The Brutalizer is an item built on many top laners in the early game, because it gives all around power with cooldown reduction, attack damage, and cooldown reduction. I feel like the inability to buy this on some champions (unless you're going to build Ghostblade, but I feel like that will be less useful in some cases,) will weaken their early game power. Or is Phage just as strong? Not quite sure, comment your opinion.
Phage is strong but in a different way. It is also more of a bruiser item then an assassin item meaning that overall it will be a little more of a wet noodle fight if 2 players get phage at the same time.
As to what will happen with it I am guessing that garen and Darius will love the new BC while other champs like Riven will hate it more then love it since it is a step down from brutalizer which had everything she wanted aka worse build path with phage then brutalizer. Riven will likely still get it since CDR, 40 AD and some heath isn't bad for her but it is not what she normally would get first and most riven players seem to have issues with using ghostblade to it's full effect.
IT will still be alright overall as an item but it is no longer an item that is going to be ideal for the likes assassins in most cases.
Yes it will. The recipe items of the new black cleaver build from phage and kindlegem, two items that are weak snowball items compared to brutalizer which gave AD, flat armor pen, and CDR. Black cleaver provides great utility for AD bruisers however only the tanks benefit more from the recipe items. Regardless, the item will still be a great buy.
I think that the new black cleaver is a HUGE buff to top laners specifically, it gives damage and health and builds into a very powerful item.
Phage has less damage than brutalizer does, but I think the mobility and durability it gives is incredibly powerful.
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is a thing you know. Cleaver was only good on champions that could stack it quickly, like 
or 
. Preseason 3 was two years ago. Ghostblade was better on anyone building assassin (except Pantheon) because the extra attack and movement speed is more valuable when your aim is to instantly kill someone squishy.
for many champions, prettymuch all burst champs, it was a nerf as both the missing spike from brut and the missing flatpen on TBC really hurt the likes of Talon and pant. On the otherside, it offers huge utillity for ad-tanks/bruisers and evt ad-supports. It mostly shifted from a damage item that was mostly seen on sololane assasins to an supprtive bruiseritem that probably will be quite strong in the jungle. However, i feel like we are missing an ad-casteritem building out of Brut now, there's simply a gap now that should be filled eventually.
