Ionia offers a Sprite Effect to the most powerful chess pieces, enhancing their attributes, and the higher the bond, the more chess pieces that receive the amplification.
Meanwhile, Shurima conducts an Ascension Ceremony for the mightiest chess piece, granting significant health and attack speed bonuses.
At this moment, Demacia is similarly focused on amplifying the strongest chess piece.
It designates the most powerful piece as an "Elite," each Elite providing adjacent pieces with dual resistance and receiving a random Brightsteel equipment each turn.
Brightsteel equipment can't be acquired through normal crafting paths and is far stronger than regular equipment.
My opponent, having assembled five from Demacia, thus has two Elites on the field, Garen and Sona.
Each is equipped with a piece of Brightsteel equipment, and it seems both pieces of equipment are the same.