What is Going to Be So Special About the 2019 Rework Karma?

Winterkill··5 votes·2,024 views

I want people to compile a list of things why you think the new rework Karma will be good. Seriously, I want players to really tell us Old/Mage Karma mains why these changes are good for Karma.

The good:

  1. Mantra charge system is back and she can combo Mantra now.
  2. Ally mechanic on Mantra W, but not really impressed with it. I am just happy she has an ally mechanic on Mantra W now.

The bad:

  1. Still lacks a clear niche and gameplay identity that seperates her from other Mages and Enchanters.
  2. There is not enough skill expression in Karma's Mantra abilities to warrant using them in a more skillful way. Karma's Mantra abilities feel like a Heimerdinger upgrade ULT. How Karma's Mantra currently function is basic ability that is Mantra into stronger basic ability.
  3. The new Mantra W mechanic was removed from the game for a specific reason. The new Mantra W mechanic is support Karma oriented. The new Mantra W mechanic is not solving a problem but going to create more problems. Look at similair champions who have received the same treatment Karma is going to get in the 2019 rework: class updates that have almost all been reverted, Sejuani who has a similair mehcanic that reolves coodrinated play and the use of an ally, Ryze and his state and ULT, Kalista and her state and the requirement of an ally to be useful, and much more.
  4. Manta E exists in the game in several capacities. The function or part of the function of Mantra E exists on champion abilities and item actives.
  5. Buffing the strength of Mantra has not worked the past 5 years because the functionality of the kit doesn't work, Karma lacks an actual unique gameplay identity, and there really isn't much skill expression in Karma's Mantra. All of the buffs to Karma's Mantra abilities have been nerfed and reverted.

3 Comments

Oleandervine2 votes

You mean besides more fodder for the "REVERT KARMA" crowd to throw at Riot in angry protest that they are still holding on to because of a 5yo grudge?

Winterkill2 votes

It doesn't even have to be a revert Karma situation. Developers don't have to bring back Karma's fans, clothesline mechanic, or her shield bomb. What Developers are responsible for is making the champion better and more cohesive. They are also responsible for trying to find a compromise between the divide they created. There are players that like to play Mage Karma and there are still old Karma mains that are VERY upset with them. So no, Riot Game Developers do not have to revert Karma. They need to find a way to actually make the champion better and find a compromise between the division of players they created.

I can tell you what is not the answer: front loading more damage into Mantra Q where it will be more annoying to play against, is still blocked by minions, lacks skill expression besides just doing damage, and invalidates the second time of damage now. Karma's problems was never being able to actually do damage because if Mantra Q did land it hits hard. The problem was the lack of skill expression on all of her Mantra abilities, damage options, and an actual gameplay identity.

PandaMwonkMoo2 votes

I agree with your assessment. I had actually came up with some ideas on how I felt her character would distinguished among other champions. Like she has her basic abilities with no access to Mantra to level 6. At level 6, she would have to determine a course of action by seeking guidance from her past selves which would be grouped into three duos based on her skins- Power (Conqueror and Sun Goddess), Sustain (Warden and Winter Wonder) and Ingenuity (Order of the Lotus and Sakura). Her stats would scale depending on the duo she chooses.

Each duo would be able to empower one ability that would act not only as an empowered ability, but one that could be as close to an ult without empowering her to the point of no return.

Q (Power)- It would roughly be the same as it is now but I think this should be the only time her Q doesn't get blocked by minions, but burns through them until it reaches its range or it hits an enemy champ. The diameter of the AOE on impact is increased and scales with her bonus AP. The explosion would be reminiscent of the tale of her former self eradicating the enemy army in her previous bio.

W (Sustain) - To keep what Riot already has planned for her, her W would still root and heal on enemies and CD and mana on allies. To keep the same energy from her Q, her W would actually be able to extend from champ to champ depending on her bonus Health, allowing on extra champ (enemy or ally) that her W could connect to once she reaches her checkpoints to allow the ability to do so.

E (Ingenuity) - This one I seem to always have an issue with because how many ways can you do a shield lol. I did always feel that because OOTL Karma looked blind in her splash art and I like to think of Sakura Karma as just a regular entity who happened to exist at the right time to save a town from some invading army by slowly drugging them at a tea shop (don't ask) I thought her burst shield could come back for this but would apply either a blind or silence when it explodes. The duration of the blind/silence would scale based on her bonus CD.

I figure if they went in this direction it would allow for Karma to not only be used in every lane (except jg) but the variations of her kit would be refreshing and it would make for some use of runes that don't get too much play (transcendence, ingenious hunter, shield bash)

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