How to Improve Sightstone

(I am making this as a duplicate to this thread in the Item Discussion forums.)

A word of introduction: If you are not going to bother reading the entire thing, then you might be better off leaving the discussion now and make it easier on everyone that actually did.

Now although this idea may be overdone and it would honestly waste less effort to have someone else come in and suggest it again in a few days (tops), I'm hoping to break down the concept into something that will stick and hopefully worm its way through the community enough to get Rito to notice. (I can dream, can't I?)

Why Sightstone needs to be improved:

As with current ADC itemization, you are restricted to very few options as a Support, even if they seem like real choices. A gold income item (that will depend on the supporting style), Sightstone, a Glacial Shroud/Forbidden Idol build path (depending on whether you are tanky or utility), and your boots (that will also depend of the supporting style). Beyond that, there are items considered highly optimal to supports, but not so much to other champs, such as Twin Shadows and Locket of Solari. Before Locket of Salami got its armor changed to MR, it too was a staple even for utility supports because of the rounded survivability it offered. Freedom of itemization is a big deal to champions that rely on items to succeed, but supports should not be barred from that same freedom just because they don't rely on gold as much their lane partner.

How Sightstone needs to be improved:

2 goals must be met to make Sightstone into the more enjoyable item that it should be:

1. Provide meaningful choice in support itemization through upgrades to Sightstone.
2. Avoid making Sightstone more appealing or more prevalent, especially to other roles.

Whether or not Sightstone should even exist, why Supports must be burdened with the task of vision control, and etc, can be discussed elsewhere, but no one really wants the vision wars to return and force everyone to purchase their own ward-cranking machine for the sake of it. To prevent this, the Sightstone's most attractive feature must stay the infinitely cost effective ward production, and no stats should overwrite that primary function to prevent another role from consistently purchasing it.

To accomplish this, there are two methods:

1. Provide more build paths other than just Ruby.
2. Transform Sightstone passive into a trinket and allow for one additional slot of itemization.

Method 2 is obviously more difficult because trinkets are easily available to everyone, meaning goal 2 is harder to achieve. It also doesn't exactly follow goal 1 either because it is then still the staple within a slot (even if it is a more convenient slot), meaning that supports would normally be discouraged from choosing anything else. Method 1 is then the best choice because it provides variety and can best be handled to achieve both goals.

Concept Items:

Keep in mind that these are concepts and may not entirely match a "balanced version" - but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try, so opinions are welcome. For the following items, I will assume that the Ruby SS's passive will possess an immediate value of 533 gold. Total costs may be edged around in order to achieve round and attractive numbers, and/or to achieve a more balanced item overall. The ward capacity can be increased on one, more, or all of the upgrades, including Ruby, to promote SS upgrading.

Amethyst Sightstone: +150 Health +30 AP Sightstone (800g) + Amp Tome (435g) + 365g = 1600g <> 150 Health (400g) | 30 AP (652.5g) | ~66% Gold Efficiency

Diamond Sightstone: +150 Health +10 Mp5 Sightstone (800g) + Faerie Charm [x3] (540g) + 260g = 1600g <> 150 Health (400g) | 10 Mp5 (600g) | 62.5% Gold Efficiency

Sapphire Sightstone: +150 Health +350 Mana Sightstone (800g) + Mana Crystal (400g) + 400g = 1600g <> 150 Health (400g) | 350 Mana (700g) | 68.75% Gold Efficiency

Emerald Sightstone: +150 Health +18 Hp5 Sightstone (800g) + Rejuv Bead [x3] (540g) + 260g = 1600g <> 150 Health (400g) | 18 Hp5 (600g) | 62.5% Gold Efficiency

Ruby Sightstone, of course, will stay the same.

Another consideration would be to allow Sightstone to be combined with more complex advanced items (instead of basic) such as Forbidden Idol, Kindlegem, Catalyst the Protector, and Fiendish Codex, while increasing the overall costs of Sightstone upgrades, but this makes goal 2 more difficult to achieve and should be thought through carefully.

Thank you for reading this rather long-winded post. Suggestions are welcome, so keep this thread going and we may eventually see something like this go live!

Thank you, 17inchcorkscrew, for providing a better wording for the goals and offering other meaningful input, much appreciated.