@Repetior: What Makes Ryze, Ryze?

A lot of people have already shared their thoughts on what should be changed about Ryze in the upcoming rework. Instead of pitching specific ideas for a rework, I thought it'd be interesting to have a thread where we could discuss what elements of Ryze we think are core to his identity, and what things aren't working, sort of like the format the Reds used to discuss the Mage Roster Update projects. If Repertoir or any other reds would care to comment on this, that would also be sweet.

What I Like About Ryze:

• Battle mage: He's distinctly a battle mage, with short-medium range, low mobility, and build in defenses.
• Late game scaling: Building up into a powerful late game team fighter has always been part of the fantasy of Ryze for me.
• Mana Affiinity: The itemization for mana, combined with Ryze's mana affinity, contributes to his scaling nature.
• Anti-mobility: When you need to catch a champ who relies on dodging and kiting, Ryze brings uniquely powerful single target CC.

I'm not attached to any of these attributes continuing to work the exact same way in new Ryze as they do in old Ryze, but they are all components I consider core to his identity that I'd like to see continue in some way in the new incarnation.

Things That Don't Work So Well:

• Targeted Chain CC: Less bad post 6.3, but it's not a terribly fun pattern to play against, particularly when combined with his high uptime ult which allows him to run people down.
• Early mana issues: Ryze's laning phase can feel like a question of what runs out first: Ryze's mana, or his opponent's health. Not terribly engaging. Some level of mana gating is necessary, but it'd be nice if we could strike a better balance.
• One dimensional: Ryze does pretty similar things in every fight. His combo allows little room for creative play.

Thoughts?