As a Sona player, I'm not a fan of her auras.

Caseo·Aug 6, 2015·1 votes·1,673 views

TL;DR - What do you think of Sona's auras? Are they integral to her identity as a champion? Are they taking power and agency away from her kit? Would you be okay with a rework that removed her auras to add more active power to her kit?

I'm a Sona player. I'm not the best in the world, or the region, or likely even in my ranked League. What I do have is a lot of games played on Sona, and a lot of experience with what she can and cannot do.

Sona as an individual champion is drastically weaker than almost any other champion in the game. This is mainly due to the fact that a large portion of her power budget is in her auras, which can potentially affect every member of her team and represent a huge source of "invisible" power that has to be accounted for in balancing her numbers. Sona has been based around her auras since release, which is why I'm hesitant to demand a change - I get that many people may view her as THE aura champion. However, in my experience, her auras have never been a satisfying part of her kit. Her damage, her healing, and all of her base stats are very low to allow for the fact that she can buff all of her teammates in a teamfight. Despite these auras being a key part of her power, I don't feel good when I tag my teammates with them. Buffing one champion's next auto-attack, shielding one champion for 1.5 seconds, speeding one champion up for 1.5 seconds - every little thing feels so miniscule, like Sona's abilities have been broken up into a dozen tiny fractions of a meaningful spell. Obviously, however, Sona's auras are not useless. Sona hasn't dropped below a 50% winrate in most queues and ranked divisions for a very long time, and she's definitely one of the most beginner-friendly champions in the game. It could be that I'm selfish in suggesting she be changed.

That's why I'm asking you, the community, what you think of Sona's auras. Do you think they're satisfying to use? Do you think they're important to her identity? Would you be okay with seeing Sona's kit changed to remove them and make her more of an independent champion, still capable of benefiting her allies, but with more direct and active effects with distinct limits and strengths? Do you think she's fine how she is?

Please let me know what you think.

30 Comments

OverpoweredSoapAug 6, 20156 votes

Sona's auras are what make Sona, Sona. That and her passive.

However, that being said, they feel....Odd?

They don't feel weak, but at the same time they really don't feel strong either. (Her E is a huge example of this, it does it's job well, but kind of not really.)

I feel like if Riot were to remove her auras, then people would be upset, but at the same time they're honestly one of the reasons it's pretty hard to balance Sona.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

Thanks for responding! I agree that it'd be very hard to remove Sona's auras without causing some outcry - they're definitely going to be a vital part of who she is to some players.

Her rework attempted to take her previously completely-passive auras and make them more active by giving them windows of opportunity. What would you think of another rework that took the power presently used by her auras and attempted to make it even more direct (E.G. Targeted effects, limiting the number of allies who can benefit but increasing the power)?

LadyRenlyAug 6, 20151 votes

I don't think removing her auras would be anything on par to upset people like making morde a duo laner, I don't think it'd be too bad.

Professor WardAug 6, 20153 votes

I believe sona to be one of the overworked champs in the game with a kit that has ALL KINDS of things going on, all of which are decent in the meta and not underpowered. Making her in my eyes, top tier support.

Best way i can state this is that sonas auras are not used effectively 99.9% of the time. (especially at lower elos) and when they are its usually by happenstance or due to close proximity team fights; where then most of the time (solo queue) your teamates dont even know theyre being buffed.

However **If sonas auras are used to their fullest in lane they are op as all hell. ** But most people cannot communicate with their adc THAT PERFECTLY, i even watch lcs players use sonas PRIMARY effect while **seemingly ignoring the auras. **

I do feel like her kit is extremely nice right now seeing as if your not focused (again happens 90% of the time due to focusing mid/adc) then the amount of things you can do in one 10 second team fight cant be rivaled by most supports.

While most supports are on 10-20 sec cooldown after hitting only one/two enemy champs sona is getting off AT LEAST Two to Three passive auto attack procs that hit like a truck Two q's that hit two champs each time and to be back on topic "add magic damage to allies" with the aura Two w's that will sustain teams to victory over and over again(life and shielding) Two e's that give speed (one of the more underrated stats in league) and a slow if youve been auto attacking as you should (see passive) And an ult almost any support champ would trade for. Ease of use is simple enough for a bronze 5 to land a 3-4 man stun. Again game changing.

WHICH IS ALL GOOD AS LONG AS YOU DONT GET HIT TWICE ;D

~Kennylay

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

So what I'm getting from this (apologies if I misread your meaning!) is that you feel like Sona's auras aren't very intuitive for most people, but are quite powerful?

I can definitely understand that viewpoint. While I don't much like the whole minigame of tagging people with her auras, I can see the value of each buff and I know better than to shirk it when I can make it happen.

All the same, the fact that they're so little-used seems to be a problem, and one that might point towards a more general trend towards my line of thought - that they're not a good way to use her power budget.

Professor WardAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

** So what I'm getting from this (apologies if I misread your meaning!) is that you feel like Sona's auras aren't very intuitive for most people, but are quite powerful?**

I can definitely understand that viewpoint. While I don't much like the whole minigame of tagging people with her auras, I can see the value of each buff and I know better than to shirk it when I can make it happen.

All the same, the fact that they're so little-used seems to be a problem, and one that might point towards a more general trend towards my line of thought - that they're not a good way to use her power budget.

That is exactly what i mean, and honestly i think any form of removing her auras and adding power elsewhere, will increase her overall ease/mastery of play making her "overpowered". Which most already consider her "easy" but play at 80% of her potential as stated above.

if it were my choice...... id remove every aura for a q damage buff :D

Koala FrenzyAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

if it were my choice...... id remove every aura for a q damage buff :D

Uh, her Q already does a crazy amount of damage given that it's a cheap, spammable double homing projectile with a 900 cast range. It only sucks at first rank when not combined with an auto.

Professor WardAug 6, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Koala Frenzy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=3vHqhpIs,comment-id=0002000000000000,timestamp=2015-08-06T04:52:42.328+0000)

Uh, her Q already does a crazy amount of damage given that it's a cheap, spammable double homing projectile with a 900 cast range. It only sucks at first rank when not combined with an auto.

Just a dream m8, not something i see being rational hencce the :D

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

Ideally, if her Q were to be changed/buffed to account for the removal of her auras, I'd prefer for the first half to be able to hit more targets. I know it's a dirty word, but I wouldn't mind if it were converted to a pass-through skillshot.

Koala FrenzyAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Ideally, if her Q were to be changed/buffed to account for the removal of her auras, I'd prefer for the first half to be able to hit more targets. I know it's a dirty word, but I wouldn't mind if it were converted to a pass-through skillshot.

Um. No. Her Q already messes with the minion wave in lane. There's no need to turn her Q into a varus arrow.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

Fair point, but I see a lot of people arguing that removing Sona's auras will make her too simple and too easily overbearing. Adding a few complexities to her skills would not only alleviate this, but further allow some power to be added back into her kit. Just some food for thought!

ErockandrollAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

I believe sona to be one of the overworked champs in the game with a kit that has ALL KINDS of things going on, all of which are decent in the meta and not underpowered. Making her in my eyes, top tier support.

Best way i can state this is that sonas auras are not used effectively 99.9% of the time. (especially at lower elos) and when they are its usually by happenstance or due to close proximity team fights; where then most of the time (solo queue) your teamates dont even know theyre being buffed.

However **If sonas auras are used to their fullest in lane they are op as all hell. ** But most people cannot communicate with their adc THAT PERFECTLY, i even watch lcs players use sonas PRIMARY effect while **seemingly ignoring the auras. **

I do feel like her kit is extremely nice right now seeing as if your not focused (again happens 90% of the time due to focusing mid/adc) then the amount of things you can do in one 10 second team fight cant be rivaled by most supports.

While most supports are on 10-20 sec cooldown after hitting only one/two enemy champs sona is getting off AT LEAST Two to Three passive auto attack procs that hit like a truck Two q's that hit two champs each time and to be back on topic "add magic damage to allies" with the aura Two w's that will sustain teams to victory over and over again(life and shielding) Two e's that give speed (one of the more underrated stats in league) and a slow if youve been auto attacking as you should (see passive) And an ult almost any support champ would trade for. Ease of use is simple enough for a bronze 5 to land a 3-4 man stun. Again game changing.

WHICH IS ALL GOOD AS LONG AS YOU DONT GET HIT TWICE ;D

~Kennylay

After reading this, I feel like I have a better understanding of her power. Anyone who plays ARAM, will know how powerful Sona really is, when all 5 members are benefiting from said auras.

With this in mind, she could be balanced as is, But not entirely meta cause large team fights don't just Break out. But if we want to emphesize her team fight potential, I would give slight buffs to her defenses. Her Aura's would serve best in the middle of the pack. So give her enough to be the teams midline.

Professor WardAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

After reading this, I feel like I have a better understanding of her power. Anyone who plays ARAM, will know how powerful Sona really is, when all 5 members are benefiting from said auras.

With this in mind, she could be balanced as is, But not entirely meta cause large team fights don't just Break out. But if we want to emphesize her team fight potential, I would give slight buffs to her defenses. Her Aura's would serve best in the middle of the pack. So give her enough to be the teams midline.

Glad you took something from my wall of text :D. and i agree sona has always been known as god tier aram. And its funny because its all due to the fact that you stated, Proximity.

ABlueQuakerAug 6, 20151 votes

For starters, you've misused the term 'hidden power'. Hidden power is something that a Champion could be equally strong without. It's usually something in the Utility department E.g. Grievous Wounds on MF or a MS boost on a champion who already has a lot of chase potential.

Sona's Auras are actually really strong. Compare them to items that grant similar auras and you realize how much its worth.

CaseoAug 6, 20152 votes

My apologies for misusing it then!

I agree that Sona's auras are definitely powerful, and that's why it's tough to ask for them to be changed. My main qualm with her auras is that they're not satisfying to use, and that they make her a champion based around her teammates' initiative rather than allowing her to have contributions of her own. My preference (and I understand that everyone may not agree with this!) would be for Sona to be changed to give her more control of just how and when her abilities benefit her teammates, and who they will benefit.

ABlueQuakerAug 6, 20151 votes

That pretty much sums up Supports. That said, her Ult and Q with Passive are pretty satisfying once you have your core Support Items and then 2-3 AP items.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

I feel like there's a bit of disconnect here.

The kind of supporting Sona does is that she casts a spell, and then gets a 3 second aura that gives a small, related buff to anyone it touches within a short range. This power doesn't increase if it tags only one person; it's tuned with the idea that you'll buff as many people as possible, ideally in a teamfight.

The kind of supporting Lulu, Janna and Nami do is that their abilities can be cast to directly benefit themselves and their teammates. They can't affect every member of the team at once (in most cases) but on an individual basis they are much more impactful and satisfying to use.

Sightless66Aug 6, 20153 votes

Hidden power is something that a Champion could be equally strong without.

That's not the way Riot uses the term. Hidden power is meaningful power that is hard to appreciate. Things like passive stat auras are hidden power, because it matters a lot but is often ignored or unnoticed by players. Taric's auras are a good example. Things like Gragas's old attack speed slow on the barrels were another example. Technically powerful, but so overlooked that many people didn't realize it existed. Hidden power is generally avoided because putting power into mechanics that interest players generally produces more satisfying designs that feel better to use. OP's use of the term was correct. If her auras have a ton of power but aren't satisfying to use and people aren't making decisions around them as much as their power should dictate, that's hidden power. I'm not sure I agree that they actually work out that way, but if they do, then they are hidden power.

Things that a champion could be strong without aren't really hidden power. Hidden power requires that a mechanic actually have enough power to significantly influence the champion's gameplay. What you're describing is kind of different. You're describing a noticeable mechanic that actually has very little power attached. They're actually sometimes a desired tool of design. If they can add something that is cool but doesn't actually impact balance that much, that can be desirable. Hidden power is not desirable.

Koala FrenzyAug 6, 20151 votes

As a sona main who climbed to plat with her, I think her auras actually feel fine, especially when grouped. Her speed boost is exceptionally good. She makes sieging easy, can engage, disengage, and even provides respectable burst to carries. Her W has great synergy with ardent censer and really only her Q aura has a weak feel outside of sona's own use of it. I kind of miss persistent auras and maybe they could last longer so you can tag more people who aren't clustered.

The only thing sona needs right now is more late game survivability. And an aura that blocks thresh hooks.

Professor WardAug 6, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Koala Frenzy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=3vHqhpIs,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2015-08-06T04:50:24.466+0000)

As a sona main who climbed to plat with her, I think her auras actually feel fine, especially when grouped. Her speed boost is exceptionally good. She makes sieging easy, can engage, disengage, and even provides respectable burst to carries. Her W has great synergy with ardent censer and really only her Q aura has a weak feel outside of sona's own use of it. I kind of miss persistent auras and maybe they could last longer so you can tag more people who aren't clustered.

**The only thing sona needs right now is more late game survivability. **And an aura that blocks thresh hooks.

agreed that it is her only weakness, but i accept it as its her only balance as well, besides a surefire peel which she isnt too shabby at.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

See, I get where you're coming from, but in my experience, most of the things you listed are things I associate with Sona's abilities at their core, rather than the auras. Sona is the only one who receives a lasting, appreciable movement speed boost from E. Sona is the only one who can deal heavy damage with Q. Sona's W shield is a little bit more interesting, but the brief duration and short range makes it very difficult to use in situations where it counts (lots of incoming damage). But the thing is, all of Sona's abilities are weaker than they could be to allow for her auras to affect EVERYONE. I'm not so much asking for Sona to be a selfish self-casting mage, but for her to have more agency in how she uses the effects from her spells, and potentially a little more power in exchange for not being able to tag absolutely everyone.

Koala FrenzyAug 6, 20151 votes

{quoted}

But the thing is, all of Sona's abilities are weaker than they could be to allow for her auras to affect EVERYONE.

The only way I can think of to fix this is to make the aura buffs stronger when in proximity to fewer allied champions. But I wouldn't ask for such a thing since she has an extremely oppressive laning phase in the hands of an aggressive player.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

I think the way her abilities currently scale up is a good way to account for this problem.

At level 1, Q does relatively little damage. At level 9, it's quite significant. If you were to add more power into her abilities, you could very easily make it power that she scales into with levels, rather than something she'd have access to at early levels during laning.

Linna ExcelAug 6, 20151 votes

As someone who's played her before and since her rework...

I miss the spammability of her skills, mainly her old Q and W where more spammable back in the day. Nowadays you have to be spot on with your use of W a bit more and your Q's aura is dependent on your allies using it well... I don't like trusting my allies with power because I'm really not in an elo where I can rely on anyone. At higher elos I'd probably like it more.

Still, I kind of miss the old spammable skills Sona.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Linna Excel,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=3vHqhpIs,comment-id=0004,timestamp=2015-08-06T05:13:25.691+0000)

I don't like trusting my allies with power because I'm really not in an elo where I can rely on anyone. At higher elos I'd probably like it more.

That's part of what I'm getting at. Sona's built so heavily around buffing allies that she gets very little power for herself. She does have windows of opportunity, for sure, but they're few and far between, and often have less impact than a similar champion would get in success cases.

Linna ExcelAug 6, 20151 votes

Yes, I think she's one of those champs who's being balanced a little more for teams in mind. In a way, I find this a little troubling about the design direction because most people don't play on a ranked team and even if they do, there's nothing to guarantee someone is going to pick sona. I mean take Kalista. When she first came out I had no idea what to do with that bloody ult of hers. Bard's E also comes to mind.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

I can sympathize with people (or the devs) wanting Sona to be team-oriented. I just don't much like that buffing her team is her only best-use case. I enjoy playing bursty AP Sona, for example, and while the damage output of powerchord Q is prodigious, it's about the only damage she can output without using her ult exclusively for damage.

FantasySniperAug 6, 20151 votes

I feel like Sona's Auras are just so iconic and integral to her kit, that to replace it with anything simpler would be an injustice.

They feel satisfying to me. I block an ability with the shield, help close or expand the distance for teammates, they deal shit-tons of damage within an instant.

Although they are the greatest strength in her kit, they are also her greatest weakness. If your positioning is not strong, it is very difficult to utilize the actives while simultaneously taking advantage of her auras.

There's very few changes you can make to her without her becoming overwhelming right now.

CaseoAug 6, 20151 votes

I feel like Sona's auras being her main power source is somewhat unfun, which is why I'm bringing this up.

I like being able to buff and protect and empower allies. However, when all of the power of my buffs is diluted so it can exist as a continuous, multi-target aura, it starts to feel a lot less enjoyable.

I can understand that in order to significantly change Sona, like they would have to in order to remove or de-emphasize her auras, they'd have to change a lot about her. I'm personally not too troubled by that thought and I know that's not a stance a lot of people will share. I feel like as long as the core of powerchord passive -> Q damage -> W heal -> E speedup -> R area stun is maintained, Sona is still Sona, but I know my views on the matter are not going to be universal.

FantasySniperAug 6, 20151 votes

A mechanic would have to be ingenious to replace the functionality of the auras while still meeting standards.

Her auras keep her in the support role without openly letting her become too strong in a solo lane. It's a simple control method by making her strength dependant on her auras and her auras dependant on her teammates.