Right now, while Karma does have a small - but dedicated - player base, she's someone we've put on our radar as an opportunity to improve. Specifically, while Karma does a number of things well (mid-range poke, movement-based team engagement, solo lane dueling), she hasn't really been stand-out in any category for some time and hasn't been able to scale well as the game progresses. Up front: these changes aren't going to "fix" everything (honestly no change does that!) - we just wanted to highlight more of Karma's unique strengths (utility and control) while also giving her that lategame scaling potential (a ramped up cooldown refund on Gathering Fire and much stronger utility potential in R-W / R-E). While these changes do reduce some of Karma's dueling threat, it's important to note that we're not trying to commit her to a duo-support lane or a solo lane specifically - just that we're trying giving her access to an end game fantasy (there's a word we haven't heard in a while) and feel we can do it through her more distinctive powers. Quick note on removing the damage on Mantra'd W / E - a goal here was to differentiate Karma's contextual decision making when selecting an ability to Mantra (super root? mega shield?), so we went down that path. Additionally, removing damage on R-E means we can up the ante on Gathering Fire's cooldown reduction without seeing Karma throw out a Mantra'd E every 6 seconds in clumpy team fights.

-- Patch V5.10 Commentary

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#My analysis of this:

Specifically, while Karma does a number of things well (mid-range poke, movement-based team engagement, solo lane dueling), she hasn't really been stand-out in any category for some time and hasn't been able to scale well as the game progresses.

This is...still true.

we just wanted to highlight more of Karma's unique strengths (utility and control) while also giving her that lategame scaling potential (a ramped up cooldown refund on Gathering Fire and much stronger utility potential in R-W / R-E).

First of all, what 'control' (we'll get back to this later in this section)? I find it ironic how you wanted to give Karma late-game scaling potential yet you ignore everything that makes Karma a mage. These changes ignore her mage potential and in doing so makes her utility overshadow her damage, thus creating a subpar mage and a subpar support. If you really wanted to give her late-game scaling potential, you'd have given Karma a better crowd-control spell. Currently, Karma's unique strength is not control. That simply is not true.

While these changes do reduce some of Karma's dueling threat, it's important to note that we're not trying to commit her to a duo-support lane or a solo lane specifically - just that we're trying giving her access to an end game fantasy (there's a word we haven't heard in a while) and feel we can do it through her more distinctive powers.

Maybe you guys don't know this, but buffing utility and ignoring damage is how you make a support (albeit Karma being a terrible peeler). You cannot give a champion like Karma an end game fantasy by making her a shield-bot. You can do this by giving her instant and stronger CC. Karma's kit is anything but distinctive. Her basic spells are basic and her Mantra amplifies the effects of these basic spells. I think her basic spells should be rather unique to the game so that Mantra'd effects don't overshadow each other or promote one-sidedness.

#My suggestion:

Riot you have 2 choices:

• Make Karma into a DEDICATED mage: Less utility, more AOE, no more shield bot, real cc.

• Doing this would give Karma the option to go into a duo lane, have a little utility for her ADC, but mainly be a damage-support (like Vel'koz, Zyra, and Brand)

• Make Karma into a DEDICATED support: Less damage, no more shield bot, real peel (cc), unselfish spells (RW)

  • Doing this would give Karma the option to go into a solo lane, have early game damage that falls off but bring utility to her team later on (sorta like Lulu).

You will run into problems if you do any other variation other than the two listed above simply because the nature of Karma and your design philosophies. Quite frankly, I think the player-base would like the first option because we know what Mage Karma once was (pre-5.10). I'm tired of once knowing what Karma was, and seeing her in this way. Please QUIT over-buffing champions. It's not cool.

It seems like you guys just buffed her to band-aid her real problems and the effects are just catching up. Ryze is getting yet another rework meanwhile Karma mains have been waiting for a COMPLETE AND PROPER REWORK from since PATCH 3.5.

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#TL;DR - Karma's shield was indeed overbuffed which promotes a playstyle that Karma was never supposed to have and I want Riot to give Karma direction. Make her a dedicated support who can solo lane or a dedicated mage who can duo lane (I'd prefer this) If you just read the TL;DR you will miss out on important points stated above.

EDIT: SilverSquid's Post also touches on a possible role for Karma to fill though, I doubt we could trust Riot to do it (especially after their beliefs on 5.10)

Probably one could go the Zarya route and allow her to deal more damage if she protected allies successfully. Could be nice.