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I have an idea for a support item active effect.

Ralanr··15 votes·1,077 views

So when it comes to support items I personally feel that they benefit the adc more than they do the team and aren't really engaging items. Ardent for example doesn't feel very interesting or very fair to fight. You just grant more stats on your ADC (because they are the most likely to use the AS) whenever you shield or heal them. If your spells are spammable enough then there's no reason to not keep it up as much as possible in teamfights, rather than trying to use shields for just keeping them alive.

Frankly I find this unfun. It costs nothing from the support for too powerful a benefit.

But what if we made support items that had some slight downsides in order to grant powerful effects? To make the support think more on whether they should do it for X or not.

Introducing: Martyr.

I haven't thought of any basic stats, only the active. The active on this item is you choose an ally effected by a condition and you take the condition for them.

Adc gets stunned? Now you're stunned while the adc is free.

Midlaner gets space aids? You take them for them.

Top laner getting suppressed by a Warwick ult? Not much you can do unless you're roaming extremely far, and if so now you're the one being suppressed (call a union).

Would this be buggy? Yes, but that can be worked around.

This probably isn't the best idea, but I believe support items should be more about decision making and unique utility over giving free stats for something you're already going to do.

Thoughts?

21 Comments

DuskDaUmbreon6 votes

I like the idea, but it seems like a kinda crappy, tank version of item 3222. Sure, it affects more CC, but at a higher cost to the user.

And you do need some flat, non-skill parts of things. Some point and click is necessary, although I hate to admit it. And most champions need some sort of stat-stick element, something they basically can't mess up. It's the primary counterplay to some champions that are otherwise impossible to lock down or kill (many assassins, for instance, you can pretty much only hit with point and click or massive AoE abilities), and it solidifies the skill floor.

Mysticman894 votes

My concern is such an item would be mandatory on supports, and probably OP in the hands of pro players. It's basically a souped up version of mikeals (since it can deal with suppression and other debuffs), with the trade off of you suffer the effect instead of it being cleansed entirely. Carries could potentially skip out on buying QSS early in games when they'd otherwise have to, and it'd be a huge amount of power to balance around with a particular big elo gap.

Result would probably end up with it being nerfed, and then it's just a worse version of mikeals.

meowwow711 votes

alistar would be fun with it and just imagine an olaf building it for shits n giggles

Ralanr5 votes

Fair point. Imo I'd also remove items like Ardent and replace them with more utility focused items that offer unique actives.

Teridax684 votes

On one hand, I like this idea because it's an item that outright forces supports to take risks, and makes whichever play the enemy made still have an impact. Too much of supporting right now focuses on negating enemy plays, and that needs to change. It also sets a clear item for wardens, and wardens specifically, that vanguards or enchanters wouldn't be so inclined to take, assuming other items for them provided comparable stats for similar gold. The idea of putting oneself on the line to save an ally from harm is a playstyle that could be chock-full of interesting gameplay, yet is still heavily underused, even among the warden subclass.

On the other hand, my biggest fear with this item is whom it protects, and I feel giving supports yet another tool to allow marksmen to operate with relative impunity is a bad idea in a game that already gives them far too many defensive options. Such an item would work best when used to protect squishy, high-priority targets, and currently marksmen are pretty much the only class who receives support aid on that, with mages being sidelined most of the time. Perhaps such an effect could have a place in a metagame where mages, marksmen and assassins can all be about equally valuable to their team, and where supporting really focuses on assisting all teammates, rather than laser-targeting a single ally for protection, but currently I think adding this option would risk giving supports or tanks yet another mandatory item that would make marksmen even harder to affect.

One thing I think could help this effect is if it were really adjusted towards helping tanky targets: fighters right now especially tend to struggle when faced with CC-heavy front lines, and all too often supports have little to no reason to assist tanks either, as most of their options direct them towards protecting the marksman. Having one more item that lets Wardens support their front line, without really working well on the back line, could provide at least one additional option out there for supports to support non-marksmen.

Done252 votes

So it's basically a worse version of Mikael's Crucible, and no one uses that item anymore after all the stats were removed.

Ralanr3 votes

Or because there are just better items that imo are starting to prove unhealthy to support gameplay.

cough Ardent cough

Done251 votes

Lel no. The only time Ardent actually becomes "unhealthy" is when you throw Hurricane into the mix due to tripling the passive effect. Add in the sheer grossness of how strong Crit has become over the years and then you have a problem.

Penns1 votes

cmon m9 i already cant kill ad curries with Fizz lel

Ralanr1 votes

QSS doesn't remove Fizz ult.

So I'm not sure this would either. Maybe, idk.

Penns1 votes

Pretty sure it doesnt remove Malzahar aids anymore either, only cc.

Ralanr1 votes

Fair point. What I suggest would remove the ult and place it on the support.

But the range of the active might not make that matter much if it's a long range Fizz ult.

meowwow71 votes

so the support swaps places with them or just places it on them

Ralanr1 votes

Places it on them.

meowwow71 votes

either works but if they put the old urgot ult on a support item that can be a disaster

sheldonbunny1 votes

I actually find this to be a clever idea. As a support main i'm definitely interested in diversifying the support line. It might be hell to code though, and as you mentioned, buggy as hell.

It would definitely have to have a fair range on it.

Pumping Iron1 votes

As long as we delete coin and censer im agree.

Nymzo1 votes

That doesn't change anything tho, you are basically giving someone cc immunity and damage immunity until the user die, something that barely any champions has because of how powerful this is for both cases.

Adcs would still be a problem, and juggernauts and carry junglers would become one.

Not to mention how you would force to build it every single game on support, ruining build diversity and it's something that plagued the role for too much time already (item 3107 item 3190 item 3504 item 3301).

FilDaFunk1 votes

Well, timing is key for items. So if we want them more skill based, maybe duration should be reduced? On the other hand, we can have items be team wide auras that don't require skill, but are excellent buys for support players (which is what riot has been removing for several seasons, only included as the other extreme)

Velzard of Koz1 votes

It would be taken by Tank Supports, and at certain point in game ADC would be close to unkillablity. People already complain about janna's passive playstyle, imagine someone playing effect-dummy lol. Probably would be just one effect at time then cd, however that would make it underwhelming at some points. But nice idea nontheless.

EDIT: Wait I misunderstood it a little. Your idea sounds actually quite reasonable, the question is whether it wouldn't be too strong in combo with mikael. Not that many would buy it.

Clementine1 votes

item 3222

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