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So we're buffing BotRK ... again... again. I have a theory on why.

hashinshin··10 votes·1,248 views

Riot literally forgot that other items exist in the game.

Here, let me help:

Items that are overpowered:

Luden's Echo, Hourglass, BotRK, BT, Elixer of Wrath.

Items that need to be tweaked:

Thornmail.

Items that need to buffed.

Gunblade, Rageblade, Maw, Essence Reaver, ZZ'Rot, Wit's End, Ohmwrecker.

Now I know what you're thinking Riot: Why should we pay attention to any of this when we can just keep buffing BotRK? Because BotRK is fucking broken. It's an anti-everything item with no weaknesses that never has a bad time to be built. It not only is useful in all situation, it's often the best item for ALL situations. What's worse is that by giving every champion %HP damage you make it so health has to be overpowered to counteract it. If you told me back in Season 2 that we would end up with 5000 HP tanks I would say "why, are they adding a 8% health item that also has 40% attack speed, with a 15% health steal active?"

Shit has gone out of control. The continuing wars of tank versus anti-tank goes farther and farther each season. When will it end? Will we have 6000 HP tanks in season 6? Will we need 500 armor to stop the new BotRK buffs? Will season 8 be a 50% armor shred LW with 10% health damage BotrRK against 600 armor tanks with 8000 HP?

Each season begins with Riot buffing tanks to compensate for the new anti-tank items, and then ends with Riot buffing the anti-tank items to compensate for the new buffed tank items. Except somewhere inbetween Riot forgets that there are literally dozens of useless champions now because their tank items don't cut it anymore. Naut is useless outside of support, Mundo isn't even competitive anymore, Darius is dead, Garen is dead, Gangplank is dead, Rammus is dead, Amumu is dead, I could go on.

I feel like the doomsayer that is always right, yet never believed. People said "BotRK is going to hurt tanks, it won't buff them." Boom one season later in season 4 and tanks are gods. People said "8% HP damage BotRK is going to hurt tanks, it won't buff them." Boom one season later in season 5 and we have 400 armor 5000 HP tanks. How many times do I have to be right before people consider the possibility that maybe I play enough games to accurately predict the likely future in balance changes?

12 Comments

FarRockBF4 votes

Amumu is dead? WUT??

hashinshin6 votes

Live from bronze ELO introducing: That guy what thinks his personal experiences dictate what happens at high ELO/competitive!

SlytherinUmbreon3 votes

I'm pretty sure Amumu is undead

Ser Garland2 votes

Live from snobby plat player who is a slave to some higher ranked dude's meta: news for ya. Half those champions you shit on are still viable and because of whiners like you, keep getting unnecessary buffs. I bet you laughed when people said Hecarim was strong a few months back. For a "doomsayer" you seem to be inaccurately predicting.

Bruisers are going to get a comeback.

Sir Yamazuki1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ser Garland,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=ZtLuHs7h,comment-id=000000000001,timestamp=2015-05-15T17:59:22.613+0000)

Live from snobby plat player who is a slave to some higher ranked dude's meta: news for ya. Half those champions you shit on are still viable and because of whiners like you, keep getting unnecessary buffs. I bet you laughed when people said Hecarim was strong a few months back. For a "doomsayer" you seem to be inaccurately predicting.

Bruisers are going to get a comeback.

Those are not plat icons, just so you know.

Mandang02 votes

...it's because Riot's moving league toward having health stacking being the primary defensive build (Xyph said it was because it's easier to read a target's tankiness when they get it from health rather than defenses), which outdoes the old defensive builds in absence of %HP damage.

That %HP damage isn't just being buffed in Bork, but it's been added on a lot of new kits/reworks (it's now much more common than it used to be).

insaiyanbacca1 votes

imo maw wits end and gunblade are actually good atm they have their specific times they are good, also i dont really think bt is overpowered tbh and hourglass is fine, echo ok i agree with you there that item is a little strong. as for all the others there i think you're right

FourVsFive1 votes

I see lots of people using BotRK, should they not buff items people do not use? If lots r using BotRK should does that not mean its fines as is?

Ser Garland1 votes

How pray tell is nautilus useless outside of support?

WarlockLaw1 votes

OK so for items you are saying are underpowered I have a few disagreements on them.

First essence reaver is an extremely underrated item right now. It gives more raw ad than muramana even when counting the ad from mama passive until you buy a heavy mana item like frozen gauntlet so for ezreal it is a better purchase for midgame while being slightly worse late game when using its toggle unless you are using the iceborn gauntlet build. Everyone seems to forget it costs a little less than bt and cdr is worth more gold than life steal. So ad far as I am concerned it is a solid choice on caster style adcs and even Jinx can use it to stay in rocket form indefinitely during teamfights. Hell you can even use it on split push sivir to instantly clear every wave.

Maw is a perfectly fine item and should not be buffed unless you want ad assassins/mid laners to instantly invalidate every ap mid in the game. The item needs to stay where it is as every bruiser and ad assassin can build it vs a bursty ap champ so that they can roll over them in nearly every fight afterwards but if they buold it vs an ad opponent or tank they won't win. It's a situational item in a fine spot.

Gunblade runs into the problem that riot long ago made hybrid builds bad and have since removed a lot if hybrid scaling so this item should either be removed or riot needs to add a few more items and buff certain champions hybrid scalings if you want hybrid to be a thing again.

Wit's End is naturally good on so few champions. Teemo and kayle prefer raw ap of Mr shred, warwick loves it and braum can make use of it if he is ever allowed to play a role that isn't support. Otherwise this item is tried to ap heavy comps (for and against) and the state of devourer (as both deal on hit magic damage and give lots of attack speed) personally I would rather see them buff devourer slightly than this but yeah it is really weak.

Ohmwrecker, the active is basically only wanted for assassins and maybe split pushers and I doubt riot will ever give it to either role. Tanks don't care about towers after an item or two and mages don't have to be in range of them to kill you.

Zz'rot's Portal could use a little more something but as is its fine when used with a solid and planned strategy (baits or distractions come to mind

kaykalos1 votes

Opinion for new abyssal scepter pls

FuIlmute All1 votes

Actually if you're playing ADC specifically, botrk is still not as strong of a powerspike that IE is; theres less trading power and still more downtime to ramp up. Other than that it does become quite strong lategame, but again thats the purpose of it. Before the botrk buff BT began to completely overshadow the item tbh. It didn't even feel like it had lifesteal half the time, but now the drain tanking is even further improved. Id say that BT should be reduced to 18% LS and a 100g decrease to compensate for easymode drain-tanking. Or also change elixir of wrath. That shits a game decider.

Luden's echo, meh I think its strong but not OP.

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