Should Ohmwrecker be modified to also counter Zz'Rot Portals?

darkdill··14 votes·1,288 views

One thing I noticed today while reading the Ohmwrecker description was that it doesn't give you extra speed near Void Portals. This seems like an oversight, but it also made me think of something.

Right now, Ohmwrecker is only really at its peak if rushed, when there are plenty of towers to use it on. Unfortunately, rushing Ohmwrecker is never really viable, as it gives you no real combat stats that aren't exceeded hugely by Sunfire Cape or Randuin's Omen (both which are more important buys).

If you get it later on, its active isn't worth the cost because there aren't enough towers to disarm. Riot's always been pushing for "kill towers faster", leaving the optimal window for Ohmwrecker extremely small.

To remedy this, I think Ohmwrecker should have some sort of functionality that lets it act as a hard-counter to a Zz'Rot Portal. Either it could shut down the portal temporarily, or deal heavy damage to it, or something. There, if you've got an enemy team with more than one portal split-pushing you, take Ohmwrecker and wreck those gates.

Another benefit of this would be that it would prevent mass Zz'Rot Portal team compositions from being too overpowered. I'm already seeing people worry about teams with Heimerdinger and Azir using mass portals to just steamroll-push lanes down. Being able to shut down portals with Ohmwrecker would make such a strategy counterable, provided you can get at the portals.

And finally, I won't feel like I'm buying a trap item when getting Ohmwrecker (on the rare occasions I DO get it).

8 Comments

junglerboy166 votes

Uh, no. Having items that directly counter another, very specific item, is game breaking. It would be like saying, "buy this item to cancel so and so's GA", or "get this item to make Locket's aura turn off".

EDIT: That, and stopping a void gate for 3 seconds could possibly stop 0 voidspawn, because they come out every 4 seconds.

Raptamei1 votes

{quoted}

Uh, no. Having items that directly counter another, very specific item, is game breaking. It would be like saying, "buy this item to cancel so and so's GA", or "get this item to make Locket's aura turn off".

EDIT: That, and stopping a void gate for 3 seconds could possibly stop 0 voidspawn, because they come out every 4 seconds.

No one will buy an ohmwrecker to stop a minor annoyance. Hardcounters are good design because they serve as a backstop to shut down abuse (if the enemy buys 4 portals then ohmwrecker is a good buy but if that happens there's a balance issue with the portals and the hard counter is healthy).

junglerboy167 votes

Hard counters from items is NOT healthy, because then the items end up getting balanced around the assumption that if so and so purchases X, this guy will purchase Y. It is like how they are removing DFG from the game next patch. It became such a wrench in balancing champs that it got to the point where Riot had to say, "Well, this would be totally healthy, except they could get DFG and 1 shot people". It isn't exactly the same situation, but it is very much the same concept. It is also why things like ranger's trailblazer smiting Zac's passive are broken. If Zz'rot is strong enough that it needed something like this, then they ought to nerf Zz'rot, not buff an already strong item (Ohmwrecker is hella good right now. It is a bruiser's dream because they can tower dive hard with it if they bullied their opponent).

Raptamei1 votes

{quoted}

Hard counters from items is NOT healthy, because then the items end up getting balanced around the assumption that if so and so purchases X, this guy will purchase Y. It is like how they are removing DFG from the game next patch. It became such a wrench in balancing champs that it got to the point where Riot had to say, "Well, this would be totally healthy, except they could get DFG and 1 shot people". It isn't exactly the same situation, but it is very much the same concept. It is also why things like ranger's trailblazer smiting Zac's passive are broken. If Zz'rot is strong enough that it needed something like this, then they ought to nerf Zz'rot, not buff an already strong item (Ohmwrecker is hella good right now. It is a bruiser's dream because they can tower dive hard with it if they bullied their opponent).

Hard counters to the enemy spamming something prevents spamming. Like high templars vs zerglings. No one is going to buy an ohmwrecker to stop ONE portal.

darkdill1 votes

Then instead of stopping a gate, Ohmwrecker could cause heavy true damage to it, making them easier to kill.

Teridax683 votes

I agree that Ohmwrecker should not remove its component's movement speed bonus when near void gates (losing bonuses is never a good thing on any item). However, I don't think the active should work on Zz'Rot Portal, primarily because it detracts from its function as a tower-diving item (void gates aren't towers), but also because hard-counters are never a good thing. Void gates are already eminently counterable simply by locating their position and taking them out when nobody else is around. Zz'Rot Portal is an item with a clear strategic niche that has its own inbuilt counter-strategy, so I don't really see the point of having another item counter it specifically, particularly since temporarily disabling its portal's voidspawn generation may have little to no effect anyway (it would be a trap decision, basically).

Meep Man2 votes

Items countering items sucks. Penetration is just an anti-defense stat and IT is annoying, although it is provided with multiple items so it doesn't matter as much. Item actives countering item actives is even worse since it makes both players feel like they habe wasted gold or be forced to spend gold.

Leti the Yeti1 votes

i honestly have no idea how ohm wrecker works lolcuz who buys that? but whats the range on its active? is it aoe? point click watever it is... I think it's going to be a really soft counter to the portal you have to get close to the portal ( i think ) thats usually not in a safe place... in a bush, under tower, guarded by soldiers or mini turrets... yeah not fun speaking of heimerdinger why the hell does ohm wrecker not disable his shit

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