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SummonersLab, Part 9: Support Role Improvements (2)

Lord Desert··4 votes·694 views

This is the 2nd part of the support role improvement theme. This time we will look a bit more in itemazation and new effects, even for the dmg sups, and better overall recognition! http://imgur.com/K15aJsC

Currently those are the topics: SummonersLab, The Introduction Here SummonersLab, Part 1: An additional Crit Item Here SummonersLab, Part 2: Crit Algorithm Improvement Here SummonersLab, Part 3: Tower Changes Here SummonersLab, Part 4: Ohmwrecker Here SummonersLab, Part 5: Support Role Improvement(1) Here SummonersLab, Part 6: Wits End Here SummonersLab, Part 7: Smite Buffs Here SummonersLab, Part 8: Plants Here SummonersLab, Part 9: ** Support Role Improvement (2)** _ here _ SummonersLab, Part 10: ** General Improvements (1)** Here _ SummonersLab, Part 11: ** General Improvements (2)**_ Here

I will put links to the posts here, so you can easily view all of them.

Introduction

We need to keep it short since we have alot to cover! Make sure to check out the first part! They are seperate post, but both should fit nicely together and give a good overview what could be done for the support role in general.

Better Recognition

It is pretty hard to distinguish a good support from a normal support or even from other roles, since we have quite the variaity of support typs! If we look at Adcs and Mids its pretty easy to find statistics which determents if they did well or not, but what could we use for sups? Luckily Riot already introduced an atleast somewhat "working/fair" grading system, which can be used for sups! Why dont we use that? Atleast to a certain extend. But the accuracy and the "visualfeedback" could use some improvements to be honest. So what could be done better?

  1. Make something similar to the "Bounty Tier" display, it can even function like the bounty system, so you get more gold, if you manage to kill a sup with lots of assists too, or just for decoration, but it should look a bit different for clearity purposes.

  2. Show more support statistics, like dmg absorbed+shielded (taken for your allys and shields)

  3. Show small icons for special accomplishments, like dealt 33% of all the dmg to champs of your hole team, or +60% kpt (KillParticipation), similar to "medals" from other games in the endgame screen. Or for get any S etc. We can take this to the next level and even give small ip bonuses, like +10% Ip etc., to make them feel really rewarding and not just for decoration! But if this encourages unheatly playstyles, then it should be decorativ only! (Or based only on the grade).

  4. Sadly stuff like "PentaAssist" is way to easy for some, since you only need to touch everybody once, or "x just safed your ass" is not possible to accuratly calculate with numbers. As an example: Getting devouerd by Tahm could just have canceled that 1 AA that would have killed you, our it would not have changed the outcome in any way if it hit you. There is this "deaths avoided" stat on Phantom dancer, but im not sure how advanced the math behind it really is, but if this is pretty advanced this could potentionaly be used and displayed in the endscreen/ used for grading. But i highly doubt that, since this alone would make up half of leagues code...

  5. Well YOU could also quiet easily improve the recognition of those sick plays! Since you would be the most likey, who would have noticed the play! So a little: "thx", "that was awesome", "you just safed my butt", "holy moly, youre a god!" or "here, take all my money "(;P), is all that is needed :D

General Items/Itemization + new Effects/Stats

Im not planning to create completely new and awesome Items, that would take to much space, so im just giving an overview on new stats/ideas. To not overflood LoL with niche items that might be usefull only on 1 or 2 guys, the ideas can be used for completely new Items or just as an addition to already existing ones too.

Tenacity & Slowresist

Tenacity and slowresist is mainly wanted on those who are easily kitted but could still survive for some time, even if beeing CCed. So Juggernauts would be a prime example. It is also be wanted vs long CCDurations or vs continuous slows aka permaslows/permaslow abilitys (in combination with rylais).

Every Champions has ether soft or hard cc or both or could buy Rylais/Frozen Mallet. So tenacity is usefull on everybody not just juggernauts. Slowresist is usefull vs ~80-90% of all champs, for the same reasons. Oh and as an extra: AttackSpeed Slows are also effected by the slowresist & tenacity!

We have quiet alot of counters to CC already, except for some typs. Full list of cc Here But we dont have any form of amplifications! We dont have AntiTenacity, increasing the duration, or SlowAmplifications, increasing the strenght of slows! That is something that I would like to change.

"AntiTenacity" (Insert crazy awesome Name here)

  • Increases CC duration (exepct Airbone, surpression, stasis) by 25%

Wait, before you pick up your pitchforks and light the torches, there should be some limits! The max possible increased duration should not be higher than 0.5sec! 1 sec is a bit too much, given the possible but limited removal/reduction. So a 2sec cc would be a 2.5sec cc, but stuff like morganas Q(3 sec duration) will only be 3.5sec max (not 3.75sec).

Possibly we could increase the max additional duration to 1 sec, with more items or masteries, but that should be the absolut maximum. And remember you invested 2+ items for the extra 1 sec duration, but a QSS or a Mikeals could remove that! So there are good counters availabe!

SlowAmplification

  • Increases the strenght of a slow by x%

Not much to say here, expect that you cant reduce the movement speed below 110, except if you have a 100% or higher slow. And no, the slowamplification will not go to 100 or above. 99% is the max! We are only slowing and not rooting someone! That should not be changed with an item/stat. The amount should be around 15%/25% for mastery/items.

SightStone Upgrades/Enchantments

This topic alone would be enough to fill 3 post of the same size of the other parts of this series, so to make it possible to get the concept and not fall asleep i had to make them as short and on point as i could, ill not explain stuff like i normally do!

SightStone Upgrade

The sightstone is one of the core items together with the sup/goldincome item. But it feels rather weak even when you combine them. That should be changed, but again vision is very strong and takes about 75% of the powerbudget, down to 50% in the tier 3 items! The Upgrades are all only avaible for the upgraded sightstone or the Sup+Sightstone Items!!!

What upgrades?

  • small "normal" stat boost (extra HP/AP/AD/MS etc.)
  • extra storage for Reds(ControlWards) OR potentionaly other typs of wards(placing Reds with Shift+RightClick)
  • slow recharge
  • extra normal ward Storage
  • Possibly wardfocused extra stats (Trinket cd reduction, cast range increased, longer ward duration, better vision radius, etc)
  • other ideas: summoner cd, potion duration, tenacity, outofcombat ms/river only ms, Slowamp and AntiTenacity etc.
  • more exp gain from shared exp, ONLY if behind 1-2 lvls

Some can be used for the buyable Upgrades, some could be as a reward for an amount of assists or simply just put into the item(like the "can store 1 RedWard)

What Typ of upgrade?

  • like the boot enchantments, but stat INefficent!!! Only to increase SLOTefficency!!! So a +15 Ap cost 400g! (Intended for lategame only!)
  • Every Sup+Sightstone item can have 1 Enchantment/Upgrade, the upgraded Sightstone can have 2!!!
  • upgrade after lvl 9, costs gold, but possible reduced by amount of assists if wanted. (Upgraded Sightstone may get the 1st one for free or at half he price)
  • Possible buyable Trinket upgrade too, or only buyable if you have a sightstone Typ item.

Extra:

  • TrackersKnife can have 1 upgrade too.
  • Boots or jungle items could potentionaly get those sloteffiency upgrades too.

We also could make 1 StatUpgradeSlot and 1 UtilityUpgradeSlot in the SupitemSS and 2 Stat- and 1 UtilitySlot in the upgraded SS.

Upgrade Price

  • 100 HP, 15 Ap, 10Ad, 15 Ar, 20 Mr, 10% cdr, 20ms = All 400G each
  • Every other upgrade( more storage, slow recharge etc.) should also be 400g
  • Or you could get upgrades for free/half/Unlocked/more UpgradeSlots if you reached a certain amount of assists/wards destroyed etc. and at 30+ish assist you unlock THE Sightstone, granting even more slots etc. (might be a bit over the top, but im only here to show you the possiblitys!)
  • a "Penta Assist" could also give you 1 free upgrade!
  • If we bring back boot entchantments, they might cost a bit more for those who dont have a sightstone typ item (to keep balance in check)

Trinket enhancements are also possible, but we learned from season 4, i believe, that you could make an 300% upgrade cost only 250g and it will be ignored.... so the upgrades need to ether be earned(which leads/tends to increase snowball a tiny bit) or to be free, but that could cause some balance issues (everybody has trinkets), so the trinket enhancement should be also tied to a sightstone. (short version)

This leads to far more variety, but also to more complexity. Which for some reason is not that much liked by riot, but I would choose more complexity to make a better/own choice over simplicity all the time! But thats personal preference. And every "special" Upgrade could also be used as a normal stat boost on normal items, too.

Ap/Dmg Supports

Since i have seen quiet alot of threads/posts about this, let me make it clear: A DMG Support, who has NO Dmg improving Support items will buy DMG ONLY items!!!

We need to give the Dmg supports items which have some Ap in them, so they would value the cheapness and the activ over the dmg only but pricy items. Yes, this is a very tricky task, since midlaners would literatly kill someone for a cheap and fast, but also quiet efficent item! Dmg supps have: item 3092, item 3050 + a bit more priceyitem 3001item 3116item 3157 and those who have a shield/heal could buy item 3504 and item 3174.

We could make a new item, that has slowamp or AntiTenacity or a debuff that gives everybody a weaker vanye passiv towards the target hit. Possibly make a rabadons for sups, increasing your ap for every overcaped cdr as an extra. Another idea would be that you give a shield, based on your dmg doen to enemy champions to your allies, a sup bt.

All of them are likely to be abused by some midlaner, so we should get out the "can only be purchase if you have a sightstone typ item" Hammer! And all activs and passivs will be disabled if the sightstone is sold (so no "i tricked the system, but buying and selling the sightstone") and the raw stats alone will not be cost and slotefficent, the activs and passiv normaly have alot of the powerbuget. So they wasted alot of gold :D So we could rename the Hammer to "Passivs and Activs only work if a sightstone typ item is in the inventory" muhahaha Eliminating problems before they have a chance to show themselfs!

I could create a huge number of Items, or try to add alot of the "new" stats to existing ones, but Ill leave it with just mentioning them, this post is long enough already.

TL;DR:

Better Recognition

  • visual effects
  • more stats
  • "medals" + possible rewards

General new Stats/Effects

  • AntiTenacity, CC lasts longer
  • SlowAmplification, slows are stronger

Sightstone

  • can store 1 RedWard ! (Shift+RightClick to place, Sup+Sightstone and upgraded Sightstone only)
  • 1 upgradeslot for Sup+Sightstone Item (and TrackersKnife), 2 slots for the Upgraded Sightstone
  • extra Upgrades/Enchantments cost ~400g each(increases mainly Slotefficeny)
  • Stat Modifications
  • Trinket & Ward altering effects (cd,range, vision etc)
  • possible extra rewards/upgrades depending on assists etc.

Dmg Sups

  • making sup items with some ap leads to fewer "dmg only" sups, so they will still focus on dmg but have atleast some teamfocused aspect too.
  • strong items will be tided to the sightstone

The Sightstone part was extremely troublesome and i hope i managed to keep it informativ and still short enough. If something was unclear or if you want more detailed information, ask and ill put them here!

This one is more on the "new idea" side, the balancing is not 100% set and i mainly focused on giving you folks some new, crazy ideas, on what could be changed and what could be possible. (otherwise this would be 10 times longer xD) I finally got a decent version of this put together, i were close to breaking it up into another part. This one was the hardest part to complete of the hole series so far, and i hope that you enjoyed it, got your envision machine starting up and going off like crazy, so im waiting for your ideas and feedback down in the comments :P

The next part is sceduled for thursday evening, but, depending on the time i have, it could also be friday

And as a tipp to find this series super easy: Just tip "SummonersLab" in the searchbox in the top left, under "create a discussion", and you can find everything :D

Until next time!

6 Comments

Dreadlocks1 votes

I think support is boring because you get less gold... thats my only reason for disliking the role.. However ADC is my least favorite.

Lord Desert1 votes

And i want to change excatly that! :D making the sup role more impactfull/fun to play even with less gold! I adressed the goldincome topic in the 1st part, i recommend checking that out :D

Dreadlocks1 votes

I feel like supports have more fun/impactful items than ever before, but it hasnt changed ppls view.. They feel less power on the role.

Lord Desert1 votes

Technicly supports have the lowest damage, which makes them feel like they have no power. But i think supports have the most overall power!

They can light up the map, clear enemy vision, catch and roam, protect carrys, so they even have a chance to carry, and coordination(mapawareness/shotcalling). And they can have an impact in 3 other roles(adc,mid,jungle), only the jungler has more impact on other roles. (we exclude tp because that is mainly in proplay only)

Most of this is not "visual" power, its hidden in the dark, like a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a dark kn... wait, wrong context. nvm.

if you look for more/better gold income for supports only, i recommend checking out the first part! There are some ideas for that :D

Doomyous1 votes

Is this Bounty tier the little coin icons next to the hp bar? or if not what is it?

I really like the idea of further upgrading the sightstone, it might add some complexity, like you said, but i fell that this is worth the effort! Why arent Antitenacity and the slowamplification already in the game? I mean we have tenacity etc. since the beginning, why did no one came up with this idea xD!? Anyway great idea, and the size was managable ;P

Lord Desert1 votes

Yes, bounty tiers are little coins next to the hp bar. You get a "global gold reward", if you kill that person. For example the 5th(max) tier gives everybody on your team 90g. (450g total)

The assist bouty was just an idea to macth the visual, but its main purpose is to make good sup more visual! Other ideas to increase that are welcome :D

They "tested" slowamplification with ap ratios (more ap = higher slow), but supports dont get much ap, so this extra stat would be a good addition

Im glad it didnt put you asleep :P

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