I think one of the problems he has is that he can use W-E-Q and then just fuck off with the shield and move speed and there's very little counterplay or interaction in general, even more so because the root is targeted. Is there a balance reason it can't just be made into a skillshot?
Elite4Runner3 votesBelieve it or not, yes, there is a balance reason, and I can understand why it is overlooked.
Ryze is often a 
stacking champion.
THE ONLY ability that he can spam without a target is his Q, which has the longest cooldown without the use of his W and E (not counting R, .. but if you're spamming R for tear stacks, ... please stop)
If W were a skill shot, he would be able to spam both abilities in order to stack his tear even faster than he does currently.
You may not see this as such a big deal, but it really is.
Ok sure but why1 votesBut... He can use Q nearly every 4 seconds anyways.
Elite4Runner1 votesQ is on a flat 6 second cooldown.
can only grant up to 2 charges every 8 seconds
Which means without at least 33% CDR he can not maximize the ability to stack by spamming Q alone.
But, if he had a second skill shot to spam he could easily use 2 spells within 8 seconds with 0% CDR.
Again, it doesn't really sound like much, but it cuts his potential charge time by about 30%, which is pretty strong for him.
Ok sure but why1 votesEven without that early 
, it's still only taking less than 10 minutes to max it.
AhmCha1 votesThat actually makes sense, even if I still don't necessarily think it's healthy.
Variks the Loyal1 votesBecause it has extremely short range, for a ranged ability.
Most ranged champions can stay outside of Ryze's range if they try.
MLDzXnRRR1 votesOverload RANGE: **1000 ** Ryze is short ranged... RIGHT!!!
Rune Prison RANGE: 615 (Most ADCs are with 550 attack range)
grug1 votesi think its there to deal with all the dickhead mobility champs that can jump around without an impetus
Quepha1 votesBecause dodging skillshots is trivial for mobile champions and the only way to beat them is with a targeted cc. The game needs more answers to mobility, not fewer.