Can we please make a small adjustment to the Black Cleaver build path on PBE?
So the following change is on the PBE: Black Cleaver Health increased from 300 to 400 Attack damage lowered from 50 to 40 Build Path Changed from [Phage + Caulfields] to [Phage + Kindlegem] Total cost lowered from 3100 to 3050
The context is that it's working as intended on juggernauts like Garen and Darius, and historically they've benefited from the item having more HP and less AD than it does now. It's also getting purchased too much as a final item, combining too well with lethality builds on marksmen and assassins.
So I'm fine with the overall final spot of the item, but the build path is ATROCIOUS, especially for anyone that rushes it as a first item.
The major problem with the build path is that you only get 15 AD until you manage to finish the full item. 15 AD is not nearly enough for a lot of champions who want to build this item first. It makes CS'ing a lot harder. It makes pushing your lead a lot harder.
Then, on top of that, we have another issue. The final combine cost just increased from 750g to 1000g. That's a pretty significant bump. Prior to this change, no individual purchase on the Black Cleaver ever cost more than that 750g. (400+350->+500, 350+350->+400, -->+750). It was a really good first item purchase because regardless of how much gold you had to base on, you could add a component before going back to lane. I think it's an unintended consequence of the change that suddenly you'll have a lot of people being forced to back at 750-970g and can't finish the item (or otherwise they stay in lane too long and die because of the increased cost).
There's a really simple change to the build path that solves both of these problems with the item simultaneously, AND doesn't benefit the item at all as a 5th/6th item: Add a longsword to the build.
It's really that simple. It reduces the final combine cost from 1000 to 650. It lets you get 25AD rather than only 15 AD out of the build path, so you're not stuck without damage for so long. It still fits logically, as 25AD < 40AD on the finished item. It won't benefit people building it as a 5th/6th item as they won't have inventory space for the extra component anyways.
It's still a straight nerf to the offensive power of the item relative to current. Really, I see no reason not to allow
to build out of

) are the only top laners seeing pro play. Even in solo queue these tanks are really dominating the picks (with asides being like Jayce [who needs the late game black cleaver nerf] or like Darius [who as you mentioned have the base stats to be fine without it]). The champions that J4 and Fiora should be beating are the popular ones and yet they're not really strong right now. So a black cleaver change like this seems really bad in that context when such a simple change would make it closer to neutral for them.
WOULD be missed but.. brightside is
for ex you might want to rush a
.
and
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as it would be on skirmishers, adc and assassins. if youre playing these guys, then youll know that csing is often already fine with a phage.
gets a little boned from this since he needs as much AD as he can get early to help farm, but he wasn't really in consideration to begin with