Please understand the full value of sighstone

Professor Ward·Jan 3, 2017·26 votes·1,142 views

The argument i hear most often is that riot gives every member 2 free trinkets, control wards are cheap, and sighstone isnt needed if everyone uses said wards correctly.

Everyone knows the value of sightstone in that it gives the max amount of ward presence on the map. But i think the part people dont understand is that buying sightstone allows for a sweeper.

Having the entire map warded has absolutely zero value if the enemy team also does.

Contesting vision is equally as important as having any at all and that should be thought upon by a few people

14 Comments

KaiokoJan 3, 20176 votes

I 100% agree with what you've said but I do feel the need to add one point. Wards and sweepers are as effective as your team is. I do feel somewhat bad for those forced to support at the lower bronze tiers and can kinda see their viewpoint of just ignoring it.

After all what's the point of having the whole map warded if no one pays attention to it and sweeping baron or dragon if people refuse to actually do it?

ChaddyFantomeJan 3, 20176 votes

{quoted}

I 100% agree with what you've said but I do feel the need to add one point. Wards and sweepers are as effective as your team is. I do feel somewhat bad for those forced to support at the lower bronze tiers and can kinda see their viewpoint of just ignoring it.

After all what's the point of having the whole map warded if no one pays attention to it and sweeping baron or dragon if people refuse to actually do it?

thing is, with this mentality, you are only doubling down on the issue.

This is like someone saying "why should I even try in ranked when my team sucks anyway?" it's a self fulfilling prophecy that only worsens the issue and justifies itself.

Regardless of how stupid your team is, having vision is better than not having vision in 100% of situations. Period.

a single ward can prevent a teammate from facechecking a bush and dying, and even potentially turn that situation into a kill or even a free pick or even an ace. Shitty players know to avoid a bush with 5 people in it if they can see 5 people are on it.

ChaoticPineconeJan 4, 20173 votes

Your analysis is skewed by your obvious bias.

I could say the same thing about skipping sightstone; "Regardless of how stupid your team is, buying damage is better than not buying damage in 100% of situations. Period." Both are equally true but cant be true together, because buying items is a zero-sum game - of course buying something is better than not buying something. An Athenes on Caitlyn is better than nothing. Thats why we buy items in the first place.

The real analysis is what you think you can carry harder with - more damage/tankiness/utility and less vision, or more vision and less damage/tankiness/utility.

And keep in mind that while a single ward can prevent a single death, you need to take in the entire situation. Not buying a sightstone doesnt give you zero vision - it gives you about 1/3 of the vision. Buying a sightstone doesnt give you perfect vision - more than half the map is still dark. So think of it like this: without a sightstone, there is about a 80% chance of facechecking and dying. With a sightstone, it drops to 50%. Is that 30% worth the lack of lane pressure by sinking 800 gold into a sightstone?

Professor WardJan 3, 20172 votes

{quoted}

I 100% agree with what you've said but I do feel the need to add one point. Wards and sweepers are as effective as your team is. I do feel somewhat bad for those forced to support at the lower bronze tiers and can kinda see their viewpoint of just ignoring it.

After all what's the point of having the whole map warded if no one pays attention to it and sweeping baron or dragon if people refuse to actually do it?

I agree, and feel awareness is one of the major gaps in skill between elos. Ive also noticed myself forcing my teamates vision to the map with pings lately as im in placements.

SGT Dingle BerryJan 3, 20171 votes

While what you said may be true wards still lower the amount of face checking bronze players are notorious for. Also if the enemy isn't warding it gives your teammates an advantage when it comes to engages/getting away. I also try to keep the side lanes lit up like christmas trees if they've lost a turret and have a longer distance to farm, especially ADC's.

Supreme Senpai69Jan 3, 20173 votes

I always giggle when I rush more AP at the start while the enemy rushes a sightstone, and we stomp lane because the difference in stats, yet we end the game with the same amount of wards. There's no point to it if ya don't use it. Spam that shit.

Sire HippingtonJan 4, 20172 votes

also to remind of the dark times we game in: Trinkets only can sustain a single ward since S6!!!!! Yes, it has two stacks, and you can have two out a time, but that means you will have zero wards after that for the same time. Also, sightstone wards last 30sec longer. Proper use of sightstone still gives up to 3 times more wards/uptime than the trinket, even though recalling to refill is damn annoying.

KraDEsluP282Jan 3, 20171 votes

this should be the description of sightstone when you hover your mouse over it: ''Supports, buy this''

edit: also wards are the key to winning games

HeroquetJan 3, 20171 votes

Never had a ranked game where any support doesn't buy the item. Sometimes it happens in normals (and yet i can only remember a malzahar support doing that by going frost queen only), but since i'm the opposing supp' i tend to laugh it off and spam red wards.

With how many thread like this one pop up, where are you guys xD?

Last time i got a very really early sightstone (by the power of double kill when you get dived lvl3), my midlaner surprised me by killing the enemy jungler at his second blue. Just because I put a ward there. He was a great mid, sure, taking initiatives and all, but opportunities don't show up magically.

xBushxJan 3, 20171 votes

I LOVE killing wards since they gave them Exp. Also in JG if you are ever 1 creep from 6. DO NOT do a jg camp. Use the clearing/vision plant...clear the ward for the lane you want to gank. Hit 6 gank lane and profit.

EndlessSorcererJan 3, 20171 votes

Don't forget about quickly placing significant amounts of vision in a single area.

If you see the enemy jungler top-side, the support can easily ward their entire bottom-side jungle for the next three minutes before they return to it.

SwaidJan 4, 20171 votes

I'll buy the fucking thing, doesn't mean I like buying it.

TeCoolMageJan 4, 20171 votes

Actually it's still useful to have vision even if the enemy does. A lot of people try to gank when they have vision of you, and if you have vision on them it puts you at an advantage even if the wards are in the same place.

When vision isn't contested, the more passive side wins. It doesn't give 0 or equal value to both teams, it pressures one team more to use sweeper than the other.

UwhtaznJan 4, 20171 votes

I think Sightstone should be either a require first item when someone selects supp for draft or fill. Most people (pre-level 30s and low elos) find building sightstone a waste of slot or look at what the item gives and find it not reliable. Some players, mostly ap mages Annie Lux , never build sightstone, because they they think supp is meant to be "BUILD FULL AP". There's something call Eye of the Watchers item 2301 . And also upgrade your item 3340 to a item 3364 at level 9 so that we don't get caught doing drag, baron or finding champs that disappear in mid air Akali Rengar Shaco Vayne . Riot should have a tutorial mode where it teaches you how to fully support. Because I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE PEOPLE NOT KNOWING HOW TO SUPPORT!!!!