They are honestly just a gimmick.
Especially thunder lords.
For example 
ults bot lane 46 damage from his ult 150 from thunderlords.
Or mage misses 2 of their abilities then hits 1 and autos you twice for 200 thunder lords proc.
TheHappyReaperz11 voteshttps://media3.giphy.com/media/RddAJiGxTPQFa/200.gif#9
Keystones are a nice thing to have. There's always a sense of burst when Thunderlords comes crashing down. CoC actually gives tanks a reason to go ham. DFT, for when that person just barely lives from the Karthus ult. I've played with and without keystones, and I can tell you, keystones just make the game have more options on what you can do.
Danjeng7 votesIt makes balance more fragile. There's already 134+ champions, items, runes, jungle monsters, summoner spells... adding on an item-level active/passive onto masteries would further make this a balancing nightmare. Some champions can utilize masteries extremely well, while others cannot.
TheHappyReaperz1 votesAnd? Just because something doesn't work for everything doesn't mean you should scrap the system. Buff what's weak, nerf what's OP. It wont ever be perfect, but nothing is.
Ahristocats13 votesTheHappyReaperz2 votesThen take about half the champions, a third of the items, masteries, runes, remove the jungle, half the lanes. Then, you know what? There may actually be so little diversity in the game that it is balanced.
Ahristocats6 votesexactly, remove runes and summoner spells
you need champs and items, a map to make a fun moba
that's all
Danjeng11 votesEvery patch that keystones remain, the harder it would be to take them out. Many champions are balanced around them at this point. A long time ago, there was debate whether flash should removed from the game, but now it's ingrained into the core of the game itself. Can you imagine nobody in a ranked game with flash?
We've gone too deep, keystones are probably here to stay.
Blåbæret10 votesEvery patch that keystones remain, the harder it would be to take them out. Many champions are balanced around them at this point. A long time ago, there was debate whether flash should removed from the game, but now it's ingrained into the core of the game itself. Can you imagine nobody in a ranked game with flash?
We've gone too deep, keystones are probably here to stay.
There are a myriad of champs that do not use flash. 
etc. Flash is also inherently different from keystones simply because it's pretty much equally strong on everyone, keystones on the other hand sre being abused more by certain champs than others.
flibitydoo9 votesflash is not equally strong on everyone
some get incredible value out of it like annie who get's much more offensive range to unload her combo. or mordekaiser, who would be unplayable if they got rid of it.
and then you have someone like warwick, who's just naturally sticky because he gets a ton of movespeed off his passive and on top of that, he "abuses" ghost even better when used in conjunction with his ultimate.
and heck, even the champions you've listed point out that flash is not used "equally" and that there are better options like ignite or ghost because the added immediate mobility can't be used as effectively (like singed).
Malicious Metal3 votes
Would basically be trash without SRS at this point.
Spaceman5pff1 votesWait I thought Morde was a Colossus user
/s
3TWarrior1 votespeople don't have to imagine it with the LCS
as someone put in another post, it's boring to see "first blood" at 30 minutes into the game
heck, it's even gone around that flash (because it is core to almost every single champion in the game) should instead be placed on its own key so that there is some variety available
Sugar Momma6 votesAGREED!!!
Keystones were added to add "diversity" to the game but in reality champions get pigeonholed into one "good" keystone they always use. Sometimes there isn't really a good keystone for a champion (like 
) but more commonly, the only keystone a champion really viably uses in a role is used much better by other champs in a role (for example, Windspeakers is used so much better by 
than it is for any of the other supports).
Omnistone Karma4 votesWhere is my Nami? She has feelings too you know
Sugar Momma3 votesWindspeakers is used much better by other champions than her since her base heal is quite low (so the multiplier isn't great) and it isn't instant (it has a travel time, unlike most shields). And TLD isn't terrific on her either.
Omnistone Karma2 votesHm, that's true but according to champion.gg Nani does more healing then Sona in a game
It's true that the other ones you mentioned have more aoe heal
Does locket and redemption give the wind speakers blessing proc too?
Sugar Momma2 votesThey do, so it is still the best mastery to take on 
.
Just keep in mind that the other supports build those items too.
Çhåryzård1 votes[{quoted}](name=Sugar Momma,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=GzW5TLHA,comment-id=000100000000,timestamp=2017-01-25T23:52:17.065+0000)
Windspeakers is used much better by other champions than her since her base heal is quite low (so the multiplier isn't great) and it isn't instant (it has a travel time, unlike most shields). And TLD isn't terrific on her either.
Nami's heal does more base healing than Sona's at every stage, and with windspeakers it makes it easier to outheal her. The travel time is really low, like, half a second low. It doesn't really make much of a difference. Sona's W still takes half a second to reach an ally as well.
I use Windspeaker's on Nami and I build shielding/healing support items so it works pretty well
Nite Owl II5 votesactually windspeaker's blessing is REALLY good on Zilean because it improves the heal on revive from Chronoshift
Enloct2 votesWhile not a total loss, I'd say that's still a pretty minimal effect. That's a single heal that doesn't come out that often. Also a big part of windspeakers is the free armor that you gift to your teammates. When that is up near constantly it is a pretty big bonus. Though I haven't played him I'd guess Zilean would be best with TLD, aka the keystone you take when you aren't particularly good with anything.
Snowman Arc10 votesNah, not even as important. Your heal is already big enough, and wasting a keystone mastery for just your ultimate is a big waste. I agree that Zilean, especially as a Support, doesn't have a good mastery (can't proc TLDs effectively, doesn't make great use or SRS), so I'd say just pick DFT.
Nuparu1 votesDouble Q + one AA = TLD, no?
Glory ln Death7 votesThe second bomb takes too long to go off. It isn't within the 2.5 second window.
Reaper Soraka1 votesI thought zilean's ult wasn't a heal though... it was a health boost? Is it a heal? :o
Snowman Arc2 votesWell, the same can be said about runes and also items. There are core items for pretty much every champion in the game, and even some full builds. For example, Sivir has IE, ER, PD, Whisper, Boots for 5 core items, with the last item being a lifesteal option between Death's Dance, Bloodthrister or Mercurial Scimitar, if you need its active effect. No diversity. Irelia builds into Triforce, Sterak's, GA, boots as core items. Not much diversity there either.
Sure, keystones seem even more forced, but that can be said about most things in the game. I don't think there was a problem with the masteries for a long time, up until CoC was introduced and everyone started bitching about it and just complaning about every keystone in the game.
Christ Superstar3 votesWhile I like the thought behind them, I agree they do more harm than good. I still like the end of S5 the best so far. :/ Also, please revert Malzahar... -.-
ApexInTheCircle3 votesKeystones are fucking stupid and make some champions completely asswash broken. And if you happen to play a champ that can't abuse the FOTM keystone well you're shit out of luck.
JavelinJoe2 votesI don't mind Warlords on ADCs (DFT on Jhin) and Windspeaker's Blessing on healers, but some champions can just abuse keystones who should not have the option to, especially TLD and CoC.
Nite Owl II1 voteswindspeakers blessing is stupid because it isn't just for healing/shielding supports, it gets abused by characters like gragas and maokai so easily giving them ridiculous self healing ability. there's shouldn't ever be 2 masteries that do the exact same thing for a character to be honest (runic shield + windspeakers is BROKEN)
JavelinJoe2 votesWell, when self applied, Windspeaker's Blessing does not grant the bonus defensive stats, just the added healing strength. But I meant more for champs like Sona, Soraka, and Nami, the traditional team healers.
Snowman Arc1 votesI don't think I've ever seen a Maokai going for WSB lol. Like, 10% extra healing isn't that much compared to the the big shield you can get from CoC. Also, most things in the middle tree don't really help him as much as the right tree.
Also, WSB and Runic Shield don't do the exact same thing. One increases all shields and heals you activate but 10% and also if you use them on allies, you buff their armour / MR, while RS just increases the healing and shields you receive from anyone by 8%. Very big difference.
Arcticblast1 votesI remember seeing a post on either r/leagueoflegends or r/summonerschool about Trundle with Windspeaker's Blessing. The numbers on the healing (through passive and ult) were hysterical, but in practice it just wasn't that great of a keystone for him
Omnistone Karma1 votesWell I don't think masteries should be removed. They give a unfair advantage over your opponent.. But they also have a unfair advantage over YOU
You gotta see it like this Water beats Fire Fire beats Grass Grass beats Water ( this is not how it works but just to give an example)
Nite Owl II8 votesyou fool, Pokemon is the least balanced competitive game in existence
Miku Append6 votesyou fool, Pokemon is the least balanced competitive game in existence
Gotta love those megas...
3TWarrior1 votesactually, considering that any pokemon can be used (though not advised) and can compete in the overused level. It's pretty good
You give yourself a slight disadvantage by doing so, but some of the less used pokemon have advantages over the most used
on a casual level, yes, it is extremely unbalanced, but on a competitive level, it is one of the most thoroughly complicated strategy and prediction games there is
(seriously, there are about 800 pokemon. Narrow that down to 500 to 600 if you do not include base forms and then subtract the overpowered giveaways that you can not use in competition anyway and you have a very balanced game with a ton of variety
it isn't balannced on the casual level, but then again, neither is the fun of the casual level decided by winning but instead by what pokemon you have and finding new friends and ways to play pokemon
there's a reason Pokemon went global and still is
Spaceman5pff1 votesWeather abilities are the Keystones of competitive Pokemon
Tails90161 votesIf they remove them, they'll have to buff champs like 
since he won't have access to fervor.
GayFluffyUnicorn5 votesThey'd need to buff GPs ult dmg back as well when TLD doesn'T procc on it anymore. It's the only keystone even allowing him to get kills on his ult and be useful outside of a farmbot for 20 mins. But riot won't do it because GP isn't yasuo or riven or vayne.
3TWarrior2 votesdon't forget Swain, anivia, (brand took no damage but for some reason they said he was nerfed...)
twisted fate and so many more
General Esdeath 1 votesI'm still waiting for them to just change TLD to what it was supposed to be, a waveclear tool. Just make it so it only damages minions instead of the target.
Glory ln Death2 votesWhat? Thunderlord's was always meant to be the burst damage keystone. The keystones are meant to impact champion vs champion situations, not champion vs minion.
General Esdeath 2 voteschampion vs champion
Strength of the Ages didn't do anything against champs unless you capped it
Glory ln Death1 votesAnd do we still have that mastery? I wonder why...
General Esdeath 2 votesBecause champs who were never supposed to take it took it anyway
SteamedSuperior1 votesThis would take out a lot of variety in the game. It would just make me not want to play honestly. It is one of the best things they've done in my opinion.
o0O Madoka O0o1 votesKeystone was introduced to better classify and tune champions depends on their role. The problem is with some keystone mastery and their lack of game engine support.
Riot mentioned the way thunderlord can't be proc'ed will be changed. Currently, the game system doesn't not track the origin of damage after they are dealt, and Riot is working on a system to prevent spells from a single source to proc thunderlord by itself. Auto attacks could be considered as a single source for thunderlord if it's a concern.
CotC suffers similar problem, where hard CC is the only way of procing the keystone. Ideally, the keystone is provided for champions who wants extra survivability when going all in, but the game cannot recognized all in.
