Hextech Protobelt-01 OP on Annie

SnowLeopard91·7/3/2016, 3:27:31 AM·1 votes·605 views

Annie has always had a simple combo for surprise bursting somebody down - flash in with a stun, and unload her kit. Riot attempted to push her away from the "no interaction burst" mode that she's used in the past with the Tibbers changes, but in a small stretch of time also gave her access to a damage-dealing flash alternative in the form of the Hextech Protobelt-01 active ability. With its 40 second cooldown, Annie can dash into every fight for a surprise bear party or just to chunk out a squishy, without having to wait the usual amount of time that's limited by Flash.

Something needs to be done, either to limit Annie's damage based on her access to this line of play (not ideal) or to limit the frequency with which protobelt can be used (ideal IMO).

2 Comments

Takazaki7/3/2016, 3:32:21 AM1 votes

item 3102

WitchQueen Annie7/3/2016, 3:37:42 AM1 votes

Annie's already overall been nerfed with the decrease in her AOE blast radius for Tibbers (she can no longer reliably Flash in and stun half the team).

I played Annie in Ranked before and after the rework and honestly, Classic Annie was much stronger even without access to the belt.

You also can't go Zhonya's first because of the reduced AP ratios and the longer cool down on Zhonyas really hurts.

Classic Annie was a complete monster who could rush Zhonyas for respectable damage and then Flash + R nuke the entire enemy team. And then if anyone's alive to attack her she simply Zhonyas. Now you can't do it because of the damage reduction on the item and the increased Active cool down.

...

The Belt is a bit over-rated. The dash isn't as ranged as it should be and its stats in terms of raw AP is fairly poor. With the reworked Mage items its crucial for Annie to get Rabadon as soon as possible to stay relevant in the most crucial part of the game (especially now that her burst has gone down, you'll going to need every point of AP). Hence, even rushing the Belt is questionable (you only get a paltry 60 AP).

In the context of her overall nerf, I don't think its even fair compensation...