Add Odyn's Veil to Summoner's Rift!

Back when Gangplank and Miss Fortune were reworked during the Bilgewater Event, there was a new game mode available for a limited time only called Black Market Brawlers. For those of you who were not present during the time or just don't remember (or cared to play it) it featured two additional item set tabs when you opened up the shop. The "Brawlers" tab allowed you to spend an exclusive currency in the game mode to purchase new minions that performed different tasks and had different stats than your average lane minion. The details are on the internet elsewhere so I won't bore you with it here. But the other tab was called the Black Market. There were items there created specifically for this game mode. One of those items exclusive to this game mode was Dead Man's Plate. After the game mode was retired, it was decided that Dead Man's Plate would be available to use on Summoner's Rift in normal queues.

Dead Man's Plate is a good homage to an important moment in League of Legends history: the time Riot became very serious about concentrating on the lore and backstory of champions. It is a good idol for a great benchmark.

Rewind a few years. Four to be precise. Riot wanted to offer its players more than just the same game every single time; a new way to play. When the frustration of objective play and a harsh losing streak in long, drawn-out games spurred, players needed a release. Riot came up with an alternative to the hustle and bustle of mid or feed and won lanes, but lost games. Enter Dominion. Dominion was more centered around the idea of kill the enemy and take their tower after you have crushed your opponent to display dominance. It was a good spin, especially with the idea of removing turret aggro on a champion unaccompanied by minions.

Now it is 2016. League of Legends has had eight different featured game modes meant to be played while supplies last. Four of these game modes have been used more than once and are eagerly awaited by players, particularly Snowdown Showdown and Ultra Rapid Fire modes. With the success of being able to add a game mode temporarily and withdraw it before it becomes the butt-end of humour, it is not a mystery that Riot Games has decided to retire Dominion as a permanent game mode.

Just as Black Market Brawlers brought Dead Man's Plate as well as numerous exclusive items (which were removed along with the game mode), Dominion also has a few items not available on Summoner's Rift or the Howling Abyss. While most of these items are purchasable on the Twisted Treeline, there is one item in particular that stands out from the rest and even shines among the master item list in "Item Sets" tab in your profile.

This is Odyn's Veil. It is/was an item created to essentially replace the item Banshee's Veil on the Crystal Scar. But if you look at the item, it is quite different from Banshee's Veil. Other replacement items seemed to have a lot in common with the item in question. For example, Wooglet's Witchcap managed to become the lovechild of Rabadon's Deathcap and Zhonya's Hourglass, crossing over the two in perfect unison. Plus, Sanguine Blade and The Bloodthirster are essentially the same item with a different passive. But take a look at Odyn's and Banshee's respective Veils. The concept is the same, the concept being a Health and Magic Resist item for tanks to use versus Ability Power heavy teams, but they have their own pros and cons. For one, Banshee's Veil is excellent for blocking that first move that spells (hee hee) damnation when you are hit by it e.g. Blitzcrank's Rocket Grab. Odyn's Veil is not capable of blocking the ability at all and though you don't go down without getting some damage in there, it doesn't offer protection in that right. Banshee's Veil isn't that great beyond the initial spell pop but with Odyn's Veil, you can tank some magic damage and then blow it back in Swain's beak to turn the fight around. The stats also make a difference. The extra Health Regen on Banshee's Veil can ensure you're healthy enough for the next fight by the time the shield is back up. On the other hand, Odyn's Veil combines Mana and Magic Resist. Odyn's Veil is currently the only item in the entire game that gives you both stats, meaning you don't have to forgo one stat so you can focus on the other.

Unfortunately, I fear the item will be removed from League of Legends along with Dominion and the Crystal Scar. I would like to see Odyn's Veil become the Dead Man's Plate of Dominion: the item that made it to Summoner's Rift to symbolize a benchmark in League of Legends history. It would be an excellent item for the mana hungry tanks fighting against a magic damage based opponents in the top lane. Not only that, but Odyn's Veil would be a great tank item to add to the line up in light of the upcoming mage changes. Of course, I would imagine that the item would be fine-tuned so the stats, passive, active and cost can match the standards to the more decisive gameplay of the Classic game, but it is a necessary change and one I would accept. Aside from these points let's look at it this way: if Dead Man's Plate can be chosen from multiple new items in a game mode that lasted for one month to stay in the game permanently, then surely we can do the same for one very exclusive item in a game mode that has lasted for more than four years.

TL;DR Keep Odyn's Veil in the game please.