Runes to counterplay healing
So the counterplay to healing champs is buy Grievous or burst 'em right? But what about the early game before Grievous is buyable and before most champions can one-combo-burst? What if we created healing counterplay for this part of the game in the rune space? The following are some ideas for anti-healing runes in each tree, keeping with the principles of counterplay (the healing champ should have some way to outplay it) and the themes of the trees themselves.
Precision: More To Take: Minor rune, Combat row. Lifesteal is 10% more effective on targets that have been healed by an ability in the last 6 seconds. Intended counterplays: Heal your ally at least 6 seconds before they go all in/Don't initiate a sustain-off if it's going to be close and you've been healed in the last 6 seconds.
Domination: Cursed Wounding: Minor rune, Malice row. Targets who regain more than 25% of the damage you have applied in the last 4 seconds take 20-55 true damage, scaling with level. Cooldown 12 seconds. Intended counterplays: All-ins: outheal the damage. Pokes: wait until the mark falls off and then apply your heal.
Sorcery: Cursed Ultimate: Minor rune, Artifact row. Damaging an enemy with your ultimate creates a Grievous Wounds zone at the point of contact that lasts for 4 seconds. One proc per champion hit per ult. (Think Varus' Hail of Arrows, but smaller effect radius, non-slowing, and tacked onto your ult.) Intended counterplay: Walk out of the AOE before healing.
Resolve: Leech Heals: Minor rune, Resistance row. Upon damaging an enemy champion apply a mark for 5 seconds that causes 33% of healing applied to that champion to also be applied to your own, max healing granted 100 per cast. Intended counterplay: Don't try to trade with a tank as a healer unless you win that trade by more than 33% of your heal/100 HP or can avoid being hit.
Inspiration: Suppression Augment: Keystone. Damaging an enemy champion applies a mark that causes healing and shielding abilities cast on them for the next 5 seconds to drain additional mana/health from the caster equal to 25% of the cost of the spell. Mana burn triggers after the spell is cast. Cooldown 10 per unit. Intended counterplay: Shield before the first blow lands, heal between trades, or conserve mana.
Why the numbers 4 and 5 so much? Soraka's Rejuvenation lasts 5 seconds, so if the effect lasts for 4 she can W after it wears off and if it lasts for 5 she can still do that... if she lands her Q after the effect is triggered. As the healing-est of the healing supports I figure anti-healing effects should be balanced around being good, but not unbeatable, against her.
I've tried to take into account the opportunity cost of specing into these runes over other runes in the same row when designing their strength. For example Leech Heals sounds OP for a minor rune... but the guy who's taking it isn't taking Conditioning/Second Wind/Bone Plating, all of which are major trade-tippers in their own right. For another example Suppression Augment sounds hella oppressive... until you realize they're giving up a keystone's worth of kill pressure/utility for the increased ability to outsustain you.
Numbers could be way off but I think i've put enough thought into them that the mechanics themselves shouldn't be toxic. Again, the idea is to create runes that allow you to counterplay a lane that's heavy on the healing in the part of the game before you can buy
, without making them so strong that they autowin lanes and cause the healers to need buffs.
Any thoughts? Please share your thoughts. I hate when I put a ton of time into a post and then it just gets no responses because nobody can be bothered to explain why they agree/disagree.