either revert the aery nerf or give ap mages a real keystone

bywords70·Dec 7, 2017·103 votes·16,471 views

ap mages feel underwhelming when there are options for AD champions to itemize both damage and MR while ap do not. not to mention with nullifying orb pretty much everybody gets a free hexdrinker passive while there is no similar rune for physical damage.

keystones on ap champions feel bad in its current state. aery is a support keystone that barely boosts damage while comet is actually useless without any immobilizing abilities. anybody with shoes or even without can easily avoid the comet and for some reason comet has a cooldown when it would still be useless without a cd.

why can't we get a simple keystone that just does more damage like deathfires touch?

239 Comments

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201769 votes

Ermn, going to respectfully disagree here. Agree with Skorch on his Comet comments and will add that Aery actually significantly boosts damage (possibly even more than Comet, depending on the situation & player) if you are consistently re-positioning to reduce the cooldown & grab the damage proc again (so like, not even using the shield bit).

The issue with Deathfire Touch as a keystone, which we've talked about before, is that it had very little gameplay. You just...got more damage... in exchange for nothing. I know it was really fun for mage players because you just...got more damage (and that's fun!)...but the pattern was not producing good play or counterplay (in that...there was no pattern). This is actually also somewhat related to why we switched up the triggers to Electrocute, etc., to require more specific interaction on the side of the rune users.

So, TL;DR, we probably won't see something EXACTLY like Deathfire Touch in the new system because it didn't produce meaningful gameplay.

EDIT: The amount of people threatening to quit League & making hyperbolic statements ("everybody knows that" etc.) because I ventured in to comment here is TOO DAMN HIGH haha

https://imgflip.com/s/meme/Too-Damn-High.jpg

I've hit my personal mental limit for the day and I'm not going to keep poking the bear, I'm off to go fix some HUD bugs instead. Thanks to the folks who are being constructive in their discussion & feedback, and I will read all of your thoughts here even if I don't respond! :D

CyberBaltDec 7, 201710 votes

Well to be fair, isn't Aery and to a lesser extent, comet, pretty much the same thing though? For the most part, they're just some free damage. Personally, I don't find that those two keystones are weak, I just find they overlap a bit too much. I think one of them should be changed to be more distinctive from the other, but that's just me. Curious to know what you think of that/ agree or disagree :)

CrazedPorcupineDec 7, 20176 votes

can you guys at least provide enchanter supports a keystone that feels good to use outside of ugh Aery?

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201720 votes

Why the ugh? Would love some feedback on what you don't like about Aery or what new thing you would want as an Enchanter support player. :)

xJLx MCHammerDec 7, 20175 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Sparkle,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=djhhyIkO,comment-id=001a00010000,timestamp=2017-12-07T19:38:50.839+0000)

Why the ugh? Would love some feedback on what you don't like about Aery or what new thing you would want as an Enchanter support player. :)

Look at some of the other keystones. They all guarantee you an effect despite. Comet doesn’t guarantee you the extra damage. If I’m playing a Xerath, I have to worry about landing 3+ skills shits and another one from comet Yet majoirt your other keystones barely have any kind of requirement

Thunderlords was great because it encouraged multiple abilities to be landed prior to a pay off

Now you’ve replaced it with worse keystones

You have effectively made AP champions harder and harder to play with constant nerfs in damage and conditions to gain their damage. Yet, they are now starting to be outscaled by champions who have less conditions to meet like ADC

I wish you can give an ADC press the attack a condition like Comet Let’s see how long it takes before you hypocritically make a change to it

MalrothDragoniaDec 7, 20176 votes

Something dedicated to a heal/shield playstyle is something I've looked for. Aery's bonus shield is not great, and while I understand why, the pattern of poke, then they respond, even if I time my shield right (ala windspeakers) they most likely won't get the bonus.

I liked windspeaker's, even removing the shield/heal buff and giving a def stat bonus on cast for a sec for rewarding well-timed healing/shielding would be nice.\

RiotSparkleDec 7, 20177 votes

I see what you're saying here - something very focused on Enchanter wants/stats specifically. Thanks for the feedback! Can never promise anything as the result of it, but I appreciate you explaining your feelings

DracosKasuDec 7, 20175 votes

The problem is they actually give a support design rune to an adc called Press the attack. I hate this rune design on this kind of playstyle, it doesnt fit the carry style gameplay but somehow they did it. Rune design around team amplication dmg shouldnt be into precision tree since it is too easy for them to abuse the rune as a result we have a tree which give too much snowball potential.

CorvidDec 7, 201728 votes

For enchanters, I believe Aery is fine. Though, Aery also seems to be best for constant damage mages like Taliyah. This is where I find issue.

Aery just isn't interesting to use. Its annoying to see on screen, annoying to get hit by, and feels just plain bad to use on a mage when your kit screams damage. An entire half of Aery's kit revolves around shielding, and if she is taken purely for damage, half of her goes unused. Also, as a mage, the catching game isn't fun, at least in my opinion.

Aery feels like tacked on up front damage, which is almost like a bad easy to proc up front version of thunderlords in a way. I would almost rather not have a keystone and have that power in the kit then use that thing.

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201716 votes

Gotcha - so basically you're happy as an Enchanter player using Aery and unhappy when you can only use half of the keystone as a Mage player? I can see that. Thanks for the feedback!

Solidair3Dec 7, 20174 votes

Here's my stance with Comet and Aery:

Aery feels bad when there's no way to apply the ally shield. It really feels like a rune meant for a utility mage or an enchanter and many who are forced to use it do so knowing it's because it's the "only option".

Comet has a different problem, in that unless you have a way of applying a CC, many champs can avoid it too easily. And in other cases its damage feels lackluster especially when the enemy CAN avoid it so much. And so they take Aery instead, which then feels suboptimal because they can't use the ally shield.

The main problem is it really feels like there's no rune for mages with little/unreliable cc and no ally utility.

If anything, I'd like to see Comet be stronger and even harder to hit and another rune introduced for other mages with little/unrelaible cc.

Edit: I should complete my thoughts. Phase rush is not optimal on all mages, and this is not even in the running as a third option in my mind (not that I think it's bad, it's my fave rune on Syndra but it's definitely not for everyone)

Logically, you'd think "then try a different tree and keystone" but the problem is that Electrocute is the only other logical choice; after all, Thunderlord's Decree was a great option on a lot of mages, but a whopping 50 second cooldown early on makes the rune almost unusable and not worth it for what's lost in trade potential in lane. Which again, is fine, I like the new Electrocute as a jungling option since you'd only ever gank every 50 seconds or so and it feels appropriately powerful.

We just REALLY need another rune for mages. They, and bruisers who favored fervor, are just not getting catered to the way everyone else is.

Ayame IsakiDec 7, 20174 votes

Aery feels underwhelming relative to Windspeakers. I end up running Klepto on Janna more often than not as the extra gold and free potions/wards end up being far more valuable to me than the barely noticeable shield boost Aery provides.

That being said, if the shield boost were changed to some sort of buff (Armor/MR/slow protection/something) it would make it far more rewarding to use the proc defensively and not just as a little extra poke in lane for an enchanter.

On the flip side, Aery feels alright on very aggressive enchanters like Morgana, Karma, and Sona (before she was nerfed back into obscurity).

Tychusfindlay918Dec 7, 201713 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Sparkle,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=djhhyIkO,comment-id=001a,timestamp=2017-12-07T19:19:58.097+0000)

Ermn, going to respectfully disagree here. Agree with Skorch on his Comet comments and will add that Aery actually significantly boosts damage (possibly even more than Comet, depending on the situation & player) if you are consistently re-positioning to reduce the cooldown & grab the damage proc again (so like, not even using the shield bit).

The issue with Deathfire Touch as a keystone, which we've talked about before, is that it had very little gameplay. You just...got more damage... in exchange for nothing. I know it was really fun for mage players because you just...got more damage (and that's fun!)...but the pattern was not producing good play or counterplay (in that...there was no pattern). This is actually also somewhat related to why we switched up the triggers to Electrocute, etc., to require more specific interaction on the side of the rune users.

So, TL;DR, we probably won't see something EXACTLY like Deathfire Touch in the new system because it didn't produce meaningful gameplay.

"deathfire just added more damage..."

And aery doesn't? Land any ability and an undodgeable monkey flies at you and deals more damage.

The reposition is a cherry on top, but don't go around proclaiming that aery takes any amount of skill because that's bullshit.

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201722 votes

I'm not arguing that Aery isn't reliable. She is, and is certainly more reliable than Comet. But there IS a difference between Aery and Deathfire.

The amount of damage (or shielding) you can get out of Aery is variable based on your 'catching' play. Deathfire had none of that. It didn't matter one whit where you positioned, whereas Aery takes that into account. So to highlight: the important part here is that the damage output from Aery is variable based on your play whereas the output on Deathfire never was.

Also she's a magical fox spirit, not a monkey. ;)

QuephaDec 7, 201710 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Sparkle,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=djhhyIkO,comment-id=001a00020000,timestamp=2017-12-07T19:36:52.405+0000)

The amount of damage (or shielding) you can get out of Aery is variable based on your 'catching' play.

Not really. Aery moves so fast that she's probably up for every ability use on a mage and because she moves directly towards you, you never really have to move out of position to get her (and it also favors being in close range so it benefits melee champions more than any other type of damage dealer, which just seems odd).

The level of optimization for Aery is actually comparable to Deathfire Touch in that to maximize DFT's damage you wanted to space out ability usage to wait for the full length of the DoT to wear off each time. It wasn't a big deal so it rarely affected how players played, but Aery is about in the same spot right now.

Sraeg2013Dec 7, 20176 votes

It doesn't matter how you word it, you can't change the reality.

Aery is a direct undodgable damage buff with a very low cooldown, which can be further lowered by going in melee. DFT was a direct undodgable damage buff with no cooldown, but as a DoT required spacing of spells for full potential.

You aren't wrong saying that the full potential of Aery requires some change in playstyle, but claiming there was nothing like that about DFT is pure bullshit, because in 90%+ of cases their "fantasy" is identical.

What's next, claiming that Electrocute and TLD aren't the same thing?

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201714 votes

Hiiii I didn't claim "it's nothing like DFT". Nowhere did I say that. I said it had a notable difference (positioning aspect) and then explained it!

Also don't really appreciate you spinning out this misquoting logic to me saying Electrocute and TLD aren't similar - I literally referenced the similarity in my post with

"This is actually also somewhat related to why we switched up the triggers to Electrocute, etc., to require more specific interaction on the side of the rune users."

I really want to talk more in this topic, but when I need to take time out to re-say what I originally said because of comments like this it really slows me down!

DeadUnbornDec 7, 20178 votes

Just a tip, you are probably arguing with a 16 year old. People like that just want to tell you that you are wrong no matter what. I fall for the same mistake often here in the comments, and I get for you is probably more frustrating since this is something you have put an effort in, just to have some random kid dumpster it.

However comments like this: "I really want to talk more in this topic, but when I need to take time out to re-say what I originally said because of comments like this it really slows me down!" come off as really passive aggressive and can potentially backfire on you depending on the context (Imagine someone posting "Riot Sparkle" doesn't care about league players and having it blow up on Reddit or something)

When you see the other person just being a jerk and not wanting to have a civil discussion at all, just say "thank you for your feedback, it is valuable for us" and blow them off. I understand how that could be emotionally difficult in certain situations, but I definitely think it is the smarter way to go about it.

RiotSparkleDec 7, 20177 votes

Appreciate the concern, thanks! :)

I said it somewhere else, but I'm trying a new thing where I tell people when they're communicating in a way unlikely to get a response so that they can reflect & change the behavior if they want to instead of dodging the comment (which is the usual strat, but as you may have seen recently that results in a lot of silence followed by confusion about why there is silence).

Also I would hope that players would read a respectful comment where I explain my own words and not take it as "Riot Sparkle doesn't care about players" (I do!). I can't control what other people think though, only what I say myself.

I am also trying to be cognizant of my own well being, however, so there's a tricky balance there.

xJLx MCHammerDec 7, 20177 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Sparkle,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=djhhyIkO,comment-id=001a,timestamp=2017-12-07T19:19:58.097+0000)

Ermn, going to respectfully disagree here. Agree with Skorch on his Comet comments and will add that Aery actually significantly boosts damage (possibly even more than Comet, depending on the situation & player) if you are consistently re-positioning to reduce the cooldown & grab the damage proc again (so like, not even using the shield bit).

The issue with Deathfire Touch as a keystone, which we've talked about before, is that it had very little gameplay. You just...got more damage... in exchange for nothing. I know it was really fun for mage players because you just...got more damage (and that's fun!)...but the pattern was not producing good play or counterplay (in that...there was no pattern). This is actually also somewhat related to why we switched up the triggers to Electrocute, etc., to require more specific interaction on the side of the rune users.

So, TL;DR, we probably won't see something EXACTLY like Deathfire Touch in the new system because it didn't produce meaningful gameplay.

Half your ******** keystones for ranged Champions barely produce gameplay; it’s mostly all stats boosts.

Give AP champions the same gameplay

Hypocrites!

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201733 votes

I'm having difficulty understanding your points besides the fact that you are angry. AP champions can be also be ranged. I don't know which keystones you are upset about, so I cannot discuss them with you.

I will also add that stating your points like this & calling someone a hypocrite is usually not the way to get a response from a Rioter (or anyone) - I am doing it here because I'm trying this new thing where I tell people when their communication is not great so they can self-reflect and change it if they would like to.

If you would like to have a real discussion about why you are upset, please rephrase your comments. If you would just like to simply yell at someone, I'm gonna go ahead and peace because I have work I can be doing instead.

xJLx MCHammerDec 7, 201710 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot Sparkle,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=djhhyIkO,comment-id=001a00040000,timestamp=2017-12-07T19:50:50.243+0000)

I'm having difficulty understanding your points besides the fact that you are angry. AP champions can be also be ranged. I don't know which keystones you are upset about, so I cannot discuss them with you.

I will also add that stating your points like this & calling someone a hypocrite is usually not the way to get a response from a Rioter (or anyone) - I am doing it here because I'm trying this new thing where I tell people when their communication is not great so they can self-reflect and change it if they would like to.

If you would like to have a real discussion about why you are upset, please rephrase your comments. If you would just like to simply yell at someone, I'm gonna go ahead and peace because I have work I can be doing instead.

Okay, I’ll and rephrase the statement.

What is the design decision behind giving an AP champions so many requirements and barriers before the keystones start to work. Comet for example requires most champions who do use it, to first land a skill shot and hope that the comet lands because Comet itself is a skill shot. Using it on a champions that’s not stunned, already moving, or has any speed buff will always miss.

Yet, your viewpoint for ADC, tanks, melee champions is that they need less requirements and barriers for their keystones to work. Press the attack doesn’t need any requirement bad to land 3 consecutive attacks. Why not add some “gameplay” to where people can dodge it? Grasp of the undying? Same thing!. Aery? Same thing

Give AP who already are require to constantly land abilities less requirements for keystones to work

It’s ridiculous that when I’m playing Xerath to constantly land Q and seeing that Comet has not landed once because it’s easy to dodge

AgentBlackDec 7, 20171 votes

But if you're Xerath, you can just W first and land the Comet for free...

xJLx MCHammerDec 7, 20173 votes

{quoted}

But if you're Xerath, you can just W first and land the Comet for free...

Lol The cd of W and Comet aren’t even the same

What if I’m playing Brand? Or many other AP champions who don’t have slows or cc?

Teridax68Dec 7, 20175 votes

Thank you very much for continuing to post here, and don't let users like the above get you down. There are some on this Board who unfortunately tend to be consistently negative, but there are many more on here who care about having a productive, respectful exchange.

I can't speak for MCHammer, but from what I understand they're comparing the Sorcery tree to the Precision tree: in Precision, two of the three keystones are activated from a single autoattack, and PTA is activated by three. There are conditions to these effects, but in the end they can all be applied with a fair amount of reliability by ranged champions, as ranged autoattacks are reliable and can be applied pretty quickly, and so give a lot of power to ranged autoattackers.

By contrast, Arcane Comet is often more difficult for ranged champions to land, as it has a travel speed, and this is in addition to it requiring an ability to activate it, as abilities are generally less reliable than ranged autoattacks. Phase Rush isn't particularly great for mages, whose abilities may not hit reliably and who don't necessarily want movement speed, so in the end their most reliable option is Aerie, which has been nerfed for its power relative to its gameplay.

In this respect, current runes feel like it's easier for a ranged autoattacker to get use out of them than a mage: mages generally have to land at least one ability and fulfill another condition to unlock the power of a Sorcery keystone, whereas ranged autoattackers only really have to worry about their Precision keystone's particular gameplay effect, as their autoattacks tend to be very reliable.

xJLx MCHammerDec 7, 20173 votes

{quoted}

Thank you very much for continuing to post here, and don't let users like the above get you down. There are some on this Board who unfortunately tend to be consistently negative, but there are many more on here who care about having a productive, respectful exchange.

I can't speak for MCHammer, but from what I understand they're comparing the Sorcery tree to the Precision tree: in Precision, two of the three keystones are activated from a single autoattack, and PTA is activated by three. There are conditions to these effects, but in the end they can all be applied with a fair amount of reliability by ranged champions, as ranged autoattacks are reliable and can be applied pretty quickly, and so give a lot of power to ranged autoattackers.

By contrast, Arcane Comet is often more difficult for ranged champions to land, as it has a travel speed, and this is in addition to it requiring an ability to activate it, as abilities are generally less reliable than ranged autoattacks. Phase Rush isn't particularly great for mages, whose abilities may not hit reliably and who don't necessarily want movement speed, so in the end their most reliable option is Aerie, which has been nerfed for its power relative to its gameplay.

In this respect, current runes feel like it's easier for a ranged autoattacker to get use out of them than a mage: mages generally have to land at least one ability and fulfill another condition to unlock the power of a Sorcery keystone, whereas ranged autoattackers only really have to worry about their Precision keystone's particular gameplay effect, as their autoattacks tend to be very reliable.

That’s exactly it

And it’s not only the Precision Tree

Resolve tree; same things. Just a bunch of stats boost with 100% reliability

XdeathitselfXDec 8, 20171 votes

[deleted]

RiotSparkleDec 9, 201722 votes

Oh jeez. Usually I leave these posts alone but here's another example of bad communication, so let's do the thing where we break down why it's not great so we're all on the same page here:

I work on the UI for Runes, not the balance team. No one lets me balance anything (and I like it that way)
You looked up my rank before looking at my post history, which would clear up your misconception about what I actually do for Riot
It's very rude to tell someone they can't understand a topic because of their rank, no matter who you are talking to. Everyone is welcome to come here and discuss the game & give us feedback no matter what rank you are. Wanna make that VERY clear.
It's very rude to question how someone got their job, no matter who you are talking to

Velzard of KozDec 7, 20174 votes

You just...got more damage... in exchange for nothing. I know it was really fun for mage players because you just...got more damage (and that's fun!)...but the pattern was not producing good play or counterplay (in that...there was no pattern).

It gave you the most damage based on how you chain abilities. And Sudden Impact doesn't just give you more damage in fight If you have a mobility tool, a tool you would've used anyway? I remember there being Mastery removed due to it being "You have CC and take or don't have CC and ignore it", too, yet Sudden Impact being the same thing doesn't mind? I really think way too many Runes are inconsitent in philosophy like this.

MysticDreams12Dec 7, 20175 votes

So you guys just leave out any possible keystone for mages based on the fact that "it doesn't produce meaningful gameplay"???

You guys are AD biased, everyone knows that. But its really painful to see that you guys screwed out the AP side, once again. We need a good magic penetration rune, not just a stupid Aery or Comet that just does "damage." PENETRATION. We had that and then you just took it out, while you give AD all the cool stuff on top of a free hexdrinker rune.

What gives? Have you seen all the complaints? Please work on a rune for mages, because the ones you have now, aren't ideal.

And no, we don't want one for supports. We need a magic pen one for MID LANERS.

SkorchDec 7, 201748 votes

Comet is actually not too bad even without stuns. Because of most peoples just shuffling it lands pretty often. And if not anyone who still uses rylais likes it too. Comet is just all around not the worst thing to take as a mage if you dont have any other options.

nm1010Dec 7, 20173 votes

It needs to scale better if it is going to be a general mage key stone. It currently is 30-100 damage + 20% ap, electrocute is 50--220 + 30% ap. When mages are at that big of a disadvantage vs electrocute users it makes it hard to reasonably compete in a 1v1. So you can poke and such, but it isn't guaranteed to land and if you have to fight you are just at a large burst disadvantage.

SkorchDec 7, 201721 votes

If i remember correctly thats largely do to an insane CD difference, especially since you can lower comets. The issue comes in Assassins (the main user of Electrocute) whos main kill pressure relies on their ult which OBVIOUSLY has a larger CD than electrocute. Meaning electrocute has just overall higher burst, at the cost of time. But... Comet is still not a bad/unviable option on mages without anything else.

The only actual mage that ive seen without any decent ones is Malz but aery works well enough and hes pretty strong rn anyway so...

nm1010Dec 7, 20175 votes

There is some cooldown difference, but my point is that it forces a poking play style for the mage. I will almost always lose an all in because I just have 100 less base damage + less scaling on my keystone by mid game (even more if I take Aery for reliability). Even Aery is still poking, but is just better than comet in most scenarios.

I really just want the option to opt for an all in keystone if I need to be the person dealing with the enemy adc or dueling the assassin.

SkorchDec 7, 20177 votes

The thread is for Mages that dont burst OR poke, like malz.

For burst. JUST GO ELECTOCUTE, you are losing 7 base AP, and the option of scorch (better on poke) or gathering storm (Worth is if you find the AP from this more worth than the increase in damage of electrocute.) If you REALLY want that burst, JUST GO ELECTROCUTE. Domination isnt awful for mages, there is literally nothing stopping you.

nm1010Dec 7, 20173 votes

The thread is for Mages that dont burst OR poke, like malz

I don't see that anywhere in the title/OP. It just says ap mages.

I am missing manaflow band/ultimate hat, celerity, or scorch which are all some of the best runes in the game. I'm also missing out on tons of free gold in inspiration or survivability in resolve. And I gain what exactly? Lane sustain and some better ward capabilities? Meanwhile an assassin can go electrocute, get armor pen, ad/ap on kills/ward kills, and out of combat movespeed (one of their favorite stats).

If you would like I can give you stats on electrocute vs aery on mages if you really think it isn't a big difference.

SkorchDec 7, 20174 votes

"give ap mages a real keystone" That is what i was referring to as this implies that some mages DONT have a keystone when only a few dont.

"And I gain what exactly? Lane sustain and some better ward capabilities? Meanwhile an assassin can go electrocute, get armor pen, ad/ap on kills/ward kills," THAT, THAT IS WHAT YOU GAIN. You gain AP, lane sustain, the only one not too good for mages is the hunter tree. Newsflash every single tree has cutoffs, you want burst. Go the tree that gives you burst. You cant have: Burst from electrocute, mana/poke damage/ultimate cooldown from sorcery, AND inspiration or survivability? What are you on. You want survivability go resolve, weird shit go insp. But you dont get everything a mage could ever want AND THEN SOME that is just horrendous. You want assassin level burst you take electrocute second sorc. To be a BURST MAGE. If you are a burst mage you dont GET survivability.

From what i hear is you are upset that the runes arent set up the way that you want so that you can spec easier. Newflash thats the point of new runes, their are upsides and downsides. Your burst rune exists, you just gotta give something up for it.

NineTailedMysticDec 7, 201711 votes

Electrocute is fine on most Mages.

SB ArneemanDec 7, 201727 votes

The problem is that the domination runes are pretty trash compared to sorcery runes, other than the keystone.

GelsominoKillerDec 7, 20175 votes

I beg to differ! I actually think mage players are a bit stiff and reluctant to try out new things.

Domination subpath is extremely profitable for mages: Taste of Blood + Ravenous Hunter turns most mages into drain tanks, and eyeball collection is busted right now, especially for AP.

I also believe that fleet footwork is one of the strongest options on ryze, Vlad and Ahri.

NineTailedMysticDec 7, 201711 votes

I beg to differ on Fleet Footwork being "one of the strongest options" for Ahri. Ahri is desperate for additional damage in her kit, and giving up Electrocute or even Comet is incredibly detrimental. However, the Precision non-Keystones are excellent.

NineTailedMysticDec 7, 20175 votes

Taste of Blood for extra sustain in T1, Zombie Ward is the best vision rune in the game, and all 3 of the Bounty Hunter runes can be put to good use on a Mage.

RiotSparkleDec 7, 201713 votes

Vision is actually criminally underrated on someone like a mid laner, IMHO.

VekknaDec 7, 20173 votes

I may or may not have climbed 8 ranks in 2 weeks last season building a sightstone in mid. So I approve this message.

Funkin DunkinDec 7, 20177 votes

I use Domination on most of my AP mages since they are all about the burst + crowd control. That's a lot of extra and immediate damage. I think AP users need to branch out a little more than what their comfort zone is.

saltranDec 7, 20174 votes

Watching Smeb (kespa cup) playing Gnar with Aery was hilarous, not only mages need better options rather than Aery maybe.

DurzakaDec 7, 20173 votes

The problem with Aery is the consistency.

It is WAY WAY too consistent to ever provide a strong damage boost.

Comet is harder to land, and has a longer CD.

Electrocute has a long CD and requires at least some work to land (you can argue, but 3 skills is still 3 skills).

PtA requires 3 hits to activate.

Lethal Tempo has the build up period before it activates

Fleet Foot had the recharge period.

Meanwhile Aery is just consistent because you just need to hit them once, and then back off. Consistent increase in damage where every other damage increase requires some work on the players part.

So whenever Aery is strong, it is going to completely dominate if anyone actually can use it/

KaeblenDec 7, 20174 votes

I put Aery on Singed and was completely flabbergasted at how much bonus damage it got me. even after the nerf, I don't see Aery as weak. It gets stronger with low cd attacks and shorter range. You could probably put it on someone like J4 or Zac and be totally fine. I put it on Teemo once, and the return time (CD) from shrooms was still pretty short. (it's an INCREDIBLY CONSISTENT, damage boost which is too small to classify as 'burst'. the consistency of it makes the damage over extended fights suprisingly high.)

ALSO, Aery boosts the effectiveness of heals. so if it gave damage on par with other damage runes people would be like "wtf Soraka just burst me 100-0".

ReySolomonDec 7, 20172 votes

Arcane comet scales that's why it's weak early like Phase rush but I would like aery to be buffed just a little tiny bit xD.

bywords70Dec 7, 20179 votes

the keystone itself just doesn't make any sense. ap mages have skill shots and when you land your skill shot then the opponent has an additional chance to avoid the bonus damage?

mobility is already so high in this game, why should I not be rewarded for landing a skill shot?