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Summoner Spells and What We Can Do With Them: A List of Proposed Changes to Summoner Spells

Decaedeus·10/24/2014, 9:31:55 PM·3 votes·1,179 views

We all know that Flash is the dominant summoner spell; it crowds out nearly all other choices. In every Diamond+ game, we see Flash being run by every summoner. Why is that? Because Flash allows play-making. No other summoner spell allows significant play-making. Flash adds, as a Rioter said, "a random element" to the game. Flash can be used offensively or defensively. It can be used for a snap reposition during a teamfight, or to extend your range during a gank. What can we do with Flash? Nothing. Flash is an example of a GOOD summoner spell; all the other summoner spells are sub-par. I propose changing some summoner spells to match the utility of Flash, or at least make them viable alternatives on champions who already have a blink-style ability on a short cooldown (Ezreal being the first one that I can think of)

Clarity: Oh, Clarity. What can we do with you? Clarity has traditionally served one purpose; it's a mana battery. Oh look, you're low on mana? I could go back… or I could Clarity. This makes Clarity not only a tough to balance summoner spell (either infinite mana sustain on champions like Nidalee who can heal themselves, or a random burst of mana now and then like it is now), but also one without much counterplay or excitement. Like I said, it's a battery. So how can we change Clarity?

Clarity: All abilities you cast have no cost for 8 seconds. Additionally, abilities you cast during this time deal 10% bonus damage.

Justification: Clarity had one healthy use; the one where you were out of mana for a combo and used Clarity. This retains Clarity's healthy usage, while removing its unhealthy usage. However, this still makes it awkwardly underpowered. I added extra damage to Clarity-empowered abilities to compensate. While I like the change (epic turnarounds where you're out of mana, then Clarity and turnaround for a burst combo) I'm not quite sure about this; this could potentially make certain champions way more powerful than they already are (ahem, Ahri). Plus, it feels like Surge (RIP). Comment below, and suggest alternative changes.

Teleport: Teleport is a solid summoner spell which is taken frequently by top laners; I see no reason to change it. Riot did a great job of balancing it.

**Ghost: **Oh. Here's one that could use some small changes. Ghost has always been Flash's forgotten little brother; it's the weaker Flash. As a new League player, I didn't understand that; I didn't get why a movespeed bonus was weaker than a snap reposition. Now that I've watched a lot of OGN and Faker plays, I realize why Ghost is inferior to Flash. However, there are a few niche champions who DO utilize Ghost better than Flash, (ahem Singed) and I want to emphasize their role with Ghost while also making some other champions strong with Ghost (Nasus, maybe?)

Ghost: Grants movement through units, 30% movement speed, and 35% Tenacity. Additionally, grants 10% bonus movement speed toward enemy champions.

Justification: Ghost is now solidly positioned at tanks who lack a gap-closer. It allows them to rampage into the enemy team and do their stuff. While I was initially concerned at its clear spike in power, I realized that it wasn't too unhealthy due to the champions it was primarily affecting (Olaf, Singed, Volibear). Again, please comment and suggest alternative changes that would be more balanced.

Smite: Smite should remain exactly as it is; a jungler-only spell. No changes here.

**Ignite: **While I was on the verge of leaving it alone, I felt like Ignite needed to be changed a little. Most people use Ignite as icing on the cake; puke out your full burst combo, then, if they're not dead, Ignite and walk away. This creates unhealthy gameplay where it's just a point and click true damage nuke if they survive an exchange with low health.

Ignite: Targets a single champion dealing 60-340 true damage over 5 seconds. Also grants vision of the target, reduces regeneration effects on them by 50%, and increases damage taken by 10% for the duration.

Justification: Ignite now has its intended use; a spell that is supposed to be used BEFORE or DURING a trade for maximum effect. The damage was only marginally reduced in compensation for a 10% damage boost. You can still Ignite after trades; it just won't be as strong. However, I'm concerned about the late-game power of this, where 10% increased damage taken far surpasses 70 true damage. This change might make mages who use Ignite even more dominant. You know the drill by now; comment and suggest improvements.

Heal: Heal is in a pretty good spot right now, especially with all the other summoner spells being buffed up to its level statwise. I think it can stay right where it is.

**Cleanse: **I was about to leave Cleanse alone, but I felt like it could use a few buffs to further increase its playmaking potential. What is Cleanse's role? It's something you use when you're locked down so you can get out of there, pronto. These changes further carve out Cleanse's strategic niche in the League of Legends.

Cleanse: Removes all disables and debuffs acting on your champion and lowers the effectiveness of incoming disables by 60% for 3 seconds. Additionally, it grants 40% movement speed that decays over the course of 1 second.

Justification: It felt really bad to use Cleanse only to be immediately CClocked after; this Cleanse gives you a little extra oomph to get out of those sticky situations. This might drive certain champions over the edge, like Lucian - You can CC him and then he just Cleanses out of it, rushes up into your face and pops a Culling on you. However, I felt like the 40% movement speed decaying was on par with the changes Heal got. Then again, the movement speed added to Heal made it an extremely powerful summoner on ADCs. Again, comment and suggest improvements.

Revive: Honestly, what are the legit builds that use Revive? I can only think of ONE, and that's Zombie Karthus. Revive has always been that awkward summoner spell which people mouse over as a joke or to scare their team, then quickly switch over to a legitimate option. What can we do with this?

Revive: Removed from the game.

**Justification: **I believe that Revive actually is more harmful to the game than it is positive; it enables ONE semi-legit build, while also enabling a whole schwackload of intentional feeders. That's the only reason people take Revive; to feed intentionally. While TP also enables intentional feeders, Teleport has a strategic use; Revive doesn't.

The rest of the summoner spells (Barrier, CV, and Exhaust) are coming soon.

9 Comments

AMYS GRAVE10/24/2014, 10:03:56 PM1 votes

you make some good points. You don't mention exhaust, what do you think of that? I've been thinking of this too and have a few things i would like to see.

i think flash is so ubiquitous that it could use a slight nerf, perhaps to its range.

i think clarity and cleanse should be merged into one spell, because both seem quite underpowered.

Clarity/Cleanse: Restores 35% maximum mana to you and the allied champion nearest to the caster's cursor (or the ally with lowest mana if no target is near the cursor: Ally must use mana to be considered closest, otherwise next closest ally is used.) Also removes all disables and debuffs acting on your champion and lowers the effectiveness of incoming disables by 60% for 3 seconds.

Revive i would say should be left as it is, but maybe only available in dominion. There is is actually rather useful.

The rest i would leave alone, i think you are trying to buff all summoner spells to the level of flash when i think flash needs to come down to match some of the others.

SelflessTeammate10/24/2014, 10:52:32 PM1 votes

Clairvoyance is a choice spell for me when playing support. With its super-short cd and very real possibility of averting or setting up ganks, especially early game, I've been kicked from TB for it, but the people who know me vouch for its use if anyone not already in our team is premade.

I typically bring Exhaust no matter what. The other skill depends on the role. Ignite works better for its vision than its damage, and I feel it's overused.

Either way, I don't like that Clairvoyance, while potentially incredibly useful at my rank, is considered useless. It isn't, primarily because it works well for offense and defense support. It can be game-breaking as a support skill. I've got plenty of people who have given me a chance with it to back me up on that.

RowGo10/25/2014, 9:14:33 AM1 votes

What about a sommoner spell that lets you move through walls for a short period of time?

Sozan510/25/2014, 9:51:03 PM1 votes

I don't agree that Flash is the balanced summoner. To be fair, I think that most of the other spells are balanced on pretty even level (at least Exhaust, Heal, Barrier, Ignite, Smite, Ghost and Teleport - which is most of them) and Flash is just superior than other ones. I think that Flash needs some nerfs, preferably on the "random" element as you called it. You can't see it coming, because it's instant - both the transportation and cast time. IMO a short channel before the flash goes out would be awesome (possibly giving it a bit more range to compensate) - making it possible to cancel out enemy flash with hard CC.

Something like: Channel time: 0,35 s Range: 500 (it's 400 now) Cooldown: 270 s (it's 300 now) Cooldown when channel was canceled: 10 s

Of course, I doubt we will see any nerfs to flash outside of simple Range or Cooldown nerfs like in the past. I am not surprised with that, as game was balanced around flash for ages now. Oh well.

BlkGolem10/27/2014, 10:03:29 PM1 votes

Flash is too good and will not be removed despite it being way better than other summoners, so making them really good would be a good option, that I like. Another idea that people would hate would be giving only one summoner spell, which I think could help but again people would hate it. The thing is that flash should be for non-mobile champs to give them something, anything against guys like Lee Sin and Kass, but everyone ever brings flash and people like Lee can use it to greater effect. I like bringing the other summoners up to compensate. However, I think cleanse needs to block the first incoming cc that hits it. Doesn't it defeat the purpose a little bit that you have to be stunned for it to do anything?

ElderWraith11/1/2014, 9:59:32 PM1 votes

i really love the ideas here, i especially like what you proposed with Ghost!