@riot: Balance flash after worlds?

Wolfenix·Sep 18, 2014·1 votes·1,014 views

We all know flash is OP. it is used by almost all players on all champs. If any other summoner spell was being used as often as flash it would be nerfed almost immediately. This has obviously been discussed hundreds of times on the forums over the years.

Take, for example, placing a .5 to 1 second charge time on flash use. The spell is still useful in almost all cases, but the general power of it is slightly reduced and counterplay is possible.

Either way, why the free pass on flash for so many years? I understand that it has worked it's way into the game as being so important to various balance mechanics that it simply can't be removed, but surely there are tweaks that can be made. If you (riot) intend on it remaining the summoner spell taken 95% of the time, just make it available to everyone and allow the players options again.

Are there plans for any changes to flash in the near future?

12 Comments

WorgslargSep 18, 20141 votes

Because league as is is balanced around players having flash in its current state. You would need to rework nearly every champion with cc or a dash/jump/blink were flash not available.

Solution: Players can choose 1 summoner spell, and flash is default like recall. ( it's a minor nerf to a handful of players who might avoid flash, but the overwhelming majority of times flash is taken atm does justify it.)

Echoes Act 3Sep 18, 20141 votes

Solution: Players can choose 1 summoner spell, and flash is default like recall. ( it's a minor nerf to a handful of players who might avoid flash, but the overwhelming majority of times flash is taken atm do justify it.)

ye but if flash was a default like recall then that means everyone would have flash but only choose one other summoner spell. that doesnt make sense because then everyone would have to have flash and choose something else. what if someone wanted ghost and ignite for example. so therefore ur point does not make sense, and flash is fine as it is. if flash had a charge time then it woudlnt be called flash. it would called something like slow blink or delayed something idk. just saying that u may want to rethink this. srry if i was a little me but that is how i like to give feedback. and remember, keep flashing summoner 4

WorgslargSep 18, 20141 votes

Flash is taken around 95% of the time ( I lack numbers for this, would love a source).

In my opinion, making flash default is simply the better option.

redniwediSSep 18, 20141 votes

I would be far more interested in what would happen if the summoner spell limit was reduced to one, but flash was left as a regular spell. There should be a price to having an escape move like flash, and right now there isn't.

GreyXpelliarmusSep 18, 20141 votes

that's a terrible option since some champions run ghost and some others smite + something else

The Queen ViperSep 18, 20141 votes

Flash is just fine as it is... giving it for free would be OP and removing/nerfing it would just bring more problems.

WolfenixSep 18, 20141 votes

Riot has specifically stated many times that they believe in providing options and counterplay to their beloved game. The only current counterplay to flash is... well flash. They've also shown several precedents that when something is taken an overwhelming number of games, they look at the balance of it.

Flash is NOT fine. It goes against their very design principles! Odd that it would stay as it is for so long.

ValyrianBladeSep 18, 20141 votes

absolutely do not make it a default, that makes the few champions that don't use it underpowered. It has counterplay (as you said, other flashes, but also silences, stuns, other champion abilities, its long cooldown. Maybe it's only optimal in fewer situations than it gets used for but everyone uses it because the pros use it (and those who use what is more useful for them would have an advantage). Really, it's fine because everyone has equal access to it regardless of who they are.

WolfenixSep 18, 20141 votes

I completely disagree that it's fine because everyone has access to it. That's like saying a completely OP champ used (or banned) in 95% of all games if "fine" because you "should have banned him." This is a design flaw in the game that limits gameplay options.

Ii is kind of like back in the day when there were a couple items that were MANDATORY on pretty much every champ (zhonya's ring, anyone?). It was fine though, because everyone had access to it?

ValyrianBladeSep 19, 20141 votes

It's fine because there's no proof it is the best choice. Just because players think it is the best doesn't mean there aren't better choices that we simply don't make. It already has an incredibly long cooldown, but people prefer the ability to make a clutch play rarely rather than a good play often. prove that players win more ranked Games when they take flash and then you may have an argument. As for making it mandatory and lowering to 1 spell, why hurt everyone that doesn't use it? There are a number of people that use ghost to stick to targets, or tele+ignite in top Lane. The only solution that's reasonable would be too buff the other summoner spells to make them get taken over flash.

redniwediSSep 18, 20141 votes

I personally prefer Ghost over Flash, but that is because my champion pool typically has issues sticking to a target. That said about the only way one could lower the power of Flash without breaking it would be by increasing it's cooldown to a ridiculous level. You could add in things like a charge time, but Flash is the counter to many things that require a fast reaction.

The only way to lower the power of Flash without making it useless and keeping the price of using it low is by raising other summoner spells up to it's level, or by adding new spells. Right now there are only three movement effecting summoner spells, with two seeing a fair amount of use in game.

In my opinion either Ghost needs to be buffed to a point where it is competitive with Flash, or additional movement based summoner spells need to be added.

WolfenixSep 18, 20141 votes

I'm not disagreeing with you, per se, but I think the options you are proposing won't quite work out.

Making other summoner spells stronger has been done before... and quickly rescinded. What you suddenly get is whole teams with heal and barrier kind of thing. It's not pretty, trust me.

The longer cooldown is also somewhat pointless. Simply decreasing the overall power of flash just makes everyone take ghost (or whatever the new "best" replacement is declared by pros).

What we need is for the spell to be changed in a way that makes it just as powerful, but not in all situations. The reason flash is used is because of it's ultimate versatility. It's useful in %100 of all situations, defensive or offensive. I think that perhaps limiting it's instant use is a good way of shaving off the "get out of danger free" power, but maintaining it's ability for initiates and general gap closing. It could mean the difference between relentless tower diving, or taking that one extra tower shot. It simply requires more planning.

It's also worth noting that a charge time adds a third dimension for balancing the spell, instead of just range and cooldown.