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I feel like Caitlyn needs a new archetype

Jhin UItd JFK·8/27/2016, 12:38:52 AM·7 votes·1,000 views

So yeah, what the title says. Up until Season 6 and the release of Jhin, Caitlyn was considered_ the_ sniper champion. Even if the sniper archetype could be explored way better (and it was with Jhin)

So now, Caitlyn isn't the true sniper. What exactly is she? The only thing she's good for is the traps she places, and the players that know what they're doing can lay down Headshot combos, but other than that she functions like any other ADC. (actually, her base AS is one of the lowest in the game, and she doesn't spike in the midgame like other ADC's. She's really an oddball of the adc group)

It never made sense to me why Cait is played like a traditional adc when she's lugging around this huge sniper rifle that at the same time can fire at the rate of a minigun or a void puppy-into-artillery.

I feel like a lot could be done with her character too instead of just "hot sheriff with a British accent in a skirt and top hat." Hell, even Vi has something going on with her character, her Hextech Gauntlets, but all Cait has is a rifle. And that's it.

Also on a Story related note: Why, after all these years, do we not know who "M" is?

But what do you guys think. Does Caitlyn need a new re-imagining on her archetype/gameplay?

12 Comments

The Last Ballad8/27/2016, 3:34:44 AM2 votes

It is "C", and it is implied that "C" is Twisted Fate. Cait can never catch "C" as he disappears from histes without any trace, other than a signature calling card(like, a literal card with "C" on it). Plus TF says that Piltover always has people to swindle(or rob, or scam, something along the lines of removing copious amounts of coin from their pockets) in the end of "Burning Tides".

But what do you guys think. Does Caitlyn need a new re-imagining on her archetype/gameplay?

As for this, I think that she could. The sniper that never misses could be an idea(the only things she can miss are the Q, which is more of a missile, and her e, which is also not a bullet). And her shooting animations could use some work(build full AS on her, and she starts having a seizure from all the attacks when she could just kneel down and shoot semi-automatic...) Maybe more powerful shots for half the attack speed(between Jhin and a normal adc for damage wise) so she could be the opposite of Kog'Maw, who has faster attacks for less damage on each. Make her a true Siege Queen.

Teridax688/27/2016, 6:25:31 AM1 votes

I don't think Caitlyn ever really was a "true" sniper. Her "one shot, one kill" line flies out the window when you realize her passive encourages her to build attack speed and plink her enemy until she gets an enhanced attack, and for a champion who's meant to emphasize accuracy, she has two spells at most that require aiming to work (i.e. her Q and E skillshots), whereas her most powerful, most sniper-like ability is auto-targeted. I also agree that her appearance makes no real sense: her lore states that she's a top-notch detective and marksman, outfitted with an array of top-of-the-line gadgets to aid her in her work, but in-game she's this pseudo-steampunk cosplayer with seriously impractical attire and lots of belts... for no reason at all. She needs a visual and lore overhaul down the line, if only to make her look properly steampunk, particularly since Piltover's become much more morally complex as well (it used to be the goody-goody eco-friendly city of progress, now we know it's also a plutocracy that resorts to pretty shady business practices and social/judiciary pressure to keep up appearances, with Cait as its enforcer).

If I were to design Cait from scratch, I'd probably make her much more of a "traditional" sniper, with a really big emphasis on killing enemies in a minimal amount of shots, though with increased reliance on good aim and positioning (for example, her rifle could be bolt-action, and she'd snipe by rooting herself in place and firing every autoattack like a skillshot), but let's face it, that wouldn't be Caitlyn anymore, because a huge amount of players love her current playstyle (and her kit is objectively pretty well-designed). I think she could afford to keep her current playstyle, but have her theme move away from "the sniper", particularly since that wasn't exactly her lore/character identity even from the start anyway, and instead use changes in lore and appearance to make her the gadget marksman or some equivalent: her current playstyle revolves around using utility/CC abilities to enhance her shots, so if her traps, net and rifle were made more high-tech she could come off as a tech-savvy sharpshooting enforcer.

Athenes Lulu8/27/2016, 6:57:57 AM1 votes

She's more of some kind of hunter that is also good at sniping, if anything.

Even in her lore, she's been like that. In lane you carefully place traps and create zoning patterns, though building attack speed enhances her ability to hunt and zone.

At least that's how I see it. As some kind of "hunter", being a pure sniper could get a bit awkward.

Samflash38/27/2016, 7:04:23 AM1 votes

Even Jhin isn't a sniper by Caitlyn's logic. His only sniper ability is his R (just like Caitlyn's). He's the typical CoD League champion where you wield 2 guns, reload, move really fast, throw grenades, respawn. His W and E flowers are the League essence.

Troll for Trump8/27/2016, 8:54:12 AM1 votes

Not just her traps, but her range, which allows for safe clearing, easy pushing, and easy harass.

But with her kit, she doesn't give off the vibe of a serious official, but more of that of a goofy sidekick.

She has bear traps with cupcakes in them. Nothing really police-y about that. Kled has a beat trap too, and he chucks his at the opponent. Her E throwing out a net seems... goofy. Not sure how to quite describe it, just goofy looking.

Saianna8/27/2016, 3:14:15 PM1 votes

She's a combo-based ADC. Something like Ezreal, but slightly more annoying. Seriously, I haven't seen even 1 Caitlyn after rework who didn't combo spam her skills for chunking huge amounts of HP.

Ralanr8/27/2016, 3:15:50 PM1 votes

I assumed it was cop.

Hige8/27/2016, 3:28:45 PM1 votes

Cait is kind of the sheriff/combo adc/huge crit... Kind of like the long sturdy arm of the law.

Also, her AS isn't the lowest out of all the ADCs since she's got permanently 10% AS increase from her passive, meaning that she's the champion that scales better with AS and has close to the best AS base.