Garen's Snowball Fight: A Short Story
Ah, time to unwind after a long day at work with a fun game of ARAM. Starting out with a delicious Garen, so it looks like I'm tanking tonight. Hm. All four of my teammates have that new Mark snowball ability... I wonder if I I should take it, or if they will get upset if I don't... No, I don't like it and it just feels silly. I'm going to stick to my normal summoners.
Items bought, time to get down lane! - Woosh - Whoa, that was a close early game snowball, before I ever got to lane. They are quick on the trigger. - Woosh Woosh - Oh my, two more snowballs incoming...and now my teammates are returning fire, spamming them into the bushes to check for enemies... That makes at least seven snowballs fired in the first minute of the game. oh, no surprise I guess, all five of the opponents have Mark, and my four teammates have it as well. That seems like a bit much...but, into the fray!
Hah, a lovely opening melee, now everyone is wounded. Time to fall back and enjoy my health regeneration, all I need to do is avoid damage for 9 seconds. - PAF - Curses, someone pegged me with a snowball from the bush and reset my timer. Guess I need to fall back behind the tower, further away. Just 2 more seconds now before I start healing... - PAF - Gah, they are throwing snowballs even at this range? I can't fall back any further and I can't regenerate if they keep tagging me, I just need to try and dodge them when they - PAF PAF - ...
Okay, things aren't going so great. But that Fizz over there is at half health, I bet I can take him in a fight. Aha, he dashed to me, that hurt but now he is in melee range. - PAF - What, a snowball at point blank range? No matter, spin to win! Ah, he just poled away and ran..too bad. I guess we came out even, now I can head back to the tower and - OH GOD he dashed all the way back to my face and now everything is on cooldown.
There we go, alive again...got to get back to my team and hold the front line. Okay, Everything is reset, time to turn things around. Wha, oh no, - PAF PAF PAF - They just pegged Teemo right in the face with a coordinated snowball barrage. I have to get to him before - No, too late. Nasus and Swain dashed right into the middle of us in their Ult forms and just shredded my team. I'm the only one left alive, I only have a sliver of health. They can't catch me with my Q popped though, I can get away and regenerate enough to guard the tower before- - PAF -. Fuuuuu
I give up. Our team is destroyed, we can't stop the dashing life-stealers. I have a bit of health left, I will just stand here under the tower and let them end it. They won't get this last kill - - PAF PAF PAF - - What, my death report says 25% of my health loss was true damage from snowballs?! .... I'm wearing full plate and can shrug off arrows, spells and the worst they can do, but snowballs are just too much?
TL;DR: I hate snowballs. I understand the problem with gap closing on melee, but Mark is TOO good. Not only that, but it has WAY too many amazing synergies with other abilities. It can be used to retreat as well as gap close, can be used as a pretty impressive source of true damage when spammed constantly by 5 opponents, and creates too many loopholes. I played a fiddlesticks and crowstorm / hourglassed onto a an opponent. They snowballed me point blank as I popped in and then flashed out of crowstorm. They waited a few seconds until I was spent then dashed right back onto my face. No skillshot at point blank range. The same thing can be used to counter Nunu ult and many others. It isn't just initiate - but RE-initiate. It makes nearly any champion better and allows champs who already HAVE initiate to be much more terrifying with their mobility and reliability. Malphite might miss the first snowball, but it wont take long before he lands one, then he Ults all over your party at short range.
TL;DR - TL;DR: I hate snowballs. ARAM is a chaotic silly mess now and I hate it. Snowballs define gameplay. Please remove them so I can get back to playing ARAM.
