Thoughts on Stormlord's Mandate
Hey everyone! I want to talk a little bit about my thoughts on Stormlord's Mandate, the WIP rune to replace Thunderlord's Decree. Here are the pertinent links:
https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/8uzGEMn4-runes-corner-stormlords-mandate-and-spellslingers-surge Used for information on the new rune.
http://leagueoflegends.wikia.com/wiki/Thunderlord%27s_Decree Used for information on the current keystone mastery.
Let's start by comparing the two:
Thunderlord's Decree Hitting an enemy champion with an ability or basic attack 3 times within 3 seconds deals 10-180 (based on level) (+30% bonus AD) (+10% AP) magic damage in an area around them. 25-15 second cooldown (based on level).
Stormlord's Mandate Hitting an enemy champion with 3 unique attacks or abilities within 2 seconds deals 40-220 (based on level) (+25% bonus AD) (+20% AP) magic damage. 50 second cooldown.
Here are my initial reactions:
-Burst mages will be much more powerful due to the doubled AP ratio -I'm sad that they decreased the bonus AD ratio. If they are going to decrease it, perhaps make it scale with total AD? -It will be much stronger early game due to the quadrupled level 1 base damage (and simply higher base damage throughout the game). -It doesn't seem to specify whether or not it will be AOE damage (although the current AOE is negligible). -The cooldown seems excessively long, especially since it doesn't decrease as you level up. -It will be much harder for certain champions to proc due to the decreased window of time and unique ability parameter.
Some more on that last point: I am a mid laner who mains Zed. My first thought was sheer terror that a WEQ combo would no longer proc it due to the fact that you have to hit 2 Qs. I thought this was confirmed because Riot used Zed in the GIF as an example for the rune, but upon closer inspection the Rioter who did the demo seems to be boosted and missed a Q. Therefore no conclusion can be drawn on this particular case yet. Another saddening fact is the reduced window of opportunity to proc the damage. Many times i WE and wait a tiny bit before I Q to bait a juke and land it more consistently, but this will most likely not be able to continue. Though I am referencing Zed in particular, there are more champions affected by this. One other I can think of is Ekko, whose Q takes time to return.
Unique Parameter: Though I talked about Zed above, Riot is mainly implementing this to stop DOT and similar abilities such as Miss Fortune's E from proccing the rune by themselves. I understand and agree with this reasoning. Here is the quote from the Runes Corner article: "Each spell, ability, or individual attack counts once towards triggering this. Sounds pretty simple. Let’s look a some examples. Start with an easy one: Mystic Shot. You fire it and it hits your opponent. That’s one. Attacks work the same way. The biggest change is how it works with damage over time effects. For example, Miss Fortune’s Make it Rain. When you cast that on an enemy it deals damage rapidly for 2 seconds but it still only counts as one spell. With the “unique” flag Stormlord’s Mandate won’t be instantly triggered by Make it Rain the way Thunderlord’s was. If you would like to actually play and experiment with the unique keyword, check out Maokai’s passive for a better idea. Overall, the unique keyword allows these keystones to bind more to all-ins and intense fighting rather than specific champion abilities" (RiotWrekz).
In conclusion, I see the logic behind the changes Riot is making, and am interested to see how they will play out. My biggest complaints are the reduced window of time and especially the long cooldown. I understand this is a WIP, so hopefully changes will be made to make it a powerful all-in rune. If I got anything wrong or you just want to add on, leave a comment!
So long, and thanks for all the fish.