@Riot A Case For Clarity

Riot,

My summoner name is Soraka Heal Clar, and I wish to argue the removal of . I would love to debate the removal of all summoner spells, going as far back as Fortify, but it seems a little late for that debate. When I first started playing back in 2009 I loved how much customization existed in this game. As someone who came from the original Dota (yes I even played the WC3 RoC's original mod, and Aeon of Strife) I loved how you could have a unique rune, mastery, AND summoner spell set up. I loved how the champions had AP ratios, and AD ratios, MR and Armor, and even different mana pools; even though I thought it made Katarina/Tryndamere broken! Back in those days we had a slew of great spells. I should state for the record, I feel Riot did an amazing job with the mastery section over the years. However. Every year Riot has given us less options for summoner spells, and I think that's the wrong way to go. Even if it makes the game harder to balance... I feel a lack of spell diversity is counter to Riot's new mantra "We want every game to feel unique based on the champions in on the Rift"

Clarity It feels like now, more than ever before, a summoner could really benefit his/her team by having Clarity in their set up. Ways of receiving mana have been hacked and slashed, and that leads to more situational uses for Clarity than ever before. A summoner spell being selected is a choice each player makes to add a unique offensive/defensive decision in how they additionally wish to assist their team. For instance, I am a support main who can play both tanky and utility supports, but I feel my strength lies heavily in backline heal/shield types ( , ,, and even when she was initially released )

As a backline support main I began experimenting halfway through Season 4 with the strategy of not running flash, and instead opting for two team oriented spells. I experienced a lot of success with the combination of & , and began transforming my playstyle into a "sustain bot" or as my opponents frequently referred to it as a "vending machine". This strategy of mine gives my marksmen options on swapping his/her Heal with another spell. It's created a grab-bag of different unique scenarios, and I think that's great for diversity, makes the games more fun, and is exactly what Riot has wanted to see. Sometimes my marksmen runs , , , , and even sometimes they dislike me for trolling them that they also run . Silly them... now we have 80% more mana than the enemy, and that's not a troll at all! Each game has felt richer and opened more unique discussions between me and my bot lane partner.

1. - With marksmen controlling the exhaust I have found we can use its debuff to its maximum potential. Normally half of its time has expired after cast before my marksmen reacts to the exhausted target. With my marksmen controlling when its cast it allows us to put more dmg onto the debuffed target.
2. - Typically when I pick a backline support, my opponent will tend to lock in a tankier hook type champion like Nautilus, Thresh, or Blitzcrank. Cleanse allows my marksman to still be the frontliner in our duo lane without fear of some heavy cc ruining his day.
3. - Barrier with Heal has been great when I play with marksmen that don't have escapes and want to stand their ground and get 2 different sustains from spells while I also spam heals. Has been great with Draven players.

This is just a few examples as to how utilizing a non-meta summoner spell set up has benefited me, and made my games more unique. I have played ~700 Soraka games and for about 97% of them I have run Heal and Clarity together. I managed to end Diamond 3 this season and maintained a healthy kda of ~4.4. By not running flash I had to adapt and really be mindful of my position in lane, teamfights, and when I roamed to assist the jungler/other lanes. Inside lanephase it allows me to vending machine, outsustain, war of attrition my opponents. Outside of lanephase it gives my teams extended rotations ex: Took tower, team is oom, I pop clarity, we rotate/do drag etc.

I feel Clarity is just a victim of the removal of all things "mana giving" related. Remove the ability to give mana, and receive mana from pots, and I agree that it can help balance champs and their mana pools/costs. However! Keep Clarity, and either tweak it, or accept that this is a great choice summoners can make for the next season._ Hmmm my marksman/team really want me to run exhaust... but I feel I could have a great impact giving mana at a key moment in our game_. That thinking is what makes this game unique. It keeps this game fresh. With the addition of Rift Herald, maybe more champions getting their own "Skarner Crystals", I feel the map is getting cluttered with choices, and that makes Clarity even stronger; exhaust the enemy team of their mana resource, pop clarity, objective is ours. That usage of Clarity is as balanced as other spells currently being used in the game. This new season would make Clarity more useful than it has ever been.

If Riot has a good reason for its removal I would really love to hear it. I am really fearful that what will more than likely happen, is the same thing that happened with Revive. Almost no argument given, and the very small group that utilized Revive got robbed of what made their experience on Summoners Rift fun/unique.

Thank you!

Soraka Heal Clar ~I never because my Soraka has class