Hello everyone, my name is Hoera and I am currently silver 4. I know, it's low but this guide is not meant to be the best of all, but rather a good one for this elo. Keep in mind that this is my playstyle and maybe you won't like it, but that doesn't mean that this build is bad.
I will try to explain my choices and how I play Azir in the future chapters in a simple and clear way.

Do not expect a lot of images because I want to keep this guide clear and readable.

Pros :

- Huge harass potential
- Long range
- Insane damages in late game
- Long dash with a W Q E or W E Q combo
- Lane bully
- Good waveclear
- Awesome ultimate
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Cons

- Weak early game
- Still a bit buggy sometimes
- Very hard to master
- Very weak against dash-AA champions like Zed or Talon.

Let's talk about the runes. For Azir I chose flat offense runes. He has indeed a weak early game and flat runes can give him enough stats to handle the early game reasonably well.

Quintessence of Ability Power and Greater Glyph of Ability Power can give him good damages in early game to poke effectively (double damage means half mana usage).
Greater Seal of Scaling Armor and Greater Mark of Scaling Magic Resist outscale flat ones as early as the level 7.

If you don't want to buy Ionian Boots of Lucidity and Nashor's Tooth then you should consider taking Quintessence of Scaling Cooldown Reduction (which will give you a total of 15% cdr at level 18).

Offense :

- 1 point in Fury and 4 in Sorcery for a total of +6.25% attack speed due to Azir's passive.
- 1 point in Butcher .
- 1 point in Feast.

- 3 points in Mental Force .
- 1 point in Arcane Mastery.
- 3 points in Archmage .

These three masteries will give you 34 ap at level 1 and 50 ap at level 18 instead of 25.

- 3 points in Executioner to take kills more easily.
- 3 points in Devastating Strikes for more damages.
- 1 point in Havoc which scales with ad and ap.
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Utility :

- 1 point in Phasewalker (personal preference).
- 3 points in Fleet of Foot for extra movement speed.
- 3 points in Meditation (mana regeneration is really important on Azir).
- 1 point in Alchemist (who does not want +10hp / potion ?).
- 1 point in Culinary Master (also a personnal preference).

I know what you are thinking :"omg he's such a nub to max two spells at the same time !". Since the 5.14 patch, Azir doesn't gain AS from CDR but from his W. Azir needs Attack speed. However, he also need damages from his Q. This is why I chose to max Q and W simultaneously.
Shurima's legacy

PASSIVE
Disc of the Sun: Azir places a marker above the ruins of destroyed turrets (both allied and enemy). Once within 400 units of the ruins, Azir can right-click on the marker to conjure a Sun Disc, which functions like a standard turret but grants Azir any gold it earns. A Sun Disc's health decays over 1 minute and will lose its armor if Azir dies or moves too far away. Azir cannot conjure Sun Discs on the ruins of the enemy team's inhibitors or Nexus turrets.

Nashor's Tooth can be a quite good item if you want to replace your morellonomicon in late game.

Tips and Tricks :
Don't waste it as it grants gold to one enemy champion.
You can use it to not lose any cs while recalling.
It can be used for baits : pretend that you are alone and put a Sun Disc before the enemy engages you.

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Conquering sands

Azir orders all Sand Soldiers to rush toward the target location, dealing 75 / 105 / 135 / 165 / 195 (+50% of ability power) magic damage and slowing all enemies they pass through by 25% for 1 second. Enemies can be hit by multiple soldiers, but each soldier beyond the first will deal only 25% damage. The slow stacks additively.

This is the first spell to maximize. By doing so, you reduce its cooldown and you can reposition your soldiers more often. Moreover, you gain a lot of damages. Combine it with a Luden's echo and you get huge damages. Just don't spam it as it costs a good amount of mana.

Tips and Tricks :
Try to always put your soldiers behind your opponent as you may be able to put one more AA. (More damages = less mana consumption)
Before using Conquering Sands, try placing a soldier next to the enemy. This will save you a lot of mana.
You can use it to slow an enemy chasing you, although I don't recommend it unless you have at least two soldiers (the slow with 1 soldier is not worth the time you stop because of the animation).

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Arise!

Azir summons an untargetable Sand Soldier for 9 seconds. When Azir attacks an enemy in a soldier's range, the soldier attacks instead of Azir, dealing 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 / 95 / 100 / 110 / 120 / 130 / 140 / 150 / 160 / 170 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to all enemies in a line. If multiple soldiers strike the same target, each soldier after the first deals 25% damage, and the soldiers can't attack structures.

Azir can store up to 2 Sand Soldiers at a time (recharge time: 12 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8 seconds), but there is no hard limit on the number of Sand Soldiers that can be active on the field at once. Sand Soldiers expire twice as fast while within range of an enemy turret, and will expire instantly if Azir moves too far away.

If Azir summons a Sand Soldier directly on top of an enemy turret, the soldier will sacrifice itself to deal (50 + 10 x level) (+40% of ability power) magic damage to the turret.

This is your main spell. It summons a soldier in a close range. This soldier attacks in a line in front and a little in the back of him. The strike goes a little further than the attack range. This means that if an enemy champion is out of range but behind a minion in range, you can attack him by attacking the minion. You can also attack several minions at once if they are placed in a line (typically mage minions).

Tips and Tricks :
You can summon soldiers over walls. Use it to check bushes (NEVER facecheck).
Try to always have a soldier in your inventory at any moment if you are pushing as you could suddenly have to escape.

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Shifting sands

Azir dashes to one of his Sand Soldiers, dealing 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+40% of ability power) magic damage to enemies he passes through. If Azir hits an enemy champion, he will stop and gain a shield which absorbs 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+ 15% bonus health) damage for 4 seconds.

This is your escape. It is basically a dash to one of your soldiers, the one you aim with your cursor. It can be used to dash through walls.

Tips and tricks :
Never use it as a source of damages. Think of it like a utility spell : it's a dash that gives you a shield and knocks up enemies.
You can cast Conquering Sands while dashing to one your soldiers. This will greatly increase the dash distance.
Use it to interrupt abilities like Katarina's ultimate, Death Lotus for example.
You shouldn't use it during teamfights to get in the middle of them, as you will get almost instantly killed.

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Emperor's Divide

Azir calls forth a phalanx of shield-wielding soldiers who press forward, knocking enemies back and dealing 150 / 225 / 300 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to them.

When the soldiers finish their charge, they stand as a wall for 5 / 6 / 7 seconds, blocking enemy champion movement and dashes. Allies can pass through the wall and gain 20% bonus movement speed when they do. These soldiers cannot be ordered to move or attack.

This is your ultimate. As you can see, it has pretty low base damages. It is because it is rather used to protect you or move an enemy. The wall will block all dashes but not blinks (instant teleportation). This means that Zed's shadow, for example can pass through the wall. Same for Ekko's E, try to use it after their blink.

Tips and Tricks :
If an enemy engage you near your turret, but not in its range, you can use Shifting Sands to get close to him and ult him to turret, as the wall starts a little behind Azir. This can make the difference between a kill and a death. If the wall is well placed, you could even let him die by the turret.
In teamfights you can use it to stay away from the fight behind your wall.
You can outplay a melee opponent by placing a wall between you and him and by walking through the wall when he gets close to you.
You can do a AA E AA R combo to knock up your enemy for more than 2 seconds.

Flash is a must-have an Azir. It grants you more mobility : escaping a gank if you pushed too far or jumping over a wall if you don't have your E... Ignite is not a bad summoner spell on Azir. His early game is weak and this may help you get one or two kills you would not have got with an exhaust. If you know you won't win your lane, take an exhaust. it will help you against Zed, LeBlanc and Talon for sure. Putting an exhaust before their burst can significantly reduce their damages.

Now, the most important part, the items.

Start :
I recommend you to start with a Doran's Ring and two Health Potion. The AP and Health is very useful in terms of damages and safety.
If you want more sustain, you can also start with two Faerie Charm and 3 Health Potion.

First item :
Now you must choose between an Athene's Unholy Grail or a Morellonomicon. Athene's gives more mana regeneration below 50% health and 20 magic resistance, but gives 20 less AP.
That's why I advise you to go for an Athene's against an AP champion and for a Morellonomicon against a non-AP champion (such as Zed, Talon or Yasuo). If your matchup is AP and if there are 4 AD enemy champions, take a Morello if you think you can win your lane.

Boots :
If you are going to build a Nashor's Tooth later in the game, buy the Sorcerer's Shoes. If you are not, buy the Ionian Boots of Lucidity.
Keep in mind Azir's passive, Shurima's Legacy, you absolutely need to have 40% cdr after 30 min.

Core items :
After buying your boots, go for a Luden's Tempest. This is the core item of this build. It gives you a big amount of AP and a little movement speed.
To poke, I always do a W Q AA AA combo, and this is where the Luden gets interesting.

If you can always stay moving you should be able to charge your Luden quite fast and repeat that combo every 8-10 seconds, knowing that 1 combo can easily deal 50-60% of the enemy's health (yes, it is pretty much op). Simple maths : 50-60 + 50-60 = 100-120%. That means that you can kill en enemy with 2 combos if he does not manage to recover some health.
Now imagine with a W AA Q AA E AA R W Q AA combo

Now your goal is too keep the same amount of damages for all the game. This is why you should buy a Rabadon's Deathcap. If your matchup builds damages, then you have won your lane. If he builds some HP, it is nothing since the damage boost of the Rabadon should scale with any HP-damage item.
Then, build a Zhonya's Hourglass to get an extra 120 AP and 50 armor. Don't forget to use the active, as it is the real utility of the Zhonya.
Finally, you have to choose your last item. I suggested either Nashor's Tooth, Void Staff or Rylai's Crystal Scepter. It all depends on the composition of the enemy team.
Are there more than 3 tanks / tanky champions ? Go for a Voidstaff.
Can you easily stay behind in teamfight and do whatever you want ? Go for a Nashor's tooth. Do you need more health with a significant boost of power ? Buy a Rylai !

You can also buy a defensive item like a Randuin's Omen or a Spirit Visage, depending on the enemy team but I think Azir's range allows him to stay out of the enemy range during teamfights. Remember to poke them before the fight engages, as you could eventually bring a tank to 50% hp or even kill a carry. Poke. This is what all this guide is based on.

First, buy your starting items (it seems a bit obvious) and wait until the barrier disappears. Get on the lane as fast as possible to see if your opponent is waiting you there. If he his, try to poke him with a soldier. If you lose health, recall and come back. If he took damages and didn't recall, it's pretty much won for you.

3 to 4 seconds before minions start to fight, put a soldier just behind where his mage minions will be. By doing this you deny him early last-hits if you can apply pressure well. If he gets to your minions, just put a soldier there. He now has two choices : last-hit and take damages or stay safe without farming. If he goes for the first one, just keep poking him when he comes close to your soldier. His health should drop below 50% quite fast. If he decides to stay behind, just wait until the difference of cs puts you in a very good position.
If you have enough mana you can even harass him with your Q. Summon a soldier and charge with Conquering Sands and attack once more with your auto attacks. Repeat the process.

If you denied him well :
You should now be able to trade after poking him. Remember to put your opponent's health below 50-40% before you try to kill him. Azir is not a burst champion like LeBlanc or Zed. If you want to engage just do that :

Summon a soldier near the minions, then one near him. If possible, AA him. Use Conquering Sands to deal damages. Use your E, Shifting Sands to knock him up. AA if you can and instantly use your ultimate to send him away from his turret. Summon another soldier near him to AA and use your Q. He should be dead now if you didn't engage him with too much health. If he is not, don't be greedy and fall back to where you can farm safely.


If you didn't deny him :
Again, there are two choices.
Your opponent is one of your biggest threats (reminder : Zed, LeBlanc and Talon). Just stay close to your turret. Don't try to trade them since you will always lose and eventually die.
You have a decent matchup and you are able to trade them. Again, poke them until they are low in health. Be careful to not be engaged when they come back, as this is a common mistake Azir players do. Don't be overconfident in your damages (taking risks to poke Fizz might be a bad idea if you expose yourself to his ultimate). Just poke from far away, then engage and kill.

Azir's teamfight potential is huge. With the right placement of soldiers, you can pretty much carry a teamfight by yourself. The Nashor's Tooth can help you deal a lot of damages during the fight, as the more AA you put, the more efficient it becomes. What else than a teamfight can guarantee you an AA freedom, while staying safe behind your wall if someone manages to get close to you ?
You must poke before the fight starts. To do that just do simple W Q AA combos, with Luden charged or not. If you hit one of the enemy carries, the teamfight will be a lot easier. This technique synergizes incredibly well with champions that can engage the enemy team and preventing them to back. Poke, engage, win.

In a general way, you should always stay behind, focus the carries with your long range and keep your ultimate and E to get away from an enemy that came too close.

Poke. Engage. Kill. Win.

This is the end of my guide on Azir. I hope you enjoyed it and learned new things and mechanics. Keep in mind that this may not be the best guide out there, so make sure to read other people's guides on the subject.