The warding totem upgrade.
Seriously if you aren't buying this....I just don't know what to say to you.
As a laner it is amazing. it is the best item upgrade bar none.
I'm starting to think that it could abused by Mage supports in the bot lane in order to open an item slot and not have the price tag of sight stone, which I approve of.
RiotWizardCrab28 votesI've been skipping sightstone for this on Vel'Koz support. It's amazing. As long as you can survive to level 9.
TehNACHO29 votesYou are a bad influence haha.
RiotRiot Axes24 votesYou're scaring me...
Kuroi861 votes
Challenge accepted.
PublicArtillery6 votesthat doe :D
junglerboy161 votesIt's so he can get an early camp with his ADC faster, it's kind of a thing right now...
DarkFaun Fortes1 votesA thing if abused will cause a nerf again, I dont think they want supports and toplaners taking smite for a reason.
+
= a lesser grade of
works way better too!
junglerboy161 votesFrost queen's claim is actually really kind of lame in comparison to right now, since it is so inefficient early on and doesn't earn as much gold as it should.
SmknWdl1 votesI've been considering 
and 
on 
top lane... the damages. Hehehehe
The Ecdysiast3 votesAs long as you can survive to level 9. Perfect sentence for that. But hey, as long as you're here, can I ask you to make a suggestion? Since it would benefit most mage supports to NOT have SS, could you maybe ask them to lower the level cap on the upgraded trinket, and put in a sweeper active item that doesn't go in the trinket slot?
Zazusha6 votesthey are called Pink wards
Tsunday19 votesI'm starting to think that it could abused by Mage supports in the bot lane in order to open an item slot and not have the price tag of sight stone, which I approve of.
You can't get it until level 9 and you should be getting your SS your first back which is normally closer to level 6.
RuGu3 votesThis is true, but i'm starting to think that it would be worth just buying the single wards until then.
at most you end up buying 3-4? between levels 6-9 which is right around the end of lane? As long as you keep the singles under 550gold, you'd come out ahead in gold + get an item slot.
MrSexyHobo3 votesThis is true, but i'm starting to think that it would be worth just buying the single wards until then.
at most you end up buying 3-4? between levels 6-9 which is right around the end of lane? As long as you keep the singles under 550gold, you'd come out ahead in gold + get an item slot.
no sweeper is really bad downside. not worth
RuGu11 votesThis is true, but i'm starting to think that it would be worth just buying the single wards until then.
at most you end up buying 3-4? between levels 6-9 which is right around the end of lane? As long as you keep the singles under 550gold, you'd come out ahead in gold + get an item slot.
You can't get it until level 9 and you should be getting your SS your first back which is normally closer to level 6.
Hell even if you bout SS and then sold it i think it would be worth.
gameipedia4 votesThis is true, but i'm starting to think that it would be worth just buying the single wards until then.
at most you end up buying 3-4? between levels 6-9 which is right around the end of lane? As long as you keep the singles under 550gold, you'd come out ahead in gold + get an item slot.
Hell even if you bout SS and then sold it i think it would be worth.
red trinket though... and the hp is nice
Lincrono1 votesYou can't get it until level 9 and you should be getting your SS your first back which is normally closer to level 6.
SS on first back is situational, if ur smart, don't push, and have ur adc ward (trinket) you're solid on vision vs ganks. meanwhile the (absurd) cost of sight stone can go to items that are better for keeping you in lane, alive, and killing. if ur really hurting for wards, b4 you hit lvl 9, 2-3 plus trinket + adc trinket should be more than enough to hold you. as a mage sup I always get cup first back, the passive is invaluable for laying down constant hurt and healing ur adc (if u can) which in turn makes you a less attractive target to ganks. as a tank sup I likewise get my first item about 50% done first back, and return to lane with far more ability to stay in the enemy's face and body block for the adc than the poor sod who got the meta SS.
AMYS GRAVE11 votes 
have all become must buys on everyone in the game. They are seriously OP (in a good way) right now.
Cosmic Warper1 votes
It's good to make vision items OP because every champ can buy them whenever and capitalize on them. More vision for everyoneeee :D
AMYS GRAVE1 votesWell, that's bad for junglers and roaming mid-laners though.... The fog of war is an important part of the game.
Partholonian1 votes"More vision for some, more vision denial for others" isn't quite as catchy (although it is more accurate).
The point is that everyone is contributing, not just people whose gold and item slots are considered unimportant enough to be worth sacrificing.
AMYS GRAVE1 votesSee reply to your other comment above. ^^
Partholonian6 votesYeah, I love this. A unique item slot that can't be used for anything else is something that every champion can and must contribute for themselves -- you absolutely, positively cannot tell the support to build 5 trinkets instead.
I think they should buff trinkets to the point that they can completely eliminate sightstones and consumable wards. Let supports build items that help them perform their champion roles (tanking, engage, disengage, sustain, CC, whatever it happens to be for that champion) more effectively. Trading gold for vision isn't good for the position or the game.
AMYS GRAVE1 votesI think they should buff trinkets to the point that they can completely eliminate sightstones and consumable wards.
Well, I'm not sure i would go that far. If both sides have effectively free vision then that removes the fog of war and severely nerfs junglers who are already hurting. There does have to be a cost to vision and you have to pay that cost to avoid that most pernicious evil, the gank.
Partholonian1 votesNo, there has to be limits to vision. Why should those limits be defined by one member of the team's gold and item slots?
What if warding was an extra spell (like Recall -- it's not like a summoner spell where you can choose between that and something else, you just have it) with a set number of charges and recharge time (maybe changing as you level up)? You wouldn't be paying any gold or occupying any item slots, but the ward charges themselves would be a cost/resource -- a ward placed one place can't be placed somewhere else and if you use them all in bad places, you have to wait X seconds to have another charge.
Ultimately, the effect of having vision cost gold, specifically, is that people who do more with vision can therefore do less with other things that gold is useful for. Gold is important enough that you don't want too many people on the team to sacrifice their gold, but vision is important enough that you do want at least one person to do it; thus the support-as-vision-provider meta.
I understand why having one person on your team sacrifice their gold and item slots to provide more vision for everyone is good for your chances of winning that game. I don't understand why allowing/forcing one person on every team to do that is good for the balance or fun of the game.
The design of wards as items that take up item slots and cost gold goes back to Warcraft 3. Maybe it's time to rethink it.
AMYS GRAVE1 votesWhy should those limits be defined by one member of the team's gold and item slots?
Why should only one person buy wards/sightstone? Everyone needs to buy wards and if you are going to have the advantage of vision you should have to pay for it. Having one person do the warding is a terrible idea, and the fact that you think that it is the supports job to ward is a bit worrisome.
... a ward placed one place can't be placed somewhere else and if you use them all in bad places, you have to wait X seconds to have another charge.
You just described the upgraded trinkets as they are implemented now. That is exactly why the recent trinket changes are amazing. They supplement the teams warding, but cant be used exclusively to get good ward coverage.
Ultimately, the effect of having vision cost gold, specifically, is that people who do more with vision can therefore do less with other things that gold is useful for.
That's the point, there is a trade off for vision, that makes it a meaningful decision that you have to make.
Gold is important enough that you don't want too many people on the team to sacrifice their gold, but vision is important enough that you do want at least one person to do it;
Everyone can afford wards, and it is important enough that everyone needs to contribute. 75g isn't going to break the bank for anyone, and everyone can afford at least one pink.
I don't understand why allowing/forcing one person on every team to do that is good for the balance or fun of the game.
Everyone is allowed to buy wards. No one is forced to buy wards for the entire team. You are limited to 4 wards on the map by each player, and if only one person is warding that is not good for the game because you need to have more wards down.
The design of wards as items that take up item slots and cost gold goes back to Warcraft 3. Maybe it's time to rethink it.
They were rethought and that is why there are trinkets, and why the upgraded items are so good as to be a must buy.
Lincrono1 votesWell, I'm not sure i would go that far. If both sides have effectively free vision then that removes the fog of war and severely nerfs junglers who are already hurting. There does have to be a cost to vision and you have to pay that cost to avoid that most pernicious evil, the gank.
having to wait till lvl 9 is a pretty big cost. If they buffed the trinkets to absolutely best SS (or at least equal it) and removed consumable wards/SS it would be an early game buff to JG as they would only have to worry about weak starting trinket. Teams would also have to make trades between sweeping, regular wards, and pink wards. for example, weighting the benefit of say having 2 dudes sweeping, one dude placing pinks, and 2 placing reg wards (in effect having a max of 7 wards on the map) vs a team of all reg warders (15 wards on the map, but no ability to destroy them or detect stealth. This could keep the vision game rather dynamic, and probably encourage more warding in general because trinket is more painless than individual wards (which have the stigma of 'if nothing happens in 3 min, or I place badly it's a waste) and less expensive than SS. Furthermore, it allows teams that have gotten to full build late game and thus have no item slots (rare, but it does happen) to continue the vision game with the buffed trinkets. Heck I'd be in full support of everyone starting with some kind of free trinket between the current and SS, simply because it would help remove a big source of toxicity from the game by making it painless and free while still offering the tactical diversity of which trinket you choose, when, and how well you use it.
AMYS GRAVE1 votesHaving to wait until lv 9 isn't a cost in the sense that i had intended, i mean to say that there should be a tradeoff for getting vision. I pay a little early game damage to not give up a kill - sort of thing. There needs to be a concious or meaningful choice that must be made for it.
Certainly a further buff to the trinkets would enable more warding, but if it is good enough to replace the need for sightstone then the situation where you have many people who are just carrying the trinket without using it becoming even more detrimental to the team because now the would be sightstone carrier can't supplement the missing wards. If you buff trinkets to the point of sightstone where anyone can supplement one players lack of warding, then you can basically remove the fog of war permanently and that is not good.
I will also mention that if your ward is placed for 3 min and it doesn't see anything, That is 3 min of guaranteed safety and that is information that has been gained and can be used effectively.
As for the late-late game regime that you mention it might be reasonable for the trinkets to be twice upgradeable, with an additional gold cost to give greater functionality unlockable at lv 18.
I guess that the tl;dr of my opinion here is that the fog of war is not only good but necessary for healthy gameplay, and too much of a buff to trinkets could potentially remove that.
AbodyHUN6663 votesInteresting how much the trinket meta has changed since they were introduced to the game...
Hyrum Graff7 votesI'm a big fan of 
on my supports. Get them and never pay for wards again, plus you can place pinks even if you fill up your slots.
RuGu1 votes[{quoted}](name=Hyrum Graff,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=91d1rc0f,comment-id=0007,timestamp=2015-02-17T17:42:15.624+0000)
I'm a big fan of
I'll have to try this out. :)
Rew7111 votesSadly, it still limits up to 3.
GaleWinUnleashed5 votesHe said , not .
Free pink wards don't interfere with the regular ward limit.
Scramrail2 votes[{quoted}](name=Hyrum Graff,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=91d1rc0f,comment-id=0007,timestamp=2015-02-17T17:42:15.624+0000)
I'm a big fan of
Ive tried this a few times in longer games but the problem is that without sweeper you limit your vision denial pretty heavily. Unless you plan on just dropping pinks on-cooldown to try to scout for enemy vision but at that point you've only got 3 legitimate wards on the map as your pinks will be constantly shifting around potentially in sub-optimal locations.
Lincrono1 votestrue, you limit vision denial, but it is not key for many strategies. perfectly legit strats include drawing them into an area you warded a min ago, and you know they haven't gone to much; warding an area, and then moving into it under the assumption they can see you, only fighting in areas where both teams have vision (such as in lane with minions), etc. vision denial is an interesting mechanic but it is far, far, far more important to make sure you have eyes on the enemy before going into a team fight. I would rather have 5 dudes with upgraded trinkets seed the area with 15 wards over the course of a minute (more than the enemy can possibly clear) so I can see them, then try and snipe their key wards with the one, maybe two shots I have to pick the right bush. furthermore, moving in to clear a ward can be just as bad as leaving it alone, because they probably saw you do it and therefore know where you are, and how many you have with you. . . which is what the ward was there to accomplish in the first place
Colgate Gator6 votesWhile it's super optimal for other members of the team, if you don't get SS as a support you're going to get ganked as hell and you will give up a lot of vision control, also with so many wards in the game, the red trinket becomes more and more important.
Lincrono1 votesSS is only one factor that goes into getting ganked. My bro and I take a different approach. If I'm playing sona for example (who I main as support) I get cup first 90% of the time which gives us a huge in lane adv vs the dude who got SS. sure, it means our jg has a tough time. However, it also means I can freely poke down the enemy laners, keep us 90-100% hp, and still have the mana for a sustained fight. add into that a little bit of restraint (ie don't push) and we get a three fold benefit. 1. trinkets still provide decent coverage. 2. our high hp/mana vs the enemy lane gives us an advantage in a fight. 3.our lane positioning (in addition to the enemy's weak position) makes us an unattractive gank. The meta exists for a reason . . . it is the result of the tactical reasoning of the top players. It is not a mechanic to blindly follow especially when what applies to the top tier does not necessarily apply elsewhere.
Battlecast Sona3 votesI don't understand the "but if you don't get sightstone you won't have enough wards" argument. Within 2-3 minutes of getting the trinket you can have 3 wards on the map constantly, and you don't have to go back to base to refresh them. I've been doing this on supports if I get fed and want to make damage to further stomp my lane - upgrade trinket for 250 gold instead of paying 800 for Sightstone. It works pretty well, honestly.
Drogeist3 votesWhile I tend to stick with the idea that just about any support should still get a sight stone, I do completely agree that the stealth ward upgrade is AMAZING for many champions. Seems like I always have a ward up when I need one. Put one in the enemy jungle and get an opportunistic kill. Ward all approaches to your solo lane and reduce the chances of being ganked.
It's cheap, it's useful, and you get wards without having to use an item slot or even go back to the base to buy them. It's basically a free ward delivery system!
Vision wins games!
Warface3 votesWarding totem is completely made useless by 
coupled with either or
its that simple. why do you think all you see in higher games in lens? because in the end, you rather deny vision to the enemy while having yours than leaving your enemy with vision
EverTokki1 votesWarding totem is completely made useless by
I nowadays also don't get why you would upgrade to ruby sightstone. there are more better health items, and I feel like 4 wards are fine for me when using sightstone.
Warface1 voteswell, honestly, in a teamfight in the jungle, i'll place down wards where i think we'll need them and I know im going to relocate 2 of my ward for an updated vision after the fight. buying wards is for plebs. a good lee sin will use use the ruby sightstone because of the sheer fuckign mobility it will give him. most support dont have much good to have great items, expecially if they need to flounder their meager few pieces of gold on wards. the introduction of sightstone was to help support not waste gold on individual wards. I checked the gold efficiency of sightstone to ruby sightstone, sure, ruby is less efficient, but you still have 200 more health, so if im going with a sightstone, might as well go for the ruby while at it.
RenegadeBiscuitz1 voteswith it having 2 stacks soon, it'll be perfect so everyone doesnt rely on the sup for wards.
Laughing Fish1 votesFalse: The best item in the game is 
ULTRAF0RCE1 votesnot an item anymore 
Laughing Fish1 votes
Partholonian4 votesNo, the first one was correct. Think about it.
Laughing Fish2 votes
I don't see what you mean.