Boards›Gameplay

Do you guys feel like Riot likes AD champs slightly more than AP?

ckkinder·4/17/2016, 6:38:12 AM·4 votes·777 views

Let me start off by saying that I am in no ways flaming at anyone, I just really want see what others think of the state of the game, I am not mad that (in my opinion) AD champs have pretty good advantages (I play AD champs and AP champs). I just don't really think that they should have such a big advantage.

Anybody else think Riot is loves AD champs just a little too much? I think Riot really loves their AD Champs for some odd reason...

Firstly, Riot has so many awesome items for AD champs, and just a few cool items for AP champions.

AD Champions can get: -Blade of the Ruined King -Death's Dance -Duskblade of Draktharr -Frozen Mallet -Infinity Edge -Lord Dominik's Regards/Mortal Reminder -Maw of Malmortius -Muramana -Phantom Dancer -Rapid Firecannon -Ravenous Hydra/Titanic Hydra -Statikk Shiv -Sterak's Gage -The Black Cleaver -The Bloodthirster -Youmuu's Ghostblade -Essence Reaver

Then AP Champions get: -Abyssal Scepter -Archangel's Staff -Banner of Command -Frost Queen's Claim -Liandry's Torment -Luden's Echo -Morellonomicon -Rabadon's Deathcap -Rylai's Crystal Scepter -Lich Bane

The list is almost half for AP champs, and really Morellonomicon doesn't really have an awesome affect so it really shouldn't count...

Next onto keystones:

AD Champs get: -Warlord's Bloodlust -Fervor of Battle -Thunderlord's Decree

While AP Champs Get: -Deathfire Touch -Thunderlords Decree

Which really isn't a huge deal though, since thunderlord's is so strong anyway....

And Lifesteal vs Spellvamp, Lifesteal items are numerous and great to build for any ap champ, get the bloodthirsters and you get a couple hundred health shield with all that lifesteal. On the other hand, spellvamp (which I am aware they are taking it out) has two items (Hextech Gunblade, and WIll of the Anchients).

Another thing is the Armor Pen vs Magic Pen:

AD Champs get: -7% Armor pen from masteries -45% from the pen item of their choosing -10 from Duskblade of Draktharr -20 from Youmuu's Ghostblade -10 from Maw of Malmortius -Black Cleaver's 30 Armor Shred

AP Champs get: -7% magic pen from masteries (Which is lowered to 5% magic pen when you get your void staff) -35% from void staff -15 from sorc shoes -15 from Liandry's Torment -20 Shred from Abyssal Scepter

3rd looking at CDR items:

AD champs get: -Essence Reaver for 10%-30% -Death's Dance for 10% -Black Cleaver for 20% -Trinity Force for 10% -Youmuu's Ghostblade for 10%

AP champs get: -Athene's Unholy Grail for 20% -Banner of Command for 10% -Frost Queen's Claim for 10% -Lich Bane for 10% -Morellonomicon for 20% -Nashor's Tooth for 20% -Will of the Ancients for 10%

What I really don't think is fair about this is that Essence Reaver is the only thing in the game to give 30% CDR alone, why can't AP champs (the champs that rely heavly on their abilities) get a shorter stick than AD champs. A Lucian shouldn't have to build one CRD item to get 30% CDR which is all he needs when an AP champs has to buy a minimum of 2 items to equal that...

That's all off the top of my head, I'm not flaming of anything, but I really do think that they should do something to help AP champs. But I may be alone in my thinking, leave a comment on your thoughts!

16 Comments

Niyumi4/17/2016, 6:44:29 AM5 votes

They most definitely favor AD over AP. The majority of the items in the game are AD, and the strongest champs (imo) are all AD. The only time an AP champ is ever strong is if they're really ahead.

But, I think it's safe to attribute that to the fact that League is F2P.

The AP champs are by and large (minus some like Annie and etc.) much more complex than their AD counterparts. These days, easier games sell better, since society teaches you that any amount of effort, patience or thinking is just taboo. So, in the spirit of greed, Riot makes the easier champions a whole lot stronger, and focuses on them a lot more, since that's where their income potential is. Whales don't like it if some complex champ they can't play beats them.

So, unless they make AP champions really flashy and pretty for all the whales to enjoy staring at , we'll never see them actually be competitive against AD champs -- and you can thank all the morons who went and enabled shitty F2P companies for that. ^^

Strawberrycocoa4/17/2016, 7:22:21 AM4 votes

Well, considering Riot is currently building a massive overhaul to Mages and AP itemization as we speak... lets wait as bit, hmm?

disregardable4/17/2016, 6:39:52 AM4 votes

No.

CrazFight 4/17/2016, 6:41:25 AM4 votes

No ~ would explain but its 1:41 so just accept no XD

Jalkan4/17/2016, 6:46:13 AM4 votes

Of course not. What could possibly be the point of prioritizing AD champions over AP champions? Did this come into mind simply because the AD itemization change occurred before the AP one?

Also, it seems like there are more choices for AD items if you count them as a whole, but that''s because they encompass 3 classes - Bruisers, AD assassins, and ADCs. AP champions only include Tanks (which don't build many of these offensive items), Burst mages/AP Assassins(what most of these items are good on), and DPS mages, which only really have Nashor's and Liandry's unique to them, and for the rest of their item slots use the items for the bigger AP item pool.

EDIT: Downvoted for truth.

WinBoat4/17/2016, 6:38:35 AM3 votes

Yeah.

Best KhaZix Void4/17/2016, 9:42:53 AM1 votes

no.

Stars Shaper4/17/2016, 9:52:46 AM1 votes

As for now I noticed 2 things about the AD vs AP situation:

  1. ADs have a huge advantage in taking objectives as they focus on boosting the stat which affects the only damage source you have to deal with turrets (AAs).
  2. APs, and usually "Casters" (aka "active skills using" champions) have major impact in Teamfights.

These 2 aspects of the game make it so champions roaming inbetween of such categories (AD casters and APs with a lot of AA modifiers) tend to dominate depending on the meta while pure ADs and pure APs suffer by their counterparts being meta and the abalance attempts Riot delivers to contain their fellow caster ADs/AA APs.

Characterizing champions more and more giving them betetr defined thematics, synergies and niches might help restoring some balance overall and yeah you need to upgrade both item sets (AD and APs) in order not to make a category fall apart because of outdated balancing.