Targeted Spell Change

EsoEs·1/23/2018, 8:38:18 PM·3 votes·1,328 views

This is obviously a massive change to the laning patterns of TONS of different champions, and making such a drastic change like this all at once seems really dangerous.

Just thinking about one of my mains, LeBlanc, the fact that my Q draws minion aggro is a HUGE change to the way I would play most lanes.

My concern is that Riot really hasn't thought these changes through, especially given their VERY minimal blurb regarding these changes:

"Champions with spammable targeted spells, like Pantheon and Cassiopeia, put opposing laners in an awkward position: fight back and draw minion aggro, or just take the punishment they hand out. Changing this mechanic will make those champions a lot more intuitive to play against, as well as easier to balance."

Maybe these champions will be easier to balance, but that is a LOT of champions which will probably NEED balancing, and soon.

4 Comments

H1 H0w are Ya1/23/2018, 8:49:23 PM2 votes

I think its a great idea honestly. Its annoying having 0 counterplay to champs that can just click on you over and over with no punishment

Hesediel of Nyme1/23/2018, 11:58:53 PM1 votes

I can't imagine they thought this through either. How do you justify immensely punishing half of all mages (Try hitting a Ryze EQ any other way than by spreading Flux through the wave if your enemy laner constantly gets 6 guards bodyblocking for him after you target him with E), and leaving the other half completely untouched, and still calling it balance? Wtf?

If they don't balance this out by reducing early-game targeted spell cooldowns or increasing lategame damage, I don't see how these champions are supposed to stay viable in comparison to skillshot-champs that are not affected by this huge-scale nerf whatsoever.

My guess is they did this because of how annoyed people in lower elos were with Kleptomancy and they wanted to offer an extra ailment to that salt. I think it absolutely fucks up midlane balance that I now can't cast a combo of 2 abilites and 1 AA without having to escort (and likely lose or waste a lot of mana into) two melee minions into my turret.

VeVoB1/24/2018, 8:35:22 AM1 votes

I think its a really good balance change just because Ryze or Cass could just walk trough your 6 minions and harras u under tower while she was gaining cs and xp with only using her Q and E on you. As a mellee mid there is just nothing you can do about it. Now there is. Its a really good change in my opinion. Talon Zed Katarina Yasuo Fizz Ekko

BowMaster9301/25/2018, 1:27:42 PM1 votes

100% agree with you, it's not an issue of "How do you counterplay point-click spells" and more of a "How do I safely approach this lane". It's an issue with players and a majority of players DON'T know how to play around aggressive teams and champions. Ones with kill pressure. You play outside their zone of control, aka their range of point and click, and then call jungle assistance. It's not hard. You don't take 17 pantheon spears to the face every time that it's off cooldown, then you get to freely farm when the wave pushes into you. Even as a mid lane mage, the lane is short enough that you can play back at tower and if Cass or Ryze or even LeBlanc want to actually deal some damage to you, they risk taking tower damage trying to do it. Don't change the game to pander to bad players, bring players up to the level of the game.

At the end of the day, this really is broken down with the skill curve that League has for new players, and I think Riot is a bit intimidated by the fact that, for the first time in the history of their game, they have less players playing their game on average than the year before. It's dying out and they don't know what to do, so they say "let's make the game easier and give players what they want" instead of trying to educate and have the community get better as a whole. It's the same way with the changes that they made to Ornn, removing utility is bad game design.