Original Mages Problems

I wanted to just share my thoughts with other players and, probably, get a response from Riot themselves.

This game is most unfair when it comes to playing original mages without mobility, like Brand, Anivia - all the skillshot based ones. And by original mages I dont mean some dirty champions like Azir or Viktor, who can just clear the pack from 1000 range, without interacting with lane opponent, while wasting like 10 mana, cause double-dorans, low manacosts, and very high damage. I'm talking about those mages, who struggle to take out the minion wave even with 2 spells, that have limited range. Those, who are not picked just because all of this counters them:

1. High mobility champions with enough damage to kill squishy champion.
2. Champion with walls (for now there only two, Braum and Yasuo).
3. Champions with higher range.
4. Every champion who had build Hexdrinker or Spectre's Cowl or Null Magic Mantle and their upgrades.
5. Sustain champions.
6. Champions with superior waveclear.
7. Tanks with balanced resistanses.
8. Silence.

But lets look closely at every counter. 1. What immobile mage can do versus Zed? Build Zhonias. Yea, it works. When you have team around. I dont mind assassing killing me 1v1 it should be like that. But not only assassins are mobile. Lets remember guys like Jax, Irelia, Xin, Yasuo, Aatrox, Hecarim and etc. What will you do with them? Build Liandri? Well, good luck, they will just sustain the whole damage, and they are beefy enough to survive your initial bursts. And your cooldowns are like 10, 9, 11, 140 (q,w,e,r). And zhonia lasts only 2.5 seconds. And you'll just die from aaa, which is free. You were taking risks in lane, dodged every skillshot from enemy Ahri, but then you encounter Jax and just die.

2. What skillshot based mage can do versus champions with walls? Well, you can w8 when this champion blows the wall on someone else. Or you may focus tank - but we talk about that target for focus below!

3. What Immobile mage can do against champions with higher range? Lose lane, farm up, you still in the game, just group with a team it works, yes, but you're in a disadvantage from the start, if you're equaly skilled. It's still fine, as every class of champions should have their weakness.

4. What immobile mage can do versus champions with magic resist? Stack magic penetration. Of well, that is BIG TOPIC. You actually can STACK it. But mages have problems even here. Lets start from their options. They have sorc boots, liandri's, void stuff, abyssal scepter, runes and masteries. % penetration caps at 40%, and we can have up to 65~ flat penetration if you go 18 in cunning tree (but then you lose 5% of % penetration). So lets see, Any melee champion can get like 150 magic resist just with few items, cause of basic stats. Lets say they have roughly 2700 hp in mid game. So the perfect thing would if we could get all of this: 150 - (40% + 65) = 25 magic resist left. Thats 20% damage reduction. But we cant go for it, because cunning. So lets recalculate: 150 - (35% + 65) = 32.5 magic resist left. Thats roughly 25% damage redution. But for it, you need to build Void stuff, Abyssal, Liandri's and sorc boots. That is 4 slots. One more slot are taken by Rabadons, because otherwise there is no reson to build penetration, because you wont kill anyone without AP, and you have last slot to build what you like. D - Diversity. But lets calculate our stats with this build:

AP: 80(VS)+70(AS)+80(LT)+0(Sorc)+120(Raba)+100(Zhonias)+30(Runes and masteries)+X = 480 + X AP, where X=168 - rabadon's bassive. In the end we get 648 ap. Not so bad at all. And it worked in past, when tanks was not getting damage from thin air, just because they need to be able to kill someone. Lets take like common immobile mage, lets say Orianna. We wont take into account her autos, to calculate pure damage from her combo. The comdo is simple - Q + R + W + Q + E (even if it's hard to pull of in actual game, lets look at it).

So her damage will be, including ap scaling with 648 AP: 504 (Q) + 754 (R) + 704 (W) + 504 (Q) + 374 (E) = 2840 single target damage and it will be a bit less AOE Damage, something like 2500. Pretty solid, I must say, but we havent multiplied it yet. Masteries lets us some % damage increase, so lets count them too. 2% (Sorcery) + 2% (Double Edged sword) + 5% (Bounty Hunter) + 245 damage (Thunderlord's Decree) + some damage from Executioner, which is very hard to calculate. So in the end we get: 2840 + 245 = 3085; 3085 + 10% = 3393~ pure magic damage in perfect scenario. Now we cut it cause magic resist and masteries of fighters and tanks: 25% (magic resist) + 4% (Bond of Stone) = 29% damage reduction. 71% of 3393 damage = _2409 aoe magic damage dealt. _

Okay how many hp have any or fighter tank in the late game? 3500-4000 I believe. Not to mention their sustain from lifesteal, health regen, not to mention stupid shield from Locket of the Iron Solari which is build against Orianna and other aoe mages in every game, that is not in bronze. Locket alone will eat 345 damage in late game. Which is cutting us to 2064 damage, which can be restored. Yes, such aoe ult will end this teamfight, because your team will be at massive advantage, but go and try to land it on atleast 3 people every game in clutch moments C: Not to mention, that most part of the game you wont deal any meaningful damage to tanks, fighters and ad champions except adc, you know, why? Because they will build hexdrinker + merc boots or spectre's cowl + merc boots, which completely turns off ANY magic damage against you, until mage builds void stuff. So to do the damage, I calculated above, you need:

1. Perfect scenario, when you manage to land full combo.
2. Target.
3. Full build.
4. Be in Abyssal's aura range from opponent. We all know, that perfect scenario does not exists, or just happens once in a while and then uploaded on youtube channels. We all know, that if Orianna laned her ult on 2 people only, she lost tf, if, ofc, it's not enemies adc and midlaner, which is VERY unlikely on high levels of play. We all know, that before full build you wont be of a much use, other then supporting your jungler in ganks, and waveclearing packs of minions one after another. BUT BUT BUT. With this build you wont have ANY mana regen. You will have ONLY 15% Cooldown Reduction. Just to piece through this beef, called fighters, juggernauts and tanks, and failing to do so, so you're basically not goona do damage to any person on the map, except squishes, that were caught out of position, and can flash, dash, blink or etc, from your combo. Not to mention, that it's very hard to even come close enough to them, to even TRY to land your combo. And remember, if... no. IF you will take something else, then one of penetration options I listed, your damage goes down. Even if you swap Zhonias for chilice you lose 46 ap (because rabadons give another 6). You can swap zhonias for Archangel though, and you will get some more damage in the end, but it's even less damage in early and mid game. You swap penetration masteries on cdr ones, you lose damage. You swap abyssal for other cdr/mana, spellvamp (because why not) item, you lose damage. You swap Liandri's, you lose damage. You swap something and you do not do enough damage to tanks, to make them fear your ult or something. So you are forced to rely on your team to carry you to the late game, which is supposed to be ADC's time historically. Why even pick Orianna if Kog Maw have same weaknesses but scales better? Why even pick Orianna if you can pick Viktor, and do the same, just because your items and scales are broken, and to deal more damage then you he need to press LESS buttons? Why pick Orianna, if you can pick fiora or fizz mid, snowball, and then splitpush enemy team to the death, because they cannot 1v1 you, and towers goes down very fast, because Riot nerfed their resistances. Just yesterday I played fizz went to bottom second tower to push it, and was doing 400 damage with a single aa. And 730 with Lichbane prock. I had no problems, when you overbuffed tanks with sinderhulk introdution, and it was fixed pretty fast. I still did damage to them, when I itemised properly - and I was not forced to ruin all my build just to deal about third damage of a juggernaut, when he oneshots me with one combo. But then Riot lowered price on magic resist items, and increased prices of every AP item, that is considered on mages. Why? If you wanted to nerf Azir and Viktor - nerf THEM, not all mages in the game. Veigar was in very good spot, before juggernauts rework. I had rough lane phase versus Azir, and came out on top, with many stacks on my Q, many gold, and few successful roams. And then Garen from toplane came. For the clarity, I had something like 700-800 AP with void stuff already. So I decided: "Why not?" - stunned Garen, did full combo with W-Q-R. And took 1/3 of his HP. Then he flashes, and I die. I look at his build. He had roughly 1 magic resist item - if memory serves me correct, it was Spirit Visage. Even if he would not press his damage reduction skill, I would took out just half of his health. Is this even fair - you pick squishy, lane versus champion with superior range, dodge ganks, roams, manages to build items and stacks while doing all this. And then champion who does not even need to risk anything, becuase he has innate lane sustain, has no mana and much more tankier, without building ANY damage item deals more damage then you. And you nerf mages even further. Just why?

5. I bet you had that lane with Cho'Gath. If not, in that lane happens next. You poke him, he kill 2 minnions, he has his health back. If you somehow manage to lower his health on half, he just eats potion. And then you run out of mana. Cho'Gath can run out of anything, if he is smart. He just w8 his 6th level, silences you and eats alive. Then the can roam, pressure tower, take objectives, and you're useless, because you need to build item, that is not givin you any damage, to make your mana regen strong enough to not ru out of mana (I mean chalice ofc). There is some other examples like Nidalee, or any Yasuo with their passives and Doran's blades. How to counter it? You dont mind them doing it in mid game, and in early game you can hope only on your jungler's help, to kill such champion.

6. Have you even laned with lux versus Ahri? You poke her, she heals, wipes out the whole minion wave, and then can engage on you, while you try to kill minions. Your E costs 130 mana and does not kills minion wave, and has 10 seconds cooldown, while her Q takes down minion wave, costs 85 mana and has 7 second cooldown. Is it just because Lux's E is higher range? Give me my mana back and lower that range. What does waveclear means on mid? Oh well, to actually roam and not lose your tower, you need to push your lane before leaving. If you do not, your roam is not worth it. So basically, when you can waveclear as fast, as your lane opponent, he is just free to do anything he want. Sadly enough that Fizz E, which costs 130 mana too can clear minion wave easily. And Azir's soldiers, and Viktors ray at level 7 with hexcore upgrade.

7. You cant kill tank, and I think I explained why in the 4th section of this post. But it's not the problem. if fine to not be able to kill it. In past for mages was enough to drive them back or do enough damage, so adc or master yi could finish it off. But not now. Now if you dont kill it, it kills you. The amount of % damage on tanks and not only them is so high, that you sometimes do not understand, why do you even pick mage, when you can pick tank and deal equal or even more damage. You want to fight squishies? Pick assassin. You want to fight tanks, juggernauts or fighters? Pick adc, he has more tools, more itemization, more damage in late, and, most likely, mid game. I actually like the game, where every champion can kill other champion, except hard counters, as it's 5v5(3v3) game so it's acceptable. But when one class of champions cannot do ANYTHING with other class at all stages of the game except first 5 minutes on top, before tnak buys Specre's Cowl - it's not alright. And for now Mages cannot do anything with tnaks, juggernaut and fighters, if they are itemising properly.

8. That is the only thing that were nerfed, and for that I say BIG THANKS to Riot. Really. Just make Cho'Gath's silence last a bit less, and it will be perfect.

So what's my point? As I said before: "If you nerf Azir and Viktor, nerf THEM, not all mages". All mages were building Athens because it was very efficient. Riot nerfed if, and gave other champions morellonomicon, leaving champions with insane manacosts option to rush 2800 gold item to get... 60 ap? Yes, you build it, you get mana regen and, you dont deal damage compared to other champions, who can buy morello + some more ap or lich bane and get over their mana issues, while doing much more damage. Why you nerf ALL. Nerf those, who need it. If champion has access to easy waveclear and not limited by mana problems, why nerf Athene, when you can increase their manacosts or decrease damage, or etc. If champion has too much damage, nerf his damage, not damage of all mages. I remember the day you nerfed Lux's ult cooldown. Why not increase Ahri's ult cooldown then? Why you force mages on mid build full penetration builds without and cooldown reduction, when you need to force Ahri, Azir and Viktor to do it? If they are so dominant ofc. Leave Ori alone, let her carry games with a single well timed ult like it should be. Leave Veigar alone, let him stack. If his scales are too good, nerf them, or let them scale with ability level. Leave Lux alone, let her stack cdr and manaregen to do her things. You may even nerf range on her Q, or E or both, to make her manacosts lower. Let anivia split teams and destroy them, but rework her atleast... her kit is awfully irresponsive.

And if those Riot's who have red it do not understand, why am I writing it. Answer me few questions:

1. Do you think original mages (Brand, Anivia, Lux, Ori, Ziggs, Xerath, Morgana(mid), Karthus, Heimer, Fiddle, Cassio,) are okay right now?
2. What is the reason of your changes to prices of AP and MR items?
3. Why ADC got more new options in their itemization, while Mages got only luden, which is much better on mobile champrions or champions with low cooldowns?
4. What are you supposed to do with mages in the future? Nerf them even more?