Vi's Changes and Why they miss the mark.
Hey Gameplay.
In case you didn't see the PBE notes, Vi got some changes on the PBE:
Riot August's goal for this was to give Vi a more versatile early game, buff her top lane and leave her jungling at a net neutral. With all do respect, this does nothing for Vi. I play a ton of Vi (she's my highest mastery champ) and these changes are a net zero: Vi is still maxing Q because it's her only way in so the CD buff doesn't really change all that much. The change to Vi's W is pretty crippling especially for a jungler and her E changes are....eh. She's not exactly hurting for mana unless you're spamming endlessly.
But all of this isn't a huge deal. Rather, it skips over Vi's biggest problems.
1.) Vi is extremely one dimensional.
If you miss Q, you're done. You lose a chunk of your damage and your first W (plus a free follow-up) hit. This is massive for Vi but also makes playing against her binary. Did you hit Q? Awesome! Keep going! Miss it? Get out you've fucked everything up oh no oh god oh man.
2.) Vi pales compared to other divers.
Vi has one clear defensive ability (Not counting "But she can CC and dodge things!", that's not the defensive ability I'm referring to) in her kit: Her blast shield. 10% of her maximum HP as a shield for 3 seconds every 16-8 seconds that isn't triggered by her W.
In comparison:
Camille's shield triggers on any basic attack on champions. 20% of her maximum HP that's exclusively physical or magical. (16/13/10) Xin Zhao has a complete ranged ignore on his ult as well as a knock-back that has a 3 second timer but can extend. (Ult cooldown, obv.)
"Well gee why are you comparing apples or oran-"
So here's the other thing: Despite both these champions having point/click sticking power, they also have tools to heal as well as stick beyond just their initial dash in. Xin can follow up with W as well as heal on autos. Camille can chase with W as well as gain a heal. These champions, despite having similar initiation abilities, offer more ways to play against an enemy beyond the binary "Don't get clicked" choice as well as having some tools to survive longer. And this isn't even getting into Irelia's rework which is franky stupendous.
Vi does not have these tools. Her one defensive ability is reliant on hitting abilities and frankly it's a pitiful shield compared to some of the defensive options her fellow divers get.
#An Alternative: Make W something.
If you want to make Vi more viable and give her some additional tools to be "played", she can't be as binary. First would be moving her W to her passive. It's her first skill and (frankly) it's also the level 1 people take to jungle....whiiiiiiiiiich doesn't proc her passive because top lane Vi which is kind of skill but it's not what we're discussing. In place of W (Now her passive that scales linearly through the game) would be a new W. Not a perfect example but an idea of what it could be.
W: Feint Counter Vi pretends to lower her guard for a brief moment (1-ish seconds), standing still and making an obvious gesture (Lowering her arms, a short animation to let you know she's in a counter state). The next auto attack during this time that hits Vi is negated, causing Vi to strike the enemy who attacked her and slowing them.
Hell, if you want you could even slap on blast shield to this. But why would I propose this change to Vi's kit? Well....
#1.) Fits her fist-fighter/Boxer persona.
Dodge, weave, bob, counter and feints. All tools in a boxer's arsenal. Vi, who seems well versed in scraps and fist-fights, should have no trouble faking out her opponant for a sneaky strike. It also gives Vi more of a boxer persona which isn't wholly represented in her kit.
#2.) Gives Vi a defensive ability that can be played around.
Much like Irelia or Fiora, counters give people a chance to either commit to an attack and lose an ability or play around it and not fall for the counter. Vi's would be the same, save that it's her secondary sticking power. Vi just missed Q. Do you instantly attack her or do you pause for one second because you know she's going to use W? Do you hit Vi when she's low so she's forced to attack you and move closer or do you ignore it in fear of the damage? Etc. There's so much more to it.
#3.) Sacrifice nothing, add depth.
Most of all, nothing of Vi's original kit is lost her. Sure, one could argue she's more powerful now because she has an entire new ability. However to get this ability, her W is now her passive. She maxes it last, granted, but linear scaling over the course of the game is both a blessing and a curse. Vi doesn't lose what makes her Vi for this change. It gives her a new tool and (much like Varus on the PBE) it enhances her playstyle in a way that while not original, tides her over in terms of being fun to play and having a learning curve.
All that said, feel free to comment and leave your own ideas, interpetations and more about Vi's changes on the PBE, if they're good/not good and what Vi needs to be better, if anything.
