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Some ideas for glacial augment secondary effect

sadaiblast·12/5/2017, 5:36:14 PM·10 votes·2,656 views

"PASSIVE – FREEZE RAY: Slowing an enemy champion with an item active triggers your Freeze Ray to fire a laser that cuts an X-unit line through the ground in their direction, creating a slowing field for 5 seconds that Slow icon slows units inside by 50%. The Freeze Ray can fire upon any number of champions concurrently, and has no cooldown."

Glacial augment's main effect is definitely a fun and useful keystone but it is usually outclassed by other keystones due to it not adding any damage as well as the tree that this is located in, so many people who take this keystone are usually the ones that can also capitalise on its secondary effect as well. I had an idea where if it was possible for riot to extend its secondary effect to trigger on the use of summoner spells that have slows built into them (ie exhaust and chilling smite) so that this keystone could be more viable on a wider range of playstyles.

More supports can make use out of both the primary effect to harass with autos and apply a slow to help their ADC trade with who you auto, and now supports that take exhaust can create more of a zoning effect with their exhaust for slowing multiple enemies for either engaging or retreating while also having the option to use their exhausts to reduce damage output (as exhaust is usually used for earlier in lane.) In addition to this, junglers who take chilling smite to make ganking easier will get extra use out of glacial augment to make chilling smite better at ganking botlane for example or for later team fights where generally having other keystones would be better than glacial augment (I cant say for certain how this change will affect junglers as I mostly play botlane so I'll leave that for the discussion down below to someone who knows better.)

TL;DR: Make glacial augment's secondary effect proc on summoner spells that have slows to open this keystone up for more supports and junglers.

This is my first time ever making a post on the league of legends forum so any constructive criticism to either the format of my post or the post itself is more than welcome :)

Edit: talking to alot of people, I have found another big issue with glacial augment that has nothing to do with the effect of the keystone at all. Most of the community thinks that this keystone is specifically designed as an alternative to champions that generally buy frozen mallet or iceborn gauntlet, allowing said champions to circumvent buying those items. I personally believe this is NOT the intent of this rune in any way, shape or form. This rune was designed such that champions that would like the passives of either of these items alot but it wouldn't make any sense to get these said items on these champs. Feel free to discuss the use of this rune down below if you do wish. personally i think this issue comes from the name as well as how the keystone sound's like its going to be like or how it suppose to be used and thats the mentality most people are going by when considering this rune.

33 Comments

DJ Hatsune Miku12/5/2017, 7:20:12 PM4 votes

My primary concern about Glacial Augment triggering on Summer Spell is that it could push low CC/ult reliant junglers over the edge in terms of ganking. For instance, giving someone like Skarner or Yi a 50% slow could very much increase their gank potency to a degree that isn't healthy for the game. Forcing them to have to purchase an item first delays it to where they probably already have ult and then the slow isn't really a huge factor in their ability to secure a kill.

From a support perspective I feel that, while Glacial can be interesting for tanky supports like Leona, it doesn't particularly add any additional kill potential or peel as Exhaust already has a slow. For ranged supports Kleptomancy just seems waaaay too good to ever take anything else. The additional gold gain and sustain is just not something you can swap out very easily. If you do swap it, it's generally not for another inspiration Keystone in my experience.

I think Glacial is niche but close. I haven't played with it enough to have any concrete ideas of how to improve it but if I were to make any changes it would instead be giving the active portion a small internal CD and allowing it to proc based on stacking a debuff or something. I feel the intention of the area slow was a mid-game power spike but a 50% slow zone isn't strong enough compared to other options.

ModKnightsKemplar12/5/2017, 7:28:30 PM2 votes

I didn't vote because I want a "that's good but it's not enough" option.

I have this dream build for Swain: Glacial aug, minion dematerializer, stopwatch mastery, and approach velocity (and sorcery on secondary for manaflow and something else, relatively unimporant). Basically, stay alive early and run anyone/everyone down in the late game.

I realize that this is not directly related to your topic, but I feel like it still falls under the umbrella of "people who really want to use Glacial Augment but they can't cause it simply doesn't do enough." It's maybe the weakest keystone for early game, and late game, as you mentioned, it brings no damage and adds slows to a game where there are already a ton of slows in champion kits.

It's a really interesting keystone, conceptually, but it just doesn't work in practice. It needs a soft rework that will give it some early game impact and/or damage.

ShuyinTheX12/5/2017, 6:08:14 PM1 votes

Glacial Augment doesn't need to be viable on anyone but the ones who can actually use it.

Trundle, Olaf, Skarner, etc It does enough for them.

ModPrandine12/5/2017, 7:01:37 PM1 votes

Interesting. I like it and I think that it will benefit all lanes as well.

Tortunga12/5/2017, 10:08:24 PM1 votes

The rune just needs to do more then just providing slows, as slows are pretty weak in a game filled with dashes. Just look at the slow items; Only champions that can 'abuse' buy the slow items regularly; Frozen Mallet for Gnar as he can skip and follow a dash and kite the often more immobile top lane champs, and Brand/Zyra as they got very easy ways to keep the slow going (Brands passive/Zyra plants).

For the rune to become more than an extremely niche rune, it needs to provide something ells. One idea I had myself was that champions cannot use dashes/blinks/etc. (with maybe flash as exception) on the freeze ray ground. If they would they would slip and get knocked down on spot for a fraction. It would give engagers more room to stick to targets, or to lock targets down in place, especially against a very slippery team. It would still be niche, but it would provide something unique not found in other runes or items.

HalcyonDweller12/11/2017, 6:56:00 PM1 votes

I like your ideas, but I'm not going to pretend to know what would be best. Having it on summoner spells certainly opens up more opportunities for use, so I'm all for that.

Also it might be interesting to allow it to ground enemies with the slow field from the active. Dunno if that would be too powerful though.

swanington12/12/2017, 3:16:34 AM1 votes

I've had a lot of fun playing around with GA, like shen w/ randuins and nami w/ frost queen, but I find the amount of stats I lose by not taking another skill tree just doesn't make up for it.

Like the nami build. If I take scocery instead I gain ~1-2k damage and ~2-3k healing by 25mins (plus extra shielding if I take aery). Is that worth an extra 60 seconds of CC?

Dead flag blues12/5/2017, 5:37:43 PM1 votes

I'm some kind of bronzie silver, but I never used this rune because I have no idea how it works (and I feel like in only works with the GPL item). Is it really worth using it ?

Jorune141/4/2018, 2:37:00 AM1 votes

That isnt the point riot had create the runes you know? It should be viable on every champion so you can take a rune cause it synergizes with your playstyle . I think it is to weak cause it is only a slow. If they make it like a soraka E on the item active it would be ok. I mean only a short snare if they stany to long on the field or they lowers the slow and ad a grounded effect like you say. But on summonerspells it is only strong on supps and that isnt the the thing the new runes are made for. (Sry for my bad english it isnt my main languague) now to my ideas for make the rune better. The first i said in the text before. If the slow ends and an enemy stands on the ice he would be snared. Or the second idea i had us to upgrade the slows instead of make the icefield. So the active items would snare or stun instead of slowing ( for the half time only cause i think it would be very strong )

sadaiblast12/5/2017, 5:38:02 PM1 votes

Sorry about the weird wording of the poll, i was half way through rewording it but i accidentally posted this and its not letting me change the poll [slayer-jinx-unamused]