How to make Support Lulu competitive while NOT BUFFING Mid Lulu [discussion]
I've read some posts on what would it take to make Lulu competitive in the pro scene without making her oppressive in solo lanes. That got me thinking about how I would fix the balancing issue that is Lulu.
First I thought about what makes solo lane Lulu work. Here are my initial thoughts on the reason why it works so well when she's strong.
[E] - Help, Pix!: ACTIVE: Lulu sends Pix, Pix to the target unit, shielding them for up to 6 seconds if they are an allied champion, or dealing magic damage to her target and granting true sight of them for 4 seconds if they are an enemy.
This ability (In my opinion) is what makes solo lane Lulu work. A point and click spell that does a good amount of damage and has decent scaling along with granting her Q extended range. The shield, on the other hand, is an ability that could be so much more interesting if done right. What I'm suggesting is to grant bonus HP on the shield if used on an ally other than yourself. Not only that but also increase the range of her E if targeted on allies. As seen in the image above, her E range is really poor if you're looking to play support, but good if you're playing damage, Lulu. Adjusting the range of those abilities based on what you want to use them for would be an excellent idea IMO to get her in line with other supporting champions.
[W] - Whimsy: ACTIVE: Lulu casts erratic magic upon the target champion, giving them bonus attack speed and 30% (+ 5% per 100 AP) bonus movement speed for the next few seconds if they are an ally, or polymorphing them as well as slowing them by a flat 60 for a shorter duration if they are an enemy.
Make her W attack speed only work on other allies, not yourself. Not only that, to make support Lulu stand out, add slow resistance (as seen on Stormraiders Serge Summoner Spell) if used on allies other than yourself, Slows outweigh movement speed buffs in league so speeding up your ally if they get slowed will do almost nothing. Allowing her to have a larger cast range if used on allies will help a tonne as well. Because right now her W and E cast ranges are the exact same.
[R] - Wild Growth: ACTIVE: Lulu enlarges the target allied champion, knocking up units around them for 0.75 seconds, and giving her target bonus health and causing them to Slow icon slow nearby units for 7 seconds.
Her R can be a very good ability, But because Lulu is not in the front line usually, It can be a nightmare to set up a good combo CC knock up to help your team, or to get to your caught out ally fast enough before they die. I probably sound like a broken record by now, but this time, it's a little different. Adjusting the cast range to go up per rank of the spell would be a well deserving buff to scale better into the late game as Lulu.
Implementing these changes might complicate Lulu even more for newer players, but With careful wording on the spell, you can implement these changes without making a new player feel too intimidated. Plus with some of the newer or more complex champions in league having paragraphs in one ability (looking at you Jhin and Lee). I don't think this is too much to ask for.
If you think any of the ideas I've listed above would improve Lulu in any way, Please upvote so more can see! If you disagree than leave a downvote! Thanks for reading! I hope I've made at least some of my ideas come across clear to most of you. Have a good day.
