I really want to try using scorch for a stronger laning phase but when i see the difference in stats compared to Gathering Storm it just looks so weak.
So i want to ask anyone who uses it how it is compared to Gathering storm, especially on 
and 
.
NY641 votesWith how short games are going, I’d say it’s better to get scorch.
SEKAI1 votesScorch is when you poke a bit, have better early game, or if your champion uses a bit of DoT in which Scorch complements. It's worth noting that Scorch's damage fades out of significance after mid-game or so.
Gathering Storm is when your champ scales well into late game and want to get the extra stats to check your opponents later.
At least that's how I see them.
Critmaster Garen1 votesScorch is when you poke a bit, have better early game, or if your champion uses a bit of DoT in which Scorch complements. It's worth noting that Scorch's damage fades out of significance after mid-game or so.
Gathering Storm is when your champ scales well into late game and want to get the extra stats to check your opponents later.
At least that's how I see them.
id say exactly the opposite.
generally, the early game is more important than the lategame, which would make scorch the better option in most cases.
but early game runes are better on lategame scaling champions, because those champions are usually struggling through the early game phases. one of the reasons why fioras are often running grasp, is because it makes them stronger during the lane phase. if you win your lane or at least you dont lose it, youre guaranteed to scale on such a champion.
on the other end of the spectrum you have champions that scale poorly into lategame and might want to compensate. however, even in those cases the guys are usually lane bullies, and adding more early game strength on top of that means theyre going to be even more likely to win hard enough that their lategame drop off doesnt matter.
Woodakoodashooda1 votesGathering Storm places you at a disadvantage against your opponents at the start of the game and forces you to play safe until mid to late game rolls around. It is an investment much like the item, Cull. You sacrifice early game power for additional power later. So, if you pick a champion whose best in the early to mid game then Gathering Storm will only sabotage your early power.
Sir Poodle1 votesScorch is surprisingly powerful, but the choice is matchup dependent.
For Gathering Storm, think about your ratios (how much does ad/ap benefit you), your ability usage at 10-20 minutes, and what you lose by "having one less rune" for the first 10 minutes of the game.
For Scorch, think about how reliably you can proc it, how important it is to win the laning phase, and what you can do strategically when you win (roam? push?)
DemainaNyx1 votesI can't speak for those champions specifically, but for support champions, I normally take Scorch on supports like Nami and Soraka for more harass in lane, and take Gathering Storm on Brand and Zyra so I scale better.
I think it mostly depends what you keystone is. Most people are playing Annie with Predator/Electrocute, so if you are specing into Sorcery as a secondary, I think Ultimate Hat and Celerity are better for more ults and helping you get in range to ult (plus more damage when you predator).
Assuming you are taking a keystone in the Sorcery tree, then I think it mostly depends on the matchup. Both scale well with AP, so Gathering Storm will be a good choice regardless. Of course, that's assuming the game gets to that point. As someone else pointed out, you basically have no rune for the first 10 minutes of the game. Most of my games though last 20-30 minutes, so I get a free Amp tome for just existing.
If you are against someone who you can poke constantly, then Scorch will help you get an early lead, but that's assuming you can do something with that lead so that you don't regret taking a rune that only does 60 damage every 20 seconds while your abilities do 200 base damage with AP scaling on a much shorter cooldown than that rune.
Another aside is that Scorch only works on champions every 20 seconds, while Gathering Storm works on everything with essentially no cooldown. So Gathering Storm makes your autos and abilities stronger, which helps you CS, take towers, dragons, barons, rift, inhibs, etc in addition to helping you kill the enemy quicker.
