Welcome to Sir helgates Azir Guide. I am in no way a pro player. and I won't claim that this build will catapult you into high elo gold ranked juicy goodness. Though I can promise you I had plenty of fun making people squirm under my boot with this build.

Primarily this build focuses less on bursting and fighting but sustaining in lane, feel free to switch out certain build items for situations.

Like if you feel you don't need health or further health/slowing potential ignore crystal Scepter and build Seekers into Zonyas, but I recomend avoiding zonyas if it's an AP heavy enemy team.

Attack speed items, namely nashers. I know it looks appealing giving out a load of attack speed and minor mana for the exchange with a passive unique CDR. But in the end it's not fully worth it.
You don't need to focus down hard on getting mana massive mana items, you won't be burning through it as much as you think you are. But it's wise to atleast pick up and hold onto the Doran's ring at the start of the game until you can replace it with something.

I don't recomend building the Scepter to reduce MR, you likely won't be getting close enough to your enemies (or wanting to) for this to matter.

Through your warriors into the enemies backline, minion or champion. Being as you don't have to be there you can order them to strike out at enemy champions. Using your own auto attack to take last hits on minions. When they get close you throw one behind you and pull back to it, as you pull back with shifting sands you dash that soldier past you at the enemy chasing you to strike and slow them. It's like a game of chest and the soldiers are rooks. It's wise to keep one in retainer to be weary of a gank, to cast them and shifting sand back. Never let them get between you and the sand soldier, it's not worth it to get the knock up, because it stops you from sliding all the way to the sandsoldier.

Of Towers and Turrets- you can't directly take turrets with out wasting an arise on them, save it to pick up the last hit on the turret and keep one of your soldiers ready to be cast to escape champions seeking to pin you to their turret. It's much more worth while to get away and slowly tear down the turret then to burn your time and escapes damaging it alone.

Dragons lacking dungeons - dragon pit can be hard to tangle with alone, but easy to steal if you set your soldiers up and then charge them into the pit into the dragon. Allowing you to remotely fight the dragon with out having to hop the wall to try to steal.

What is a baron to an emperor - a problem, unlike heimerdinger you can't just let your turrets fire away at him and run around setting them down laughing like a genious, you still have to give the order. And baron will still focus you. Through much like a max range tristy you don't have to be in the baron pit to fight him. You can order your sand soldiers to charge in and start assailing baron in attempts to steal, or more likely go after the enemy team themselves as they tangle with baron. Due to barons strength compared to the dragon hitting the enemy team as upposed to baron (unless you are sure you can get the kill by charging both or all three soldiers through the good baron) this is a brilliant tactic because it removes a good deal of the risk of stealing baron and getting ripped apart for your little intervention at the baron pit if you are alone... though teamfights can spill back out onto theriver which makes you hiding in the jungle a little useless.

Bushes and junglers- your soldiers can be charged over walls and still attack. Use this to your advantage when scouting or trying to counter jungle. This helps deal with champions who think they can out position you. Taunting them with a dance is plenty good if they remain out of attack range of the soldier. It may goad them enough to make a move with any luck.

Top Lane termination - this is a lane where my build can potentially shine, using the primary of health items in the top lane can make you a dangerous enemy to any tank when you can fight them on somewhat fair ground when they close the distance. Against yorrik you can whipe out his ghouls with strikes from your soldiers.

Bot lane battlements - the possibilities for 'apc' and supporting if you have an AD mid are helpful, the talisman of ascension from the ancient coin beats out building he morellominomicon in this lane, though you lose the extra damage power. In the support function you ignore the minions and focus on harrassing the enemies. Using the soldiers to scout bushes more often then before if you fall behind in wading.

The emperor's enthusiastic walks through the Jungle - Very enthusiastic walks, you go for the spirit of the spectral wraith after building into it through the traditional machette method instead of doran's. though like this with out the biscuits you become low on mana untill you get the build going and buy a faerie charm to make up for the small loss in mana. Otherwise sweeping your way through the camps is easy when you send sand soldiers into one camp, over the walls into the next and continues to sweep your men over walls into the diferent camps instead of summoning new sets every time.

I don't have to fight you, I have men to do that for me. - Remember most of all, your the emperor, you don't have to dirty your hands with the blood of the enemies. Do not think though that smart enemies won't ignore your soldiers and try charging you down, keep a good kiting distance and sacrafice sorcer's shoes for boots of swiftness if they become a big enough problem.

PROS

Sand soldiers give vision where they are directed too

Good zoning

good health for a mage

Powerful combinations

excellent late game power

An overwhelming presence

CONS

His own basic attacks are lacking in direct power = requires sand soldiers to be present in battles

his escape can be blocked if an enemy jumps to, or gets in your way or path, colliding with you prevents your escape

You may get called bird brain once or twice

If the wall isn't set up exactly right you will only impede the enemy and not completely block them out of lane or jungle paths

your sand soldiers can't block or take hits for you

you may become distracted briefly by making your sandsoldiers dance in unison with you.

You have two knock ups, and one of them is your escape. If you are in a team fight and have a yasuo on your team you can completely set him up for an amazing mid air ult on the whole enemy team.

Your main place in combat is going to be DPS and striking the enemy back line.

Using the charge to slow enemies can be invaluable aid for certain team-mates.

he lacks any abilities that drive the enemy back and give him breathing room besides his ult. and usually you don't want to waste it on only one enemy.

The Sun disk can make pushing lanes and avoiding being collapsed on a good tool to have, or even break up or take over a zone in a team fight.