Should there be a support with only one ability that has a mana cost, ala Whitemane in HotS?

darkdill·Aug 28, 2018·1 votes·1,214 views

Whitemane's Q is her only ability with a mana cost, while everything else in her kit has no cost and is only gated by cooldowns. However, her Q is gated by her Desperation mechanic, which works similarly to Kassadin's Riftwalk or Kog'Maw's Living Artillery, in that every time she uses her Q in a short time, its cost goes up significantly. This means if she spams it too much, she'll manaburn herself in an instant.

I have to wonder if we should eventually have a support who does the same, having a spammable heal that is their only source of mana cost, but will burn out of mana very rapidly if used too frequently. Would this be too obnoxious due to their other abilities not being gated?

3 Comments

MatijaVojnicAug 28, 20181 votes

Why there wouldnt be a support with no mana? Why not?

darkdillAug 28, 20181 votes

Because Riot hates infinite sustain. All supports must have mana costs to their heals and shields to ensure that they and their allies can't stay forever in lane.

Chembaron YamadaAug 28, 20181 votes

Wouldn't that kinda take away meaningful choices when it comes to mana management, tho? With more than 1 ability with mana costs, you actually have to think which skills you are using at which time. But if there is just 1 ability to begin with, then the decision is reduced to: do I have the mana to cast X or not? Instead of "can I combo these skills with my mana? If not, which skill can I let out of the combo for maximum profit?".