Every time I play Vel'koz at Diamond, I feel like I'm bashing my head against a wall

Yenn·Mar 20, 2018·7 votes·489 views

There's way too much mobility in the game, and champions like this have not kept up with it.

Ziggs, Lux, and Viktor all have similar issues, though they aren't prominent until you're playing at a level where everyone's reaction speeds are fast enough to side step most abilities regardless of where they're aimed, unless they're in your face; at which point they're too close and you're likely dead.

These champions are relics from times when movement speed was significantly lower and every kit wasn't loaded with mobility need to be brought back up to par, so they can function in the current world's mobility creep.

15 Comments

KhristophorosMar 20, 20184 votes

Guys stop CJing with Yenn and pretending like Vel'Koz needs any help at all. He's LCS viable. Even draws some bans in Korea. GIT GUD!

Or just don't play him because you don't appreciate him.

YennMar 20, 20182 votes

{quoted}

Guys stop CJing with Yenn and pretending like Vel'Koz needs any help at all. He's LCS viable. Even draws some bans in Korea. GIT GUD!

Or just don't play him because you don't appreciate him.

LCS viable and solo queue are completely different things. Solo queue is dominated by high mobility bruisers and assassins, while LCS games are played extremely safely.

If you've never landed a Q on an ADC (or virtually any common mid laner) in the late game, only to have them flash over the rest of your kit and three shot you, I'm not sure what to say.

Also you're giving zero consideration to the time it takes Vel'koz to output his damage. With the current state of the game, most common mids 100 to 0 in 2-3 seconds, often including some CC. Glass cannon Vel'koz outputs more damage over a longer window, but it doesn't really matter if most other champions can kill you before you have time to deal that damage, and aren't susceptible to having the majority of their kit dodged by dashes.

KhristophorosMar 20, 20183 votes

Then stop playing him

Legion CourierMar 20, 20181 votes

had to like this. you either take the lp loss for sticking to your main or stfu and play whatever's meta if you want to climb

Archlord PieMar 20, 20183 votes

Your problem is you're playing the most balanced champ Riot has ever created.

At the level you're at, you need broken to be able to compete. Vel doesn't offer broken. Just skillshots and an ult that roots himself.

YennMar 20, 20182 votes

[{quoted}](name=Archlord Pie,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=B0x4Ip1F,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2018-03-20T04:07:09.819+0000)

Your problem is you're playing the most balanced champ Riot has ever created.

At the level you're at, you need broken to be able to compete. Vel doesn't offer broken. Just skillshots and an ult that roots himself.

The problem is more that their kits are fairly unreliable, and the reward for landing it (which, at higher ratings, isn't as much you landing it as the enemy failing to dodge it) isn't proportional to the unreliability.

This was more balanced when mobile champions couldn't jump on you and 100 to 0 you in 2-3 seconds.

KhristophorosMar 20, 20181 votes

[{quoted}](name=Archlord Pie,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=B0x4Ip1F,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2018-03-20T04:07:09.819+0000)

Your problem is you're playing the most balanced champ Riot has ever created.

At the level you're at, you need broken to be able to compete. Vel doesn't offer broken. Just skillshots and an ult that roots himself.

Vel'Koz just offers a shitload of AP scaling true damage. You know, nothing to write home about really.

JustMonika13Mar 20, 20182 votes

https://twitter.com/Trinimmortal/status/975758777587781633

The anti mobility circlejerk is something else.

undesirable teamMar 20, 20181 votes

add homing skill-shots please riot

The Bearded BardMar 20, 20181 votes

Ziggs is a fine champion if you plan on only using his abilities to take towers and kill minions.

Rins Thigh SocksMar 20, 20181 votes

{quoted}

There's way too much mobility in the game, and champions like this have not kept up with it.

Viktor

ಠ_ಠ

Viktor is just fine. He's very difficult to pilot and that's what keeps his winrate low but he's definitely playable at worst.

Also, I'm curious what you think of low/no mobility champions like Anivia and Cassiopeia, considering how they're the #1 and #2 best midlaners in the game right now.

YennMar 20, 20182 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ahri Lover Rock,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=B0x4Ip1F,comment-id=0006,timestamp=2018-03-20T05:46:01.197+0000)

ಠ_ಠ

Viktor is just fine. He's very difficult to pilot and that's what keeps his winrate low but he's definitely playable at worst.

Also, I'm curious what you think of low/no mobility champions like Anivia and Cassiopeia, considering how they're the #1 and #2 best midlaners in the game right now.

I think Viktor is only okay because the majority of his damage comes from his empowered auto + his laser is too fast to be dodged at close-ish range, but imo still not as good a choice (especially in solo queue) as other champions. Being able to drop W on top of himself is also a strong deterrent from jumping on him.

Cassiopeia and Anivia are special cases, because their primary sources of damage are low cooldown and can't be blocked.

Cass's Q is also low cooldown and very fast, so it's much harder to dodge than something like Vel'koz's 1 second delayed E, and she isn't really punished for missing it. When I play Cass, I feel like I'm landing Q's because I aimed them well, and not because the enemy was just slow to react (as is the case with Vel's entire kit). Her ult and Miasma also deters mobile champions from jumping on her easily.

Anivia does insane damage if she drops her R on you and doesn't rely on her Q unless the opponent is in close range, or she combines her Q with her R, so they're moving too slowly to avoid it. Her wall also helps open a gap after they've used their mobility to get on top of her.

tl;dr they both have high reliable damage and deterrents from being dived. The other champions I mentioned have no real mobility, unreliable damage, slow moving skill shots, and aside from Lux, they have sustained damage in a meta that's dominated by burst.

KythersMar 20, 20181 votes

diamond is full of dodge scripting shitters

just play annie

YennMar 20, 20182 votes

{quoted}

diamond is full of dodge scripting shitters

just play annie

I mean, using Vel'koz's E as a great example, anyone with boots 2 and average (not even good) reaction time has enough time to move out of it without using any mobility. Same goes with long range Q.