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Riot, why don't you just buff champs without mobility?

Ragnaric··42 votes·3,303 views

Honestly, I find it really annoying that nothing has been done about the mobility creep. Every game at high elo right now, is the same old recycled champs over and over again, especially mid lane. Ahri Katarina Fizz Leblanc Nidalee Zed they all get so much reward for so little risk. Before people start arguing that all those assassins put themselves in harm's way to get their kills, I'd also like to throw in the fact that they can outtrade anyone else as early as lvl 2 simply because they can use their get out of jail free abilities to avoid any real punishmet. It's been a while since i've seen karthus, anivia, lux or any of the older mages and it is really upsetting.

Riot, since you're not very inclined to nerfing those precious assassins, how about you just buff the older mages? Make them tankier early game, give them slightly more range, buff their base damage or ap ratios early game so they can trade more effectively, but don't just forget about them and keep spamming mobility champions that make playing this game strongly stacked in their favor.

51 Comments

Serenity Now15 votes

Fiddle counters Kat, LeBlanc, and Zed. They invariably roam bottom to try and get a kill, so as long as you ping and ward they fall behind. But yeah, I hear you. Sure would be nice to see some old school mages again. I had hoped the new AP item would help, but it rewards mobility instead.

Fizz goes top lane now with his %health damage.

Ahri needs a smallish nerf, but is otherwise ok.

Nidalee is just broken. She has nukes, sustain, and mobility. What are you smoking Riot?

Thumpin10 votes

Oh, did we all forget about Xerath and Cassiopeia now? How about Viktor?

Immobile mages are fine. Some less than others, but for the most part yeah they're fine. Typically they bring better CC than their mobile competitors, and quite often better damage as well. That or ridiculously long range waveclear that people seem to undervalue.

Don't look at Veigar as a benchmark for immobile champions, Riot's still figuring him out after their "compensation".

Dengeden7 votes

Shush, that sounds sensible. You're supposed to passive aggressively complain about mobility creep. Everyone knows that Kayle, Soraka, TF an Ori were never OP either.

MrBuffington2 votes

Don't forget Ryze, lol

Baron of Bread3 votes

The problem is not so much that the immobiles are non-viable, but that their strengths don't compensate enough to keep them on par with the moble champions. More or less, the issue is that the community gives a greater value (balance wise) to mobility than Riot does. As such, the community is want to say (and based on frequency of play this seems right) that the mobility champs are just better than the immobile champs.

Kuroi862 votes

Lets not forget Swain and Vlad, let either one get rolling and you're going to be hurting.

Wheatloaf9 votes

Rule #1: It's never that simple.

PalPlays4 votes

{quoted}

Rule #1: It's never that simple.

Rule #2: No mobility = No LC$

Knight SoIaire 1 votes

well sivir doesnt dash and she is played there if i recall

qetzel6 votes

Because this would create binary gameplay. Basically, two things can happen:

Immobile champion manages to reach mobile champ.Immobile champion has been buffed such that there is now only one outcome. Mobile champion dies, as do any non-mobile champions that happened to get in the way.

Immobie champion doesn't manage to reach mobile champion. The buff solved nothing, mobile champion still wins. But wait, the other immobile champions are still more vulnerable, so they still die.

Buffs for the sake of buffs just don't work. Also, Riot has been nerfing assassins recently...

DanofDemacia5 votes

OP isnt suggesting giving immobile champs mobility. He is saying they just need to be compensated for the lack of it.

Curling Veigar3 votes

{quoted}

OP isnt suggesting giving immobile champs mobility. He is saying they just need to be compensated for the lack of it.

compensation doesn't mean what you think it means here

DanofDemacia4 votes

[{quoted}](name=Curling Veigar,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=NvJF6iAN,comment-id=000c0000,timestamp=2015-03-16T13:25:28.074+0000)

compensation doesn't mean what you think it means here

I can see by your name why u think that :P

Ragnaric4 votes

I see some comments saying luden's echo already buffed immobiles. The thing is, it buffs ap characters in general, so naturally the mobile assassins are buffed even more as a result.

Conturbatio1 votes

Old nidalee is back btw, just rush Luden's Echo and take 70% of someone's HP with 1 spear at 15:00

Auryiel1 votes

Rush Echo and be OOM after 2 minutes

rofl... come on, Nid spears are not overwhelming until 20 minutes +

Conturbatio1 votes

You only go oom if you spam your spears and heals too much

SQD D4 votes

It's annoying to get a lead as someone like Brand and then the enemy Zed Leblanc Ahri Fizz gets a item 3117 and roams bot for a double. Suddenly you have lost lane and you can't farm safely due to unsafe spell ranges and such. I'm sure other mages fit into this scenario. Ex. Veigar Velkoz Swain Orianna

Brand feels bad to me sometimes due to his ult fizzling at the drop of a dime and how his stun doesn't really stop dashes at all.

Dengeden1 votes

item 2044, take mid tower, buy item 3117 yourself.......

Abyssphere3 votes

Katarina and Nidalee should not be winning level 2 trades.

ScurvyNave3 votes

The trick is that many of the immobile mages were once the dominant players. The mobility of assassins was the only way to counter them and even today, a good lux or vel'koz can stomp a zed or ahri. It may be difficult but not impossible.

Can you imagine some of the old champs with mobility worked into their kit? A Lux with a gap closer? An Anivia with a jump?

I'm not saying that the mobility creep is good, far from it, but there has to be a system of checks and balances in order to have a functioning game. That being said the assassins have always been a tough group for balance because of their concept:

An assassin is supposed to quickly kill a target with as little time for reaction as possible. Naturally, getting one shotted with no chance of retaliation is a shitty experience in game and hence the issues with assassins They do what everyone hates and now with the mana nerfs and league of mobility they're doing it with even more ease.

Kitten of Evil1 votes

Well, the thing with older mages is that gap closers would not help them at all. Lux and Anivia want to be 800-1000 range away from enemies.

ScurvyNave3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kitten of Evil,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=NvJF6iAN,comment-id=00020000,timestamp=2015-03-16T01:22:41.523+0000)

Well, the thing with older mages is that gap closers would not help them at all. Lux and Anivia want to be 800-1000 range away from enemies.

Never mind then, as long as someday somebody guts Yasuo to the gutter I'll be content. I'm sick of the mobile resourceless prick criting me for every single hit

Kitten of Evil3 votes

I'm sick of most mobile resourceless pricks in this game, but I main immobile mages and supports,.. the two classes where high mana costs are apparently mandatory.

DanofDemacia1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kitten of Evil,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=NvJF6iAN,comment-id=00020000,timestamp=2015-03-16T01:22:41.523+0000)

Well, the thing with older mages is that gap closers would not help them at all. Lux and Anivia want to be 800-1000 range away from enemies.

No where did op say to give them gap closers or mobility just give them a way to fight it.

Kitten of Evil2 votes

OP said "can you imagine A Lux with a gap closer? An Anivia with a jump?" I was just pointing out that those things wouldn't help their kits.

DanofDemacia1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Kitten of Evil,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=NvJF6iAN,comment-id=0002000000010000,timestamp=2015-03-16T03:24:33.764+0000)

OP said "can you imagine A Lux with a gap closer? An Anivia with a jump?" I was just pointing out that those things wouldn't help their kits.

That wasnt op lol

Kitten of Evil2 votes

Oh I assumed you meant original poster of this comment thread.

Baron of Bread1 votes

If you gave them a dash, not a gap closer, that would be a bit broken (they mentioned a jump on Anivia, so that is why I mention this).

"Oh look, you finally got to me. NOOOOOOOPE, hopped over my wall!"

FantasySniper3 votes

Very few champions have a poor balance of mobility and CC.

Like... only KogMaw, Mordekaiser, Urgot, and barely Shen and Yorick don't have the average balance, and they mostly make up for that with a stronger amount of damage and/or defense.

The thing about mobility creep is that most CC is not guaranteed, while most any mobility is. So in an environment where it's better to have the consistency of controlling your own movement instead of the opponents', mobility almost immediately takes dominance.

If fighting any mobile champion in general was more consistent, things would be okay, but you have so much crap attached to dashes like "untargetability" or crap tons of damage, and their "mobility" skill is almost always on a lower CD than the CC that should be countering them.

Aranii2 votes

I agree, but I think the best change would be to buff base stats. Xerath, Viktor, and Annie don't need anymore damage, but an extra 10ms, increased auto range, or increased base health would do wonders for Anivia, Lux, and Syndra.

krawkaw2 votes

Lux main. trust me. I feel the pain

Very Hard Engage1 votes

because then immobile champs become stronger than mobile champs, and immobile champs get played more because they're stronger, now all of a sudden games are 50+minutes because no one wants to take risks because it isn't built into their kits and people just want to turtle and farm. remember sieges with syndra/ziggs for days and no one got anywhere?

aperson14 votes

The game has changed a lot to allow counters to that kind of gameplay.

item 3060 and item 3512 counter stall/waveclear comps.

item 3800 gives your team a form of engage.

item 3074 enables split-pushing on your melee AD.

item 3092 gives your team pick potential.

Additionally, Baron allows your team to push with beefy minions, and Dragon gives you great gold value in the late game on top of being a game-ender at 5 stacks, forcing even the turtliest teams to come out and contest them.

It's nearly impossible to straight up stall out the game now (against a smart team). There are simply too many objectives to be able to defend all of them at once, without fighting.

OoohCreamy1 votes
  1. i would be very scared of a mobile Cassiopeia
Ragnaric1 votes

I'm also not suggesting that immobile champs suddenly become mobile, that just completely messes up the game by tackling mobility creep with more mobility. The problem lies in how easy it is for assassins to get fed and there being little you can do to stop them. Zed gets to ult you and he can either attack you until you're dead, OR if he thinks it's too much of a risk, then he can just back off again with very little punishment, if any, for his mistake. Same goes with leblanc. I would be fine with it if once they commit, they have to stick to their goal of killing the target or die in the process. Besides, if immobile mages are buffed in terms of damage or resilience, then the assassin actually has to assess the situation of going in, rather than just mindlessly blowing all their skills on one target and winning the duel before it even starts.

Stephenizgod1 votes

Its either Mobility or Immobility, both can not be equal in strength. They can both be overpowering its just one is flashier.

Crett1 votes

They can't buff immobile champions, because generally, their gameplay becomes binary than it already is. Imagine what would happen to the game if Annie or Daris were buffed; as it stands, mobile champions simply have too many tools for dishing out crazy damage and CC while being able to take far more risks thanks to positioning not being nearly as big a deal.

Although, there ARE some immobile champions in particular that I think are in need of looking at; at times they are entirely too weak, and at other times, too strong, in a way I think is unhealthy for the game Veigar you ALL KNOW WHY Taric he has a rework coming so it's fine for now Sona after early game i just don't know, her scaling is extremely undertuned Garen he has no way of contributing to his team as a real tank; with all the tank buffs, though, he may see more use in teamfights thanks to more acessible engage

Narasimha4 votes

Garen he has no way of contributing to his team as a real tank; with all the tank buffs, though, he may see more use in teamfights thanks to more acessible engage

Just to jump in, Garen contributes as a tank in the same way Shyvanna does. Rather than outputting large amounts of CC, they force themselves to simply be a high profile threat. Sure, you can ignore them to focus on their carries. But all that while, Garen is spinning around, silencing your mages, and executing anyone that falls low. You can't afford to let him do as he pleases. He tanks by forcing the enemy to switch targets even if they don't want to.

Crett1 votes

{quoted}

Just to jump in, Garen contributes as a tank in the same way Shyvanna does. Rather than outputting large amounts of CC, they force themselves to simply be a high profile threat. Sure, you can ignore them to focus on their carries. But all that while, Garen is spinning around, silencing your mages, and executing anyone that falls low. You can't afford to let him do as he pleases. He tanks by forcing the enemy to switch targets even if they don't want to.

That's true; but as an engage against a difficult comp, Garen falls short of options. When it comes time for the teamfights and it's too dangerous for him to move in until the enemy team is already on your carries, I just wonder if a tank with a real engage or at least CC would have been more helpful.

At the same time, Garen can be downright opressive with his power against teams without those strengths.

It's the fighter syndrome, and there's no simple solution

Stephenizgod1 votes

Just to expand on what Narasimha was saying about Garen, most of the problem with Garen in teamfights is not that he lacks teamfight capabilities its that no one knows how to teamfight with a Garen on their team. They don't realize his teamfight is to be in the backlines spinning on their carries not in the front peeling. He can either be ignored and one of their carries will be executed or he will be focused and shrug off 30% of their damage. Hopefully in both situations your teammates will be doing their jobs in peeling for ADC and picking off the carries that are running from Garen... they do not call it Spin-to-Win for nothing.

Athenes Lulu1 votes

Meanwhile let's gut the shit out of Veigar, an immoblie mage that can legitimately stop mobility. We know Rito likes to do the opposite of what we want.

Kuroi861 votes

Meanwhile Annie Cassiopeia Malzahar Orianna Swain Syndra TwistedFate Velkoz Viktor Vladimir Xerath

Avios11 votes

Well, I just kinda throw my corrosion grenade as the great ol' Urgot here and pop my shield and start walking with them while throwing Q's. Works like a charm.

BLU Medic1 votes

No. But more should be done to give the completely unviable champions a place in LoL, many of whom are indeed immobile.

Junkο1 votes

I'd also like to throw in the fact that they can outtrade anyone else as early as lvl 2 simply because they can use their get out of jail free abilities to avoid any real punishmet.

Actually, Katarina uses her ability to go in, so does Nidalee, meanwhile Zed uses it to trade, if he switches places to AA he can't get back out. This only applies to Fizz and LB, meanwhile Ahri doesn't even get into melee range

Civil Dawn1 votes

The problem with buffing is that it can cause power creep if done incorrectly.

lB2kGRlc8y1 votes

They did give "compensation buffs" to one of the older mages. Considering how that went and how they have yet to address the real issue with that champion I kind of want them to stay away from the champs that are decent atm.

MrSc0tty1 votes

Because then someone might pick immobile champs who don't have flashy plays and fancy particles, and then people might not go "woooo" in LCS every time they use a skill.

Knight SoIaire 1 votes

immobile champions rely on brute force mobility can rarely out juke it (lets face it ... the main problem is that adc kiting you or enemy jusat jumping away form you not yasuo being able to dash towards you)

so if we buff immobile champions we actualy render mobility obsolete since any fight they cant start is lost

my personal take on this problem is that immobile champions should get more movement stopping crowd controll while mobile champions shouldnt get much of it (right now most of our hard cc is actualy put on mobile champions)

do you know the threads about riot implementing a cc that is aimed specificaly at stopping mobility ? well we already have it in game, its a snare ... blocks all your movement and all skills that involwe you changing your standing spot

the thing is that riot just does not use this cc at all, we either get a stunn or a knockup

so in the end i wouldnt say anyone here needs any buff becuase it isnt a ballance problem ... its a design problem that wrecks ballance (just like certainlyt does) and the solution is redesigning champions

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