Now that Skarner's been confirmed to be slated for a VGU

And him being classified as a Diver, having been a Juggernaut and Vanguard prior, finally shows that Riot at least knows what direction they'd want to take his design.

But I'm digressing. Skarner has always been one of my favorite Champions, even though I haven't gotten to play him a lot recently thanks to the current Jungle meta. The fantasy of playing this gargantuan Crystal Scorpion that despite his monstrous appearance is one of the kindest and wisest champions in League's roster always fascinated me.

Yet his kit didn't age very well and after a rework count that rivals Ryze's I think Riot finally decided that they need to change his kit drastically in order to make him actually fit into League's current state.

In the following few paragraphs I will fangirl over Skarner and try to convey what I personally love about the Crystal Vanguard and what should stay in order to keep old Skarner players from weeping just as much as the Crystal scar.

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Skarner's inherent kit problems Skarner has a huge problem when it comes to Satisfaction Most of the decision making behind his skills goes like this ->Is it off cooldown?->Yes?->Use it His Q in particular serves as nothing else but a cheap Sheen proc and every time I play Skarner I hear my Brother complain about the sound of me molesting my Q key.

Most of Skarner's skills are low impact and spammable, making for a pretty boring gameplay. And his Gameplay pattern as a diver is one of the most binary I've ever experienced.

He outright relies on flash in order to do his job as his onslaught is extremely telegraphed with popping his W and running at the enemy, wanting to get close enough to use his Impale and drag them to their demise.

All in all I personally think in order to finally be a good champion who can be enjoyed by a larger audience he needs to get more impactful abilities and a less binary gameplay pattern.

I really do like his E though as it has some cool mechanics and strategy to it.

Don't get me wrong though, I like Skarner, especially his ultimate is one of the most enjoyable things in the game!

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So, what should remain? Every VGU kept something about the original champion, trying to capture what made them appealing to the old mains while improving on that fantasy.

Skarner in particular has TWO things that should remain in a way.

One; IMPALE Impale is a great ultimate and it really feels fitting for Skarner. It's extremely satisfying to impale someone and drag them off and it really fits his niche as a Diver: Isolating high priority targets and eliminating them

Two; His personality and VO I ADORE Skarner's VO, it's one of the reasons I don't use Battlecast that often as Skarner's voice is just one of the best there is. It perfectly shows that looks can be deceiving as Skarner isn't some rabid beast but a gentle creature who has been driven to cause violence due to the cruelty shown to his people.

He's the unsung hero for his kind, he's the vanguard who has to make the world save enough for the others to awaken and once again walk on Runeterran soil. He's got the wisdom of his heart stone, eon-old memories provide him with the wisdom of his ancestors and the power of said crystal makes him a force to be reckoned with. I don't want him to become some edgy monster guy who ENJOYS violence, he's a creature that most people will see as a threat when in fact he wouldn't harm unless given a good reason to do so.

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What I would change Now, unto to actual kit changes I would suggest.

<Make Impale a skillshot> Impale is a great ultimate but lacks counterplay. Ideally I'd love it to be a medium ranged skillshot where Skarner lashes out with his Stinger and impales the first target hit, supressing them and dragging them off. It would make him rely less on being directly on top of the enemy and having to use flash in order to make the most out of his ultimate. And i'd look totally awesome, especially on battlecast where he actually has a Harpoon!

<Less Spammy, higher impact basic spells> You see this huge crystal scorpion, thinking his claws would be enough to tear you apart... Yet he just spams Q in order to kill you with a million papercuts. "Limb from limb...." "I will tear them apart..." "In claw's reach..." Skarner himself makes it sound like his claws would be extremely terrifying to meet up close, yet they're pretty lackluster in that regar. That's why I suggest making his primary Claw strike be on a higher cd than currently and deal more damage/have additional effects so that it's gonna be way more satisfying to use. Also, I'd advise not keeping the instant AoE aspect of it but make it somewhat of a skillshot strike in front of him as it'd be a bit more avoidable and allow for it to actually be strong.

Seeing that it's a VGU I don't want to go into other aspects of his kit but the Crystal Vanguard has to actually make use of his gigantic crystalline form and actually feel like the image we get from his lore and visuals.

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In conclusion I think Skarner can really benefit from a rework in terms of Gameplay but less so in terms of visuals and lore/voice as we already lost one of our rather somber monster Champions with Galio's rework. Skarner himself is NOT a monster, he's a magnificent creature older than humanity or the rune wars with a gentle mind and immensely powerful crystal frame.

The main isse a Skarner VGU should try to tackle is his lack of Satisfying gameplay pattern and how binary his kit is. He can be one of the coolest champions if only his gameplay would be more enjoyable as his character is already one of the greatest there is!

http://img11.deviantart.net/5833/i/2013/320/e/6/the_scar_of_war_by_artsed-d6ty2k9.jpg