Mages seem to be getting shafted this preseason

The Bearded Bard·Nov 8, 2017·60 votes·2,185 views

Most definitely too early to tell, but here's a list of things that are negative changes for AP mid laners:

All AD champions have received buffs to AD. This includes common mid laners like Zed, Yasuo, Lucian, etc, and every AD jungler. AP mid laners did not receive armor to compensate.

Nullifying Orb. A rune that gives you a magic shield when you get bursted by magic damage below 30% health.

Stormraiders becomes Phase Rush: Ranged champions that commonly used Stormraiders now lose 75% slow resist on activation.

AD champions gain access to Zhonya's active.

Lethality increases without armor increases.

What I'm trying to get at here is that the minor 12 health increase on mages is not going to be enough to compete with the increase of damage AD champions are getting across the board.

21 Comments

CosnirakNov 8, 201710 votes

Mages seem to be getting shafted this preseason

It's a yearly tradition at this point.

JackMcSnipeyzNov 8, 20174 votes

Im pretty sure no one got MR buffs even tho everyone lost some aswell, on the other hands a lot of champs got extra armor.

Get em TibbersNov 9, 20174 votes

I would like to point out in this discussion that I used the 10% CDR runes and 15% attack speed runes on almost all my champion pool.

How does adding 12 HP more and 8-9 armor more to my champions even remotely come ANYWHERE NEAR having the 10-15% CDR Att Speed PLUS 9 armor AND 240 more HP at lvl 18???

Most mages got shafted. Yes most ad's didn't get MR but 12 more MR doesn't come ANYWHERE NEAR equal to losing so much CDR and attack speed that I used in runes. Oriana for example NEEDS attack speed due to her passive giving AD damage. Where is my Attack speed and CDR buffs? WTH am i gonna do with 12 hp and 8 armor? This new patch ruined so many mages.

And Kayle? Don't even get me started!!

TEA Nietzsche Nov 8, 20173 votes

Nullifying Orb. A rune that gives you a magic shield when you get bursted by magic damage below 30% health.

it's in the sorcery tree. That from what I can see is mostly used by mages (and Riven because everything else is bad on her ..).

AD champions gain access to Zhonya's active.

Oh yes, all these AD champöions that would take this mastery.. ... ...

N0rth WindNov 8, 201716 votes

They would. Stopwatch doesn't build only into Hourglass.

TEA Nietzsche Nov 8, 20172 votes

Lol I actually didn't realize that, thanks for the information.

MhihnjNov 8, 20172 votes

I do prefer sorcery in some matchups. Gathering storm, Transcendence etc.

LankPantsNov 8, 20176 votes

it's in the sorcery tree. That from what I can see is mostly used by mages (and Riven because everything else is bad on her ..).

Sorcery is just one of the better secondary trees to take on anyone. The thing is since it's specifically a magic damage shield it net screws mages. You can imagine an AD vs AD match up, it does nothing, AP vs AP it screws both about equally, the only time it has unequal effects is AP vs AD, where the AP is utterly fucked and the AD relatively unaffected.

Oh yes, all these AD champöions that would take this mastery..

You can buy it for 600.

NoblewindNov 8, 20173 votes

A few things though you left out. Not saying you're wrong but they're pretty significant to leave out:

-No MR increases to those AD champs

-Mages are far more likely to choose the tree which has the stopwatch in the first place, and honestly mages just benefit more from the item in the first place. AD mids kind of Have to get kills early on to get rolling, having a stopwatch to avoid dying to Zed the second he hits 6 is a big deal and honestly sounds like a nerf to champs like Zed IMO that compensates any buffs they may get from the new damage/mobility

NevrankroatonNov 8, 20173 votes

I played tree different mid lane today.

Everyone of them felt good.

I am still unsure about which thing to take on Ahri yet but I can definitely tell you that she had a normal laning phase.

Aurelion Sol LOVE the new rune system (The health yellow he would take, he has now in his stat, he has MS buff in the runes, he get more AP early with the rune system, inspiration main tree with sorcery as a second is a blessing).

Orianna felt very good on the sorcery tree, I am not sure which rune is best but I tried Aerie for a better laning early and it was really noticable. Late game, not so much for the damage part but the shield buff is very appreciable.

Honestly, it still feel weird to have thunderlord (HEM SORRY) on domination as many mage wanted the burst and comet has short CD but isn't guaranted while Aerie fall off.

I would say that enchanter are kinda stuck on aerie as a main rune (or the defensive tree? Not sure), so they are the one kinda being move back.

SteelMankindNov 8, 20173 votes

Eh.

Everyone complains about AP itemuzation (even though they have some pretty strong items, like Morellos, Void staff, sorc boots, lichbane, GLP) but honestly as an immobile mage player, champions like Viktor, Aurelion Sol, and Azir honestly just have such a good kit for winning games.

AD casters have to get fed early and snowball the game, because they are such poor teamfighters. AD carries aren't threatening on their own until 3 items, and even afterwards they can be oneshot if you as the immobile mage play properly.

Pressing buttons to unload a 3k damage combo in 1s from 900+ range is way more reliable than needing to right click (misclicks, anyone?) 3k damage worth of autos over 3+ seconds at 550+ range.

So I guess I don't really mind AP itemization, save for ludens being undertuned and CDR outside of morellos only found on defensive options.

SkycrowxDec 9, 20171 votes

there is not a single mage that deals 3k dmg in one combo, except maybe veigar if he has some shit like 900ap and a katarina. Tell me which mages u are talking about... that are able to deal 3k dmg in 1second lmao.

Please also understand the frustration that goes on from midlane mains, we can't oneshot anymore since season 6 legit started, and what i mean with oneshotting is, when each other at laning phase if someone outplays the enemy there and u land ur full blow on him, if that guy has a single item 3010 he will survive it, doesn't matter if u landet ur entire skillshots. That is ridiculous....

Everyone else can go for kills on laning phase except mages, because riot kept nerfing the base dmg, then they changed masteries and runes, and we just don't have the damage anymore we once had. The scaling we get from the items is fine. The scaling in our KITS are fine, but our base damage is disastrous. A game should not allow top and bot to kill each other 5times in 10Minutes at the same time they don't allow midlaners to do the same, also junglers can kill each other aswell by invades. that's why u don't see any LB that is succesfull, rather we see some garbage malzahar that is a press R win game champ. Also the fact that not even lux a nonmobile freaking blowing burst machine champ "LUX" can't oneshot another mage if she lands her entire combo at 6 without a full item, is ridiculous, There was a time, it was called season 4, and the weaker Player in terms of mechanics was rushing a freaking negatron cloth to survive the all in power of Leblancs and Syndras or lux Ahri. And by all means dont get me wrong, i do understand that dfg was unhealty and mages were overpowered vs the others and they could carry easely Games by just simply being better, but riot did not just remove the issues, but also the things they should have never removed which is all in lv 6 potential 1v1 at mid without 2items. [sg-janna]

MysticDreams12Nov 9, 20173 votes

Not to mention we don't even have a really good bursty rune, or a MAGIC PEN RUNE.

The only one there is one that you get AFTER you use a blink/dash/etc. Which Mages do not have, ASSASSINS do.

And the mage keystone seem so lackluster compared to AD, or even tank stuff.

Riot is such a biased AD lover it's insane. I've been watching every thing they have been doing since that major ADC rework the other season. AP- nerfed, nerfed , nerfed. AD? Buffed to insanity (exaggeration, but you get my point).

SweedishGunnerNov 8, 20172 votes

I just played Viktor and he's so pigeonholed into taking Electrocute that he gets screwed over in either the CDR or Mpen department.

Normally you take CDR boots and CDR runes but we've lost those and the Mpen from runes, so taking Sorc boots is even more important but that screws you out of more CDR, so you have to take Transcendence from your second tree meaning you can't have both Gathering Storm and Ultimate Hat.

The Yetii RiderNov 8, 20172 votes

Mages aren't supposed to compete with AD mid laners. They serve two completely different functions. One of the jobs of mid assassins is to harass/kill mages.

The Bearded BardNov 8, 20176 votes

Idk man, pretty sure Marksmen are supposed to trade a bad early game for a great late game but I'm positive I could crush most early game mages with Draven pre 6.

The Yetii RiderNov 8, 20172 votes

Not really. If you could, you wouldn't get destroyed by Brand, Morgana, Annie and Zyra support. Mages have better stats than marksman, as well as longer range (especially someone like Draven). So no, you'd get crushed, assuming equal skill level.

PB4UAMENov 9, 20172 votes

Its almost like we've been seeing ADCs encroach upon and push out midlaners for the last 2 years. Lucian, Varus, Corki, Ez, even Cait etc mid, not to mention shit like Quinn, Vayne, Graves, etc as top lane bullies.