Mages aren't even mages

DonaldTrumpIsG0D·Oct 7, 2014·4 votes·1,046 views

Why is it that "mages" with cc like annie, brand, malzahar, xerath....etc can deliver as much burst as an assassin does, at a distance, killing their opponent before the cc ends, you can only dodge so much of their abilities... I know the qss exists but it's not realistic to rush one, just because the other team has a mage, and merc treads only do so much. I'm not saying it's overpowered, but what makes an assassin an assassin in this game, when a mage can do as much burst WITH it's own peel and cc? What is even the point of assassins in this game?

11 Comments

Solidair3Oct 8, 20143 votes

Mages have zoning power and utility. Assassins are typically more mobile and deliver burst VERY quickly.

Sightless66Oct 7, 20142 votes

Assassins have mobility, roaming potential, escape mechanisms and slipperiness. The point of an assassin isn't to burst more than anyone else, it is to use extreme mobility to their advantage. I think we can agree that Fizz, Kha'zix and Zed are significantly more mobile than Annie, Malzahar and Xerath. It's much easier for them to dodge damage or use mobility to take advantage of bad positioning. There you go. High damage combined with mobility and pick potential. That's an assassin in this game.

CenturosOct 7, 20141 votes

Pretty sure "assassin" means either "mobile melee burst mage" or "mobile melee autoattacker" to Riot. Not to be confused with melee ADC characters.

DrCyanideOct 7, 20141 votes

Xerath is an Assassin. It's his secondary role. Same with Malzahar. Nerf Annie and Brand since they're not suppose to be assassins!

Flight101Oct 8, 20141 votes

Supposedly, mages are ideal for extended team fights, while assassins are ideal for eliminating single, vulnerable targets (mages and maksmen).

A mage is able do an assassin's job while an assassin can't do a mage's job.

Another problem for assassins is the fact that mobility means little in the current meta. Pings and vision easily spoil an assassin's roam, which also ruins the assassin's cs.

Assassins that go all or nothing (Talon) have high risks, while assassins that hit and run(Zed, Kha' Zix) are more safer and more forgiving.

ArrionOct 8, 20141 votes

mages are ideal for extended team fights, while assassins are ideal for eliminating single, vulnerable targets (mages and maksmen).

this right here.

48983507DEL1Oct 8, 20141 votes

Supposedly, mages are ideal for extended team fights, while assassins are ideal for eliminating single, vulnerable targets (mages and maksmen).

A mage is able do an assassin's job while an assassin can't do a mage's job.

Another problem for assassins is the fact that mobility means little in the current meta. Pings and vision easily spoil an assassin's roam, which also ruins the assassin's cs.

Assassins that go all or nothing (Talon) have high risks, while assassins that hit and run(Zed, Kha' Zix) are more safer and more forgiving.

Mobility is EXTREMELY important in the current meta. Ever notice why champions like Lee Sin, Yasuo, and Lucian are high priority picks in competitive play? Their mobility allows them to dodge cc and position around teamfights since the pace of the game has increased drastically since its release. This is why champs like Varus and Ashe have fallen completely out of play since they cannot postition around teamfight or kite bruisers and assassins. Lee Sin was super overpowerd when he first came out not only because his early game damage was absurd (since there were other champions that had tons of damage), but also because he was one of the most mobile champs at the time. Ever since he arrived, they've made a lot moe champions with gap closers like Zed, Riven, and even Kha'Zix that can jump around teamfights to increase their effectiveness.

Mages tend deal less damage overall, but do it to multiple targets and nearly constantly. A good example of this is Ziggs Ziggs , who's main damage tool is his Bouncing Bomb that packs a good punch with a short cooldown. He also has a giant mutha-fuckin Mega-Inferno Bomb to drop onto all his enemies. Usually mages cannot kill individual target's quickly without their ultimate. This is defnitely true on Ziggs, as well as Lux Lux and Annie Annie . This leads to the problem with mages as assassins being that since their job is to provide constant damage to multiple enemies, it is extremely wasteful to use their longer cooldowns, such as their big ultimates like Mega-Inferno Bomb, Final Spark, Summon Tibbers, and Pyroclasm, on single targets, since it is a huge part of their large AOE burst. Usually assassins either a) can perform a killing combo without their ultimate like Fizz Fizz or Kha'Zix Khazix or b) get their ultimate up very quickly (at least at stages of the game) like Akali Akali (fucking hate her stupid buillshit kit) and Kassadin. Also, mages tend to be a lot more immobile than assassins, which as I said before is a huge part of the current meta; it makes it very easy for mages to get caught and killed and also prevents them from repositioning in teamfighs. Ex. It is very difficut for an Annie to perform her combo to the full potential since she lacks a gap closer and has to use Flash summoner 4 to get into range, and whenever she is caught out of position she usually has to burn Flash to get reposition, a huge sacrifice. This is why Ahri Ahri is beginning to pick up steam again, since she is very mobile with a lot of burst and a good cc ability.

LordTobiothanOct 8, 20141 votes

An assassin is someone who blows someone up and walks off being useless for awhile, a mage is fairly high aoe damage and minimal single target.

Except riot didn't even have the assassin class when the game started, so mages gained the single target nuke role, then assassins were added, which added role overlap.

67chromeOct 8, 20141 votes

Mages aren't even mages Why is it that "mages" with cc like annie, brand, malzahar, xerath....etc can deliver as much burst as an assassin does, at a distance, killing their opponent before the cc ends, you can only dodge so much of their abilities...

How many video games have you played?

Because what you listed about burst damage, CC leading into said damage ruining your day, and doing so at a distance - is pretty much what every mage in every video game ever does.

That is what mage means, and saying mages aren't even mages because of an overlap with assassins makes no sense. Especially considering that isn't a definition of mages limited to LoL. Mages were capable of charing opponents to death with fireballs in pen and paper D&D.

What makes assassins assassins is Mobility and Speed, mages are AoE.

Assassins tend to have much shorter cooldowns, faster casting animations, faster combos, the potential for re-sets, powerful auto-attacks, and of course - the best mobility skills in the game.

The strategic purpose of assassins are doing things that favor speed - which is basically everything that isn't kindergarten soccer strategies. Any excuse for 3v3 or less to happen will pretty much always favor assassins over mages.

DonaldTrumpIsG0DOct 8, 20141 votes

Because obviously mobility> self peel and same burst from a distance.... k you guys make sense now and annie could do as much burst as any assassin dfg>r>w>q you can do that just as fast as zed could kill someone if not faster.. You don't have to be an assassin to roam.. also mages farm way better than assassins.