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Swain Rework - Is It Necessary?

ModCaliCoastReplay·7/23/2017, 5:48:12 AM·9 votes·4,279 views
https://www.riftherald.com/2017/7/20/16000516/swain-rework-noxus-lol-update

Is this totally necessary? I am only starting to master him this season, and it seems I won't be allowed to keep that experience for long. I understand the criticisms in the article - but goodness, Swain is not trivial at all to get to "feast" mode...part of the appeal for him is mastering a very difficult early lane push, upon success with which one is supposed to be rewarded with a very strong teamfight phase. He does not seem like an unbalanced champion in my eyes.

If anything, I would beg that at least part of his current gameplay be kept at least partially intact - particularly his Q and R. Part of the appeal for me is the power and feel and flavor of his flock of ravens, which is hard to master and mana-expensive but very rewarding, and if I can't summon a carrion-eating flock to attack my foes it's just not going to feel like the same character. A visual rework is fine for the character model, but the art is fantastic, and so is his lore, and I think for once that Riot may be messing with a good thing here.

If the rework is a must, I'd prefer a smaller rework that fixes his aging-kit early game weaknesses against certain champions (Yasuo, Syndra are almost guaranteed lane losses at present) in exchange for a reasonable nerf to his fed-late-game "beast mode". Maybe changing his ultimate to something like Viktor's - making the flock controllable, but shorter duration or without such a massive amount of lifesteal - and altering his W and E to give him more escapability? (Though even that seems out of line with the stated aim to bring the character more in line with his lore - he is a cripple, after all.)

I guess all I'm pleading for is this:

In past seasons, I lost my favorite Ahri and Kayle kits - this season, I lost my favorite Heimerdinger and Sejuani kits.

Don't destroy Swain for me too!

57 Comments

Sukishoo7/23/2017, 5:51:55 AM7 votes

Is this totally necessary?

Yeah it is. He's a very old champion that needs to be brought up to the current time. His theme is all over the place and doesn't really fit with the type of character that he's supposed to be. His visuals/animations are so old (and he's been ineligible for skins for years). He needs to get up with the times.

Shuyin1787/23/2017, 5:52:43 AM6 votes

Swain is one of the most brain-dead and boring champions in the game. In addition, he's exactly like Aatrox where his kit doesn't match jack shit to his lore.

Master Tactician of the Noxian Army >> presses R and stands next to people Very Tactician like.

ModToo8/14/2017, 10:03:40 PM4 votes

There is exactly one of two things that will make this okay: 1) he better still be a AP-top-lane-drain-tank (albeit with more counter-play and such), or 2) he becomes Kairos Fateweaver and knows all plans before they happen.

ReySolomon7/23/2017, 5:50:43 AM3 votes

I like the way swain is right now but eh I don't think they'll listen to us.

EcchiOtakuTM7/24/2017, 12:29:51 PM3 votes

The only thing I like about swain is his ulti and Q, his W i only like the snaring portion of it, and I'm glad they properly reworked his Q to how it is currently.

His E is piss awful. like a much much weaker malz DoT proc that feels awful to use since you only use it just for the amp.

His W is cool, but i'd rather them just give him other AoE CC I could care less if it's kept in it's current form or reworked entirely and Q gets compensated more power.

But as long as Q and ulti stay in tact I could care less what happens to passive, W, or E. (Although current version of passive is nice to stay in tact due to current mana cost from ulti

BROSariodawson7/24/2017, 11:08:31 PM3 votes

If a character isn't flashy he/she needs a rework... swain is fine. riot needs to stop reworking characters that aren't broken.

Phieldworker8/6/2017, 6:11:47 PM2 votes

Being a Swain man myself I think it is time for a bit of a change. I agree with Riot that when ahead Swain just is too crazy. I love it. But when you get behind it's hard to do anything. Played a game last night that I got behind but luckily with a little bit of help was still able to hold on and then come back. It would be good if he got a few moves that allowed him to turn things around if he gets behind without needing the team to carry him.

This could also provide help against those champs that just can avoid fighting Swain. If he gets ahead of a yas or ahri and they try and get that one cs he should be able to just crush them and make them sorry for stepping forward.

I just think he needs moves that allow for outplay potential but still allow him to keep his powerful but crippled warlock persona.

LyingOnLine7/24/2017, 5:23:08 AM2 votes

Given that the only interesting facet of Swain's current gameplay is landing his W?

Yes.

StainZ10/13/2017, 1:09:42 PM2 votes

Hey I know this post is pretty old already but for what it’s worth I absolutely agree with you. I’ve actually played swain mid as my main for a very long time and I always go back to it because it is neither dull or boring if you play him right. Look at this link so I can prove I really do love swain as a mid laner.

https://championmasterylookup.derpthemeus.com/summoner?summoner=StainZ&region=NA

Joskillz10/27/2017, 10:16:04 AM2 votes

Swain is a pocket pick for me, if I face a annoying champ in the top lane like teemo, jayce, gnar or vlad I usually pick swain against them. Do I have fun playing it? NO. Do I win my lane with him. YES. Swain is just an outdated champ that badly needs a rework. All you do in lane is poke with e+q untill they are 1/2 hp, hit a W and go all in, no interesting gameplaay. In teamfights, get a zhonya, make a pick with W, go in the middle of the fight and let them waste all their damage on you, zhonya, and you are back at full hp and your team can assist you now. League keeps changing and that is the exciting thing about the game for me, just keep changing with it :D

LameNameYo10/7/2017, 3:31:32 AM2 votes

Honestly, looking back at a timeline of reworks, I have yet to see a bad one that didn't make the champion far better with maybe the exception of Ryze. But I don't play much ryze to really weigh in on that. As someone who has played a lot of swain, gotten fed, ran house, fallen behind and wondered why I'm still here until we stall out to 6 items and I finally feel relevant again. It feels like his kit is feast or famine, not make any calculated exchanges. E-Q walk away, that's your laning phase, except W to stop gank / support your jungle. Sit back, wait to find enemy ADC EQR and run around trying to avoid skill shots while not actually doing anything but walking isn't a particularly interactive champion. As someone who enjoys swain, I can safely agree with riot he needs a major overhaul. Given past reworks, I can also say I'm quite excited for it.

Sure, stay a drain tank, or become a master tactician, or some hybrid, (Old man steal's enemies youth / vitality actually sounds cool off the top of my head?) but Cali can refute it all you want, his kit is simple. Because of his healing, particularly against mages with a spirit vissage, he's not particularly difficult to eqr and run around while offering minimal counter play. His cooldowns are too long to make calculated trades, usually getting off one rotation in team fights, maybe 2 given cooldown doesn't really fit for him since he NEEDS RoA, NEEDS Rylais, and if you're a drain tank NEEDS Liandry's, NEEDS zonyas, so you've got 10% after 4 items, woo? in fact, most of his kit feels like a disengage with a damage boost on his E. Q is great - unless they walk away, W is great, unless they walk away. His kit feels dependent on luck of enemy not knowing how to play against you (read: walk out of your q / w) until you get a Rylai's to be able to reliably land them or keep them in the Q longer. Items should be required to make your kit lethal, not a requirement to use it effectively.

He's definitely a cool idea, but if you're succeeding amazingly as Swain, you're just at a point where people haven't seen Swain so long they don't know how to play against him. I've seen it on both sides, pop his r, disengage, he either burns all his mana trying to re-engage, or he releases it, you re-engage and what, maybe a slow? He can't walk to the back line to e-q them without the sustain from his R, so he's going to slow people to disengage? Sorry, but I agree with Riot, he needs a rework.

Terror139/9/2017, 8:09:14 PM1 votes

Before he was changed it wasn't, but now hes trash so it is.

mmoran55542/26/2018, 11:24:34 AM1 votes

New Swain is terrible. His kit is unplayable. I speak as a main Swain and own multiple skins. They took away his Q move, which was godly. All his moves used to work well in close combat. Now his new kit is a mess. Sadness.