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Draintank: The Reason Why Ranged Champions Become So Stupid

Bloodsoaked Eve·1/13/2017, 7:26:33 PM·28 votes·2,391 views

Bloodthirster. We know this as a core Item on many Marksmenalong with mainy crit-based items such as Runaan's Hurricane, Rapidfire Cannon, and of course, infinity edge. And while it works well on the marksmen, it tends to create a bit of an annoyance when you are an assassin or diver when the enemy ADC is critting you and two other people for 1200 damage (looking at you ) and as a result heal more than you deal damage to them, requiring Grievous wounds. This is not a complaint about needing to build Grievous wounds, but it is a complaint on how someone with range can just draintank all damage lategame. I would like to bring up The cases of Aatrox, Ryze before his latest rework, and Illaoi if she gets a good ult.

Aatrox ended up needing to be gutted due to his balance issue of synergizing too well with so many ad lifesteal items, causing him to regain Insane amounts of health and take no damage due to his healing. Ryze had Spellvamp on his ult which allowed him to build even tankier by building Will of the Ancients (+20% spellvamp) and Spirit Visage, with his passive and ults, he could 1v4 and remain at more than half hp, which was a reason why it was removed from his kit in the rework. Illaoi is a more situational draintank but it is certainly more balanced than Aatrox and Ryze. But With ADCs becoming increasingly strong and support items becoming more about heals and shields, draintank is becoming a bigger problem in League. Warwick's rework is a step in the right direction by making his draintank more situational and less overbearing.

One solution is to reduce the effectiveness of lifesteal from range, which isn't really good as it singles out one group of champions. Another solution is to give another ap item grievous wounds seeing as morellonomicon only kicks in at 40% health or lower.

Thank you for reading.

36 Comments

Thefrostyviking1/13/2017, 11:50:10 PM5 votes

Honestly some items are just too strong, BT is one of them.

20% lifesteal on a character that can hit for 600-900 regularly? that's around 120 to 200 hp per shot not counting Hurricane. And some ADCs hit even harder with their crits like cait or draven for up to 1,1 - 1,3 k. That's a damm lot of healing.

And it's also a part of why Yasou is so strong, he goes in, fails, goes out and heals and then goes back in in a matter of seconds with BT+warlord.

Scruberz1/13/2017, 7:52:37 PM5 votes

[{quoted}](name=Bloodsoaked Eve,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=7P6HqO24,comment-id=,timestamp=2017-01-13T19:26:33.267+0000)

But With ADCs becoming increasingly strong

?????????

They have literally never been weaker in the history of league of legends

THE RlVER KlNG1/14/2017, 2:44:05 PM4 votes

They took spellvamp out of the game because they didn't like Vlad buying it and healing too much for ADCs to shred quickly.

But Catilyn / JInx / Twitch / Draven healing for 300 - 400 an auto is completely fine and fair for people facing them.

Don't even get me started on graves, whose interaction with lifesteal is an embarrassment to the balance team.

Papa Andrei1/14/2017, 12:27:22 PM3 votes

I would love lifesteal to just be an inherent part of a kit, or from non keystone masteries. It would make so many champs much more viable, Vlad, AAtrox, Illaoi, and also allow assassins to function as normal, supports can heal and shield as intended.

grug1/14/2017, 7:17:23 PM2 votes

not only do ADC's have the best itemisation in the game, all tanks become invalidated from the acquisition of Lord dominik's which becomes even more efficient as ADC's already stack crit.

Rabid Husky1/13/2017, 8:10:10 PM2 votes

well ignoring the fact adcs are in need of buffs, blood thirster is the only definitive sustain or even defense item for marksmen in general without it then that squishy damage dealer is toast. fighters all have some form of sustain or defense even trynd and yasuo both have built in sustain defenses and mages have the ability to buy health and res with item 3001 item 3151 item 3027 item 3116 item 3157 being available to every mage and ap user, marksmen really only have item 3072 item 3046 item 3812 item 3153 as the only items they are supposed to use and even then anyone who goes damage builds dd bork and bt.

difference between literally anyone else in league is compared to most laners marksmen are generally the ones who need help the most. when they go into different lanes it's harder for them to really thrive compared to the people who actually go into that lane, hell I've even seen supports trash lanes Soraka Leona Zilean Janna Nunu Lulu Braum Bard Thresh are all people i have seen in lane and wreck without even trying, the poor defenseless supports who can go solo lane while the cruel evil adcs can in rare cases lane solo

WoonStruck1/14/2017, 8:03:00 AM2 votes

The problem is that their drain-tanking isn't gated.

Look at Vlad. He's been a healthier power-curve than ADCs for a long time with very apparent windows of weakness and power throughout the game. The biggest issue with Vlad is that he has that power-curve while being tanky...however he's still healthier due to how much more gating he has in utility, range, mobility, and true kiting potential.

Before anyone says "ADCs are healthy"...no. Just no. They've been half the problem with this game since its release. I beg you to go take a look at Ashe in season one. Graves, Ezreal, Corki in season 2. Keep going forward too if you want.

Look at the power/mobility creep they caused in new champion releases from Riot. They were almost directly caused by the current champions of the time's lack of strong interaction with ADCs of the meta.

Riot needs to re-do ADCs from the ground up, from champions to itemization, for sustain on them to be healthy, due to how squishy they are at the same time.

dominusx1/14/2017, 12:46:48 PM1 votes

Graves item 1412 item 3006 item 3812 item 3046 item 3072 item 3156 hi i'm here to 1v5 your team and come out with more health from when i started the fight. LUL

Aroha Mai1/14/2017, 1:06:04 PM1 votes

Graves "Riot doesn't know if they want me to be a ranged fighter or marksman"

Spoofghoul1/14/2017, 10:28:41 AM1 votes

grievous wounds should not be on ''mandatory'' items in the first place

though i agree that the lifesteal situation is dumb

make it not interact with crit

problem solved

Toru Itai1/14/2017, 1:31:02 AM1 votes

the fact that there are two highly effective greivous wounds items, and you still want another is all the reason i need to downvote.

that said, safe drain, that is ranged, and comes with little chance of being effected by greivous wounds before it's too late is problematic. this is the only reason i can't call for the remival of all non-kit forms of Greivous Wounds. Instead I Suggest a full rebalance on all healing, self healing, life steal, spell vamp, and omni-vamp to go along side the removal of non-kit Greivous Wounds.