beta.




• Death Sentence (Q)
• Passive
Thresh deals bonus damage to enemies based upon how many souls he’s collected up to 200% of his maximum AD at its final rank. This charges up to the cap over time. It’s essentially Ashe’s passive, but always useful. With around 100 souls and an Infinity Edge, he hits between 100-500 bonus damage per auto-attack based upon how long he’s been waiting.
• Active
Thresh’s Q is a hook. It is a cross between that of Blitzcrank’s and Nautilus’ in the sense that it can pull his enemies toward him, or him toward his enemies via re-casting. Because of the strength of this spell, it is unable to pull enemies over walls, but can pull Thresh over walls to his enemies (or jungle creeps for a quick escape). Keep in mind that Thresh can also move whilst pulling his enemies.

• Dark Passage (W)
  Thresh throws his lantern, upon hitting the ground, it grants a shield to all allies nearby. This is great for clutch saves not only because it gives his allies a shield, but also because if his allies click his lantern, he will drag them back to his position. This means that Skarner+Thresh or Nidale+Thresh combinations could become extremely lethal (Skarner ulting and then clicking Thresh’s lantern to save both himself and murder the enemy team’s AD carry, and Nidalee spears dealing 400 damage at level 1). It’s also a great way to protect and save your jungler when they attempt to steal Baron or Dragon, and protect your team if they get caught out of position. Dark Passage can also collect souls when thrown on top of them.




• Flay (E)
  Thresh deals damage. Not only this, however, but he can cause his enemies to move whichever way he chooses, be it away from him, toward him, or to his left or right. This is a great team-wide CC or single-target CC that can be used to lock down enemies for an ungodly amount of time when paired with Death Sentence.




• The Box (R)
  Thresh creates a five-walled box around his position (There shall be no breaking the fourth wall jokes here, folks). When an enemy walks through a wall, they’re heavily damaged and slowed. By heavily, I mean 550 points of base magic damage at once at rank 3, not to mention it currently has a 1:1 AP ratio. Further enemies that walk through walls take reduced damage and slow duration. Initiating with Death Sentence, following up with Flay, and then finishing with The Box is going to be your basic combo of abilities, allowing you to dish out tons of damage or forcing an enemy to stay put and get blown up. If they’re good enough they can flash over, but if they panic and flash when they’re near you, they will flash right on top of one of your walls, drastically reducing their own health in the process as well as blowing their flash for nothing.

Why should you play Thresh?



Thresh functions well in top lane, bot lane (as a support), and a jungler. His ganks are absolutely beautiful, and one shouldn’t be afraid to tower dive with a Thresh around. If you like Nautilus, Blitzcrank, or CC-chain champions, you’re bound to love Thresh. He not only forgives the mistakes of your team, but absolutely punishes the mistakes of your opponents. He can hold his own by himself, and is a force to be reckoned with in a team fight, especially with his signature ultimate, The Box.





Have you already tried “The Chain Warden” on PBE? Share your impressions and opinion in the comment section below!