Is there any value in making Kayle start off as a melee champion?

5G8Nri0B54·Apr 27, 2014·3 votes·876 views

Often times, it is completely suicidal to go into melee as Kayle because the only right way to build her is the squishy route.

So that leaves the only way for her to function is to be a temporary ranged unit, who supports her allies with spells when her ranged attack is gone. The only time I've ever found her melee attack truly useful is when I'm at a huge advantage over the opponent. Either because the opponent is far weaker than Kayle, or because the enemy champion is just plain not there at all, letting Kayle use her melee to last hit minions without worrying.

I know her ranged attack is really powerful and all to compensate for how it's a temporary ranged attack that costs mana. But is it good champion design? Is it really intentional to make a champion melee only to make it absolutely impractical to ever send her into melee range in combat?

7 Comments

SlovakattackApr 28, 20142 votes

Yes, I am sure the design is intentional. If she had a ranged AA (even a short one), her harass in lane would simply be overbearing. By level 9, the cooldown of her E actually matches the CD of the ability, so there really isn't -that- much to complain about. So long as you keep an eye on your mana, you won't get caught with your pants down.

5G8Nri0B54Apr 29, 20141 votes

You're kind of missing the main point, understandable since I'm not very good at making it, but still missed.

I feel that her powerful ranged harass is simply a by-product of her poor design, to justify her being a melee champion that absolutely can not go into melee range. It doesn't matter if at level 9 her cooldown makes her a permanent ranged champion. The question is why did they make her melee in the first place.

They made her E really powerful, but that's to compensate for her being completely unable to do anything without it on.

How should I put this. Metaphorically, there's a hole in a dam, but rather than fixing the dam, Riot simply stuffed it with rocks. In this case, the hole is melee/ranged origin. And the rocks they stuffed is how they tried compensating by making her E really strong. The result is a functioning dam(champion), except you can clearly tell something is not right, or not how it's intended.

Granted Kayle has other problems too, being a Hybrid champion, the only viable way to build her is pure AP the more they try to "balance" her.

He Who is PaleApr 28, 20142 votes

Would there be merit in turning the skill into a toggle like frost arrows or fish bones?

JackYAquaApr 29, 20141 votes

I think it makes Kayle unique in her own way.
Surely, I think of Kayle as a ranged champion, but see it like this : she made a pact with Riot.
In exchange for her attack range not being there all the time, they gave her bad ass on-hit bonus damage and awesome splash damage when it is there ^^

Isn't she more fun this way? Or even a bit more challenging?

5G8Nri0B54Apr 29, 20141 votes

In this case, it really shouldn't have been a sword wielding angel then.

I mean, I can sort of see it work if, say, Kayle's weapon was a magical musket with a bayonet at the end. That way she'd have a powerful ranged attack with a bayonet for last resort weapon.

But with a sword? It's VERY obvious Riot was trying to go for the whole "she can fight in melee AND in range whenever she wants!" angle. It just, you know, didn't work out and they decided to leave it as is.

KawdieMay 1, 20141 votes

Her kit as a whole would be mega toxic if she started the game as a ranged champ. That early game vulnerability between E's cooldown and active time is the only chance of counterplay for melee laners.

5G8Nri0B54May 1, 20141 votes

Well yes of course if she started off as ranged with her current kit she'd be ridiculously OP. She is overtuned to compensate for her weird melee handicap.

But the main point is, is there merit in leaving her the way she is. It's obvious they meant for her to be a hybrid of melee and ranged. Yet the end result is that she can only exist as a ranged champion...

That, and she's supposed to be a hybrid in the traditional sense too yet you can only build AP with her, but let's leave that for another time.