X-Post from PBE Boards: Soraka Nerfs are way too heavy

Riot, Congratulations, Not only did you make Raka more risky to play, You also made it so that she'll be unable to maintain her own healing for most of the game. As someone who has hundreds of games on Soraka on live, 70k champ mastery points, and a deep love of the Banana Slinging Ambulance, I'm really disappointed and furious with the last set of nerfs.

Q: BUFFS: Now slows anyone hit by 30% NERFS: No longer does bonus damage to any targets hit in the sweet spot of the center AOE reduced (as if it wasn't hard enough to hit people with it's slow travel speed and short range) Her Passive healing moved to Q rank instead of W

W: NERFS: Self healing moved to Q Heal amount reduced to 80/120/160/200/240 from 120/150/180/210/240

Look, I understand Raka's ban rate is still hovering around 50-60%, but when you hit Soraka with nerfs this hard and leave Tahm Kench alone, I'm going to be pissed.

Let's look at Soraka's Job: HEALING, She's not meant to be a peeling support, or a combat medic like Sona/Nami. She's meant to be League's PREMIER healer. Granted Her healing has always been balanced around grievous wounds reducing it, and now that it doesn't, it means that Raka became OP literally overnight.

Let's look at what you COULD do to counteract the harshness of these nerfs and keep raka from being completely dumpstered by these changes, because I will stop playing raka completely if these changes go through and just pick Nami instead (Granted, I've been forced to do that because of Raka's high ban rate, but regardless, now I'll have no reason to pick raka back up if her banrate ever goes back down.)

OPTIONAL CHANGES: Q: Travel speed is now constant from based on distance from Raka. W: increased Cast Range, Reduced Mana costs, Cause W to cost % mana and have her target receive that much mana back, Max HP cost reduced to 8% from 10% E: Increase the AoE, Change the silence refresh rate to every .1 seconds (This should help reduce the cases of "Flash despite being silenced") R: Change it's bonus HP threshold to 40/45/50% hp

Let's look at why Soraka's nerfs, are overboard:

Soraka's thing has been that people haven't felt like they can really counter her healing. With these nerfs, Soraka won't be able to properly maintain her HP to keep her team healthy. She's already penalized that as support, she can't stay up in levels and so will always be behind. By making her passive health recovery tied to her Q, you force her to max Q second, AND you force her to avoid healing until she builds her Warmogs/Spirit Visage so she can maintain her healing. The problem with these nerfs is that you are taking Raka, and turning her into a risky choice, that is no longer able to do her job effectively.

Other supports with heals are now beginning to outclass Soraka. Nami's heal is now more potent, doubles as a damage source, and is capable of healing nami. it's cooldown and cost are higher, but Nami generally builds some mana regen that helps out immensly, Nami also has better teamfight ability from her Q and R. Sona has better more reliable poke than Raka, a heal that's just as spammable, and a higher base mana regen at lower levels to help with the spam. Sona also has better teamfight utility with her E and R. Taric, has a point and click stun, and AoE Stat buff, and a heal that scales off of his Max HP. While taric is much more niche needing HP/Mana/Armor, Taric still has better usage, and is picked more often than Raka is in Top tier levels of play.

As you make Soraka riskier to play, in order to balance out her "OP healing", remember that there are other supports with heals in the game, and As you make Soraka risker and riskier, you're making them more powerful choices. Nami was already a pretty high ranking support. The only thing stopping her from being picked/banned every game is the existance of Windwall and Stand Behind me. (Yasuo and Braum W's respectively). Nami's power is held in check only by the fact that her Ultimate can be completely negated by 2 champions, both of which are top tier characters.

By constantly nerfing Soraka, because you didn't think the changes to grievous wounds through properly, you also fail to see that once Soraka becomes useless, Nami and Sona will simply take her place as best healers in League.

Riot, Soraka needs nerfs, but these aren't the way to do it.

Original Thread: http://boards.pbe.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/champions-gameplay-feedback/1dVcAuUb-soraka-nerfs