My ideas on marksman item changes:
These are my ideas for marksman items that I would personally prefer over the ones that Riot themselves suggested.
And remember; the numbers could always be tweaked, since they aren't what matters the most, it's the idea that counts.
What I'd hope to accomplish with these changes are to:
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Smoothen out the power curve of crit users.
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Make their build path more interesting by having more choices and variety.
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Not make too drastic changes, so that you don't have to completely re-learn the items again.
Before you go further; I just wanted to first let you know that point of the changes below is to take a little bit of AD from Infinity Edge, and add some to each Zeal item, in order to smoothen out the power curve, making crit users feel stronger by each purchase, rather than having power spikes after you have a certain amount of items, as well as to keep Infinity Edge from becoming too expensive after increasing its crit chance.
REWORKED - Infinity Edge (Version 1):
Recipe: B. F. Sword + Pickaxe + Cloak of Agility
Total cost: 3400g (could be higher/lower)
+40 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
UNIQUE Passive: +50% critical strike chance
UNIQUE Passive: Increases your critical strike damage by 25% (could be higher/lower), gets increased by an additional 25% (could be higher/lower) after basic attacking an enemy champion, to a total of 50% (could be higher/lower), until leaving champion combat for X seconds.
or
REWORKED - Infinity Edge (Version 2):
Recipe: B. F. Sword + Pickaxe + Cloak of Agility
Total cost: 3400g (could be higher/lower)
+40 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
UNIQUE Passive: Doubles your critical strike chance.
UNIQUE Passive: Increases your critical strike damage by 25% (could be higher/lower), gets increased by an additional 25% (could be higher/lower) after basic attacking an enemy champion, to a total of 50% (could be higher/lower), until leaving champion combat for X seconds.
Note: Two options for Infinity Edge, both of them are different versions of a partial revert, with some additional balancing changes, please let me know which one you prefer and why.
The changes to the crit damage passive would fix an issue that Infinity Edge had prior to its rework, its upfront damage.
The first version could cause some problems with Yasuo thought, so the solution would be to either give Yasuo some follow-up changes or to just go with the second Infinity Edge option. The second version is however not as strong as a starting item, but more of a combination of the old and new Infinity Edge, focused on being a second or third item instead, so keep that in mind. A third option would be to decrease the crit chance to 25% and lower its price, but that would reintroduce another problem crit users used to have, and that is having their inventory too cluttered with essential crit items with not enough space for situational items.
Both versions of Infinity Edge had their AD reduced in order to not make the price absurdly high, but I added attack damage to all zeal items as compensation, this would smoothen out their power curve, and make Infinity Edge not too strong of a first item, but very strong when combined with the Zeal items, for better synergy!
This would also fix another issue that Infinity Edge had before its rework, and that was being too strong of a first finished item. Taking some power from IE and putting it on the other Zeal items is a good way to even out the power curve, without nerfing crit users overall.
Keep in mind that the exact numbers aren't what matters though, we could always tweak the numbers, by increasing or decreasing the AD or price on the zeal items or the Infinity Edge, or both, you get the point.
The old IE gave 70 AD, and you need IE + 2 more crit items to get full crit chance, so each crit item other than IE would have to give 15 AD to reach the same amount. So for example it would be: IE (40 AD) + PD (15 AD) + Stattik (15 AD) = 70 AD.
REWORKED - Phantom Dancer (Version 1):
Recipe: Long Sword + Zeal + Dagger
Total cost: 2700g (could be higher/lower)
+15 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+30% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
UNIQUE Passive - Spectral Walts: Grants ghosting and +7% movement speed while within 550 units of a visible enemy champion.
UNIQUE Passive - Lament: Grants 15% damage reduction against the last enemy champion you basic attacked (lasts for 10 seconds and refreshes with each basic attack).
or
REWORKED - Phantom Dancer (Version 2):
Recipe: Long Sword + Zeal + Dagger
Total cost: 2800g (could be higher/lower)
+15 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+45% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
UNIQUE Passive - Spectral Walts: Grants ghosting and +7% movement speed while within 550 units of a visible enemy champion.
UNIQUE Passive - Lament: Grants 12% damage reduction against the last enemy champion you basic attacked (lasts for 10 seconds and refreshes with each basic attack).
Note: Phantom Dancer; the dueling option. Two versions; first one is more focused on defense, while the second one is more focused on offense, please let me know which one you prefer and why.
The first version gains 15 attack damage and 3% damage reduction in exchange for 15% attack speed. The second version however gains 15 attack damage in exchange for 100g and 5% crit chance instead.
The first version had its attack speed reduced by 15% in order for it to keep its old price, and to increase the value of attack speed, making Berserkers Greaves more gold efficient. This would arguably be the most balanced option, but might not be the most satisfying.
NEW ITEM - Spectral Prancer (Name Concept):
Recipe: Long Sword + Zeal + Stopwatch
Total cost: 2700g (could be higher/lower)
+15 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+30% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
UNIQUE Passive - Lifeline: Upon taking damage that would reduce health below 30%, grants a shield that absorbs 280 damage and grants 40% decaying movement speed for 5 seconds (90 second cooldown)
Note: Spectral Prancer; the defensive option. Since most people (including me) don't like the idea of competely reworking Phantom Dancer, losing out on Lament and Spectral Waltz, instead of replacing Phantom Dancer with this item I made it its own item. Since Spectral Prancer is a new item, its stats could of course always be tweaked.
REWORKED - Rapid Firecannon (Ranged Only):
Recipe: Long Sword + Zeal + Kircheis Shard
Total Cost: 2800g (could be higher/lower)
+15 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+35% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
Passive: Moving and attacking will make an attack Energized.
UNIQUE Passive - Firecannon: Your Energized attacks attack gains 35% increased range (+150 range maximum) and deals 60 - 140 (based on level) bonus magic damage on hit
Attacks become Energized 25% faster. Energized attacks function on structures.
NOTE: Rapid Firecannon; the single-target, poking option. I increased its attack speed by 5% to compensate for the reduced attack speed on Phantom Dancer version 1, this change would of course be unnecessary with the second version. Not necessary, but it's now a ranged champion only item, since it's mostly meant for range and poke, it doesn't make sense on melee champions, and also because there are already so many melee only items, doesn't changes much since it's already mostly bought on ranged champions, and again; not necessary, just an extra idea I had.
REWORKED - Stattik Shiv:
Recipe: Long Sword + Zeal + Kircheis Shard
Total Cost: 2800g (could be higher/lower)
+15 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+35% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
Passive: Moving and attacking will make an attack Energized.
UNIQUE Passive - Shiv Lightning: Your Energized attacks deals 60 - 140 (based on level) bonus magic damage, up to 5 targets on hit. This effect can critically strike.
Note: Stattik Shiv; the multi-target, wave clearing option.
REWORKED - The Bloodthirster:
REMOVED: UNIQUE:
Your life steal overheals you, converting the excess healing into a shield that absorbs up to 50 − 350 (based on level) damage and decays when out-of-combat for 25 seconds.NEW: UNIQUE - A THIRST FOR BLOOD: Become shielded for the amount of health you restore through life steal and spell vamp against enemy champions for the next 5 seconds, up to a maximum capacity of 50 - 350 (based on level) (45 second cooldown). The shield's duration refreshes each time you restore health (again; through life steal and spell vamp), and goes on cooldown when the shield reaches its maximum capacity.
Note: The Bloodthirster Is now more useful in fast-paced combat and a better defensive option towards assassins and divers, also now synergies with Death's Dance a bit.
REWORK & PARTIAL REVERT - Banshee's Veil:
Recipe changed to: Negatron Cloak + Null-Magic Mantle + Rejuvenation Bead
Total cost reduced to 2500g from 3000g
Combine cost increased to 1180g from 800g
Ability power reduced to 0 from 75
Magic resistance increased to 80 from 60
Health regeneration increased to 125% from 0
Note: To add additional defensive options.
REWORK & PARTIAL REVERT - Guardian Angel:
Recipe changed to: Chain Vest + Stopwatch + Rejuvenation Bead + 950g
Total cost reduced to 2500g from 2800g
Armor increased to 80 from 40
Attack damage reduced to 0 from 45
Health regeneration increased to 125% from 0
The revive passive has been named STASIS as to not overlap with Stopwatch or Zhonya's Hourglass.
Note: Ditto. Since mages loses out on the AP from Banshee's Veil, it's only fair that marksmen loses out on the AD from Guardian Angel as well. Won't matter too much anyways since both of these items are now good choices for both mages and marksmen, but Guardian Angel doesn't work together with Zhonya's, since they share unique passives, so you have to make a choice between the two.
Additional Changes:
RETURNING - Cloak of Agility:
Cost: 800g
+20% critical strike chance
Bonus Ideas: Ideas that aren't important nor the main point of the post, but I wanted to throw them in anyways
NEW ITEM: Stentorian Lance / Abominable Lance (Name Concepts) (Not Essential):
Recipe: Last Whisper + Pickaxe + 625g
Total cost: 2800g
+40 attack damage
UNIQUE - LAST WHISPER: +35% bonus armor penetration
UNIQUE - GIANT SLAYER: Converts (0% - 20% (based on health difference) of all pre-mitigation damage dealt towards enemy champions with greater maximum health than you into true damage.
Note: A compensation item for removing the true damage from Infinity Edge, numbers could always be tweaked.
REWORKED - Stormrazor (Not Essential):
Recipe: Pickaxe + Zeal + Kircheis Shard
Total cost: 2900g
+25 attack damage (could be higher/lower)
+35% attack speed
+25% critical strike chance
+5% movement speed
Passive: Moving and attacking will make an attack Energized
UNIQUE Passive - ENERGIZE STRIKE: Your Energized attacks deal 60 - 140 (based on level) bonus magic damage on hit and grants 40% movement speed and slow resistance for 0.5 seconds.
Note: This is my kiting version of Stormrazor.
NEW ITEM - "INSERT NAME" (Version 1):
Recipe: B. F Sword + Pickaxe + Sapphire Crystal
Total cost: 3000g
+75 attack damage
+300 mana
UNIQUE Passive: +20% cooldown reduction
UNIQUE – "INSERT NAME": After casting a spell, your next basic attack against an enemy champion within 10 seconds refund 25% of your remaining basic abilities cooldowns and mana of the last spell used. (1.5 second cooldown).
Note: The mana version. Less open ended.
or
NEW ITEM - "INSERT NAME" (Version 2) (My personal favorite):
Recipe: B. F Sword + Vampiric Scepter + Long Sword
Total cost: 3500g
+75 attack damage
+10% life steal
UNIQUE Passive: +20% cooldown reduction
UNIQUE – "INSERT NAME": After casting a spell, your next basic attack against an enemy champion within 10 seconds refund 25% of your remaining basic abilities cooldowns and restores 8% of your missing health. (1.5 second cooldown).
Note: A version that works for both those with mana and those without. Basically a combination of Innervating Locket and the pre-second-rework Essence Reaver in the most balanced way possible. Price might be too high, stats and/or passive might be too strong, but as always; numbers are prone to change if necessary.
Instead of shoving the Essence Flare passive into Spear of Shoujin and replacing its defensive utilities, how about making a new seperate item similar to the pre-second-rework Essence Reaver, but instead be balanced around casters?
I personally think that the pre-second-reworked Essence Reaver is more well-defined and balanced for spell caster marksmen, but I still think that it has its issues, and it wouldn't be fair to replace the crit version with this one since some champions aren't viable without it. So in order to meet eachother half-way, this new seperate item could be a good option.
The item would have a reworked version of the old Essence Flare passive, with a mechanic similar to Sheen in order to make the item less niche, less ultimate reliant, more spell based and less abusable on certain champions.
These versions are aimed be less appealing towards basic attack focused champions and more appealing towards spell focused champions.
That's all! Please let me know what you think! Friendly feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated! I'm always ready to change my mind, and when I do; I'll change the post accordingly. And if you like this post, please give it a like so more people can see it. Thank you in advance!
