PSA: the spell thief's change isn't as bad as it seems.
just in case those of you that dont know
https://twitter.com/RiotMapleNectar/status/1095159089166921728/photo/1
The new spell thief's edge change does NOT nerf supports as hard as it seems by requiring an ally to gain gold. to even gain that gold requires enemies to be nearby, and There are only 3 instances where the support isn't with an ally directly next to them:
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The ADC is at base and you haven't left lane (whether they are walking back, AFK, dead, etc.)
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You're warding
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during the transition of a roam (in other words, walking through the jungle to get to a lane)
When the ADC is at base, whether it be that they're AFK or walking back, the lane is YOURS. as in, you get to CS to hold the lane if/when they arrive. even if you got all 3 proc's off, you only gain up to 66 gold. that's the same value as simply collecting ~3 minions or a single cannon minion that your ADC already wold have missed. therefore technically the only gold your actually missing is the gold from harassing them in addition to killing the CS with it. which is actually made right back up by simply waiting for the ADC to come back before spending the proc's. therefore this technically isn't actually making you lose any gold at all. it just takes a bit more time for you to collect said gold.
When your moving to ward, you don't have to be as glued to the ADC as it implies, as 1500 range is very generous. for comparisons sake, know a rank 1 Ryze ult has a cast range of 1750 (indicated by the outermost circle):
new spell thief's is just 250 units less then the range displayed above. therefore, you're free to ward or shoot a skill shot into a bush, and still gain a proc if you hit something (assuming anything is even there)
now, the only gold you actually lose is if you run into a 1v1 skirmish while transitioning to a roam, or when going for a deep ward solo. so therefore to compensate, you're given 1-2 extra gold for every ability you land in lane which is guaranteed. mind you, there isn't even a guarantee you would run into another champion to begin with, but you get 1-2 gold for the majority of the time you spend in lane. once you actually get to the roam location ofc there will be an ally there, so you still gain proc's. and you're smarter then most to know if the jungler is nearby its probably not the best time to deep ward, so even as it is currently you wouldn't have gained the gold from finding + shooting at him anyway.
in essence, the change actually doesn't affect supports in general very much, but actually successfully guts the 0 CS toplane strat. the only difference is you wait like 3-4 extra seconds to get the gold. is that really that much of a crippling change?
also for enchanter supports such as nami, lulu, janna, etc, your play style does not change as much as most would imply, as no matter what you would be right next to and protecting your ADC anyway.
