RIOT - Give Back Support Item Variety!

On last weeks Designer Live Stream, you mentioned Locket of the Iron Solari was becoming an issue you were looking into how to resolve. I definitely agree, but use this as a perfect opportunity to make a few more changes, too...

Locket is taken on every support, usually as their second item. Unfortunately, it has become not only a feel-good support item with its team shield, but a staple for team fights. You've said it yourself; teams feel the pain when that 15 extra MR is missing from everyone. Furthermore, Banner of Command - its companion item - has seen large decreases in usage. It serves vaguely the same niche as the Zz'Rot Portal - split pushing - but in a more aggressive way. To be honest, Banner is not good enough on a support in team fights, really, and they're the only ones who would take it. These items are far too different to be a set.

So, why not finally separate them? You considered removing Locket completely, so why not just overhaul the Aegis set instead? Sorry if that could ruin your Roman theme you've had going on for years, if you change item names, but Locket is a bit too necessary for supports and something needs to change.

Furthermore, you were worried that Zz'Rot was becoming too regular of a pick, rather than a niche. Tank builds were said to be troublesome already. Ohmwrecker is almost never bought at all. So why not fix them all together? Stop rewarding players with armor stats for getting a niche item is one way to go about it. Who do you want to take these items?? If it's supports, then give them specifically an incentive to buy them.

[slayer-pantheon-popcorn]

Crazy idea #1: Remove the ambient MR from Aegis. Just do away with that completely and re-make the item.

Crazy idea #2: Create a team runner pair. Talisman of Ascension and Locket of the Iron Solari . You move quickly to protect the team, pretty simple. One speeds the team up a lot, the other speeds them a little and shields them a little.

Crazy idea #3: Create a more or less formal split pushing set, similar to the gold income set. Zz'Rot Portal , Ohmwrecker , and Banner of Command . Reward players for passively split pushing AND being with their team for team fights, allowing teams without a Tryndamere to still split push in return for taking the time to set it up. Let supports feel like they have an impact.

[slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

Aegis of the Legion was the go to team magic damage reduction tool. While that sounds great - and it kind of was - this is the only item to change teammates' armor or MR and every team needed it or they fell behind. That's not what items should be. It's not a healthy mechanic, so remove it.

You're not going to suddenly change Talisman again, so Build Locket out of Raptor's Cloak instead. This gives it Point Runner, a bit of armor, no Unique Aura, no MR, but keeps the health regeneration, and most importantly keeps the active. If you want to be really crazy, give it a nerfed version of the Captain boot enchantment to replace the aura entirely and give it a team runner feel. (And maybe remove the Void Gate interaction.) The team movement fits with the leader theme of the Roman items, too.

Regarding idea #3, this thematically and visually makes no sense and it's the most extreme out of the ideas... but bear with me. Remove Raptor's Cloak and point runner from Zz'Rot Portal and Ohmwrecker and make them out of the NEW Aegis of the Legion like Banner . In terms of the stats of these three items, re-create them for their intended audience. All supports need health --> all of these should have health. These aren't for people up top or in the jungle, though. Give them whatever stats you see fit, but keep any armor and MR low so other roles are inclined not to pick them or have lower stats in exchange for split pushing power.

In terms of split pushing, Zz'Rot passively pushes a lot, but can be destroyed and has a limited range. Banner passively pushes a bit less, but has no maximum range. Ohmwrecker ... well in theory its active is useful, but nobody really uses it. So... let's change it. It's a split pushing set, so let's give it an active that, I don't know, gives a Pantheon-like shield to all minions in a radius around it that block one turret shot each. It doesn't give any pushing power, but it gives them staying power at a turret. The minions can still be killed normally, but it needs counter play anyhow, so that works. Giving a turret dive reprieve doesn't have that giant of an effect; people turret dive all the time without it. Either remove it or adapt it.

Aesthetically, you could switch the theme colors of Raptor's Cloak and Aegis of the Legion to make the change look a bit better.

[slayer-pantheon-rainbows] That's all I got. They're just ideas, of course. [slayer-pantheon-rainbows]

GL HF from Redheadted69