Vel'Koz' design: extremely deceptive damage

Disclaimer: this is not a rant. I'm actually congratulating its design. This is a thing I came to realize after playing a few 3v3 as , our dearest void scientist.

#Vel'Koz' damage pattern is incredibly deceptive Vel's kit is designed very properly, and the changes of the mage updates followed by a few buffs put him in quite a good position balance-wise. My biggest concern is his very extreme matchups (deleting Juggernauts and Tanks but meowing before Divers and Assassins).

What is suprising with Vel'Koz is how people are unable to understand his damage. We've all been saying "well, that hurt" when realizing someone is actually fed, but Vel has this ability to make you believe he's not much of a damage threat until you get caught in a full spell rotation, then making you feel safe again by not damaging you a lot with a single spell.

##But why is that? Well, there are a few reasons for that.

First, his passive damage doesn't feel incredible early game (still hurts, but the kind of damage that makes you say "maybe I'll take another pot after I recall" and not "what the fuck was that?"). But then, the passive scales with not only level, but also AP, and you come to realize that true damage might hurt more than you thought. With ~450 AP, you reach 400 true damage with it. You don't learn to respect this damage, because you don't see it being from it. That's because…

Second, his passive mechanic makes it so that you never see the passive damage by itself. The passive is always proc-ed by a damaging ability. Therefore, people make the assumption that either the ability did the damage, or the passive, and then they get suprised when big damage comes from either the passive with another ability, or the same ability without the passive, respectively.

Third, the spell order. Since the rework, Vel maxes Q. That means that W is taken second. That means that the easy way for Vel to damage you is to cast W. Since W isn't being maxed, its damage is low, and it won't proc the passive by itself. You then become more confident, because you assume the damage is low. But what you don't realize is that you got two marks on you, and Vel probably killed a few minions with 2 Ws. By doing that, he opens the way for a diagonal Q that suddenly hits you and deals strong damage by being maxed and by proc-ing the passive.

Fourth, the early power spikes. Vel basically gets strongly potent power spikes: at level 2, when he can proc the passive and shove a wave easily; at level 3, when he gains a full rotation of spells and a double passive proc; and at level 6, when his ult unlocks for a gigantic (potentially)true damage burst boost.

Fifth, the difference in damage between spells. Damage difference between Q, W and E are big, and are even amplified by the spell order. You get hit by E, you laugh, but you get the Q just after that, you suffer. This also adds to the deceptiveness of the passive, since you don't realize how much damage any ability can do when proc-ing it.

Sixth, the late game ability spamming. Vel synergizes incredibly well with CDR. In the late game, you want to catch him, and you know you're tanky enough to survive a spell rotation, so you go after him. But you don't realize that Vel almost always has a spell to cast (Q with 3.85 s CD, 2 charges of W, E with 6.6 s CD). And you think each time he's out of spells, but then he casts another one, and another one, and procs the passive again, and before you realize it, you're low on health again and try to escape. But that's when you realize that…

Seventh, the CC is deceptive as well. Basically, it's almost impossible to chase or run from Vel if you don't have a dash or blink. His spammable Q strongly slows for more than 2.5 s. His E not only knock up but also knocks back when you're too close, and even his ult slows for the whole duration.

Eighth, individual spells are also individually deceptive. His Q is difficult to dodge if Vel is good, as he can prematurely split it to get you. Its range also by its diagonal mechanics can exceeds 1500 units when done properly. His W has 2 damage portions, which are not equal, the second one being stronger. Adding the 2 charges and the possibility to get 4 stacks on you makes the first 3 hits to deal gradually higher damage without really noticing. His ult doesn't deal damage linearly, but in a (approximately) X → X → 2X pattern every 3 ticks, making calculate the possibility of survival highly difficult.

Ninth, the supplementary burst of out-of-kit elements. I am talking mostly about Luden's Echo and Thunderlord's decree, giving extra burst at the start and in the middle of the burst respectively.

##Conclusion All these elements put together make a kit whose damage potential is extremely deceptive and hard to predict. This gives Vel a very special place in the roster.

I love playing him. The suprise factor of his damage is always amazing to witness. Thank you Riot for this incredible champion!