I don't like gargoyle stoneplate.

Sure it's a great item that lets tanks do exactly what riot wants them to do, but the power it has in addition to its build path will gimp tanks in the long run much like sunfire had but worse.

Gargoyle stoneplate gives 40 resists, doubled when near 3+ champions. Plus the active that gives 40-100% bonus hp when conditions are met.

"Great, a team fight item."

The problem is it doesn't provide any health whatsoever.

"So? Don't buy it first then. "

Buying it second or third isn't really a good idea either because due to the shifts from hp to resists, you stack more of a stat that becomes less efficient.

"Then buy items with more hp. "

Warmogs still isn't good, and righteous glory's active is too bad to bother.

"Ok, but riot made pen and shred worse!"

On items, not on champion kits. Not to mention all sorts of true damage including red buff have been indirectly buffed.

"But it's good for team fights!"

But the game isn't all about team fights, and having a champion only be good at doing one thing and bad at everything else is an unsustainable play style (tryndamere).

"But team fights are more important to tanks than split pushing."

Shen.

"Then just don't build it."

Also not possible because it's active is just too good. All of a champions tankiness is essentially placed into that ONE item.

That ONE ITEM had so much power in its active that it might singlehandedly keep tanks from being balanced again. Like sunfire before it, gargoyle stoneplate will prevent tanks from being good before they buy it, except this will be in the part where tanks are supposed to be best: In team fights.

Because this item is so game warpingly powerful, no one will be allowed to be tanky anymore outside the context of a team fight, and THAT is my biggest concern.

A tank should ALWAYS feel tanky, whether in a team fight or not. This item will prevent that, and because every tank item will need to be balanced around having this item available, no tank items can be realistically buffed.

These are the ramblings of a concerned, disappointed, and salty player.