My Problem with Enchanted Warrior

Hey guys Killroy here,

Haven't been on the boards in awhile! However, seeing as I have some extra free time I wanted to take a moment to discuss something that I feel could be improved for the jungler role in game. I know balance for assassins and the jungle in general can be quite tricky sometimes, but I feel like the item set for jungler's could use some love. More specifically, the enchanted warrior gem itself. Here are my thoughts on the subject.

The Enchanted Warrior is not very Enchanting:

Of all the various jungle item options we have currently in League, I think enchanted warrior stands out as the least beneficial to build for most assassin based characters. The warrior enchant to me lacks the appeal to really focus build and complete. While yes it does provide 60 damage and 10% cooldown reduction. Outside of that as the "go to assassins" item it really pales in comparison to other items for a rush build. What stands out the most to me is how it compares to its siblings in the jungle item tree. Lets take a look:

• **Blood razor: ** +50% attack speed (basic attacks deal 4% bonus physical damage based on the targets maximum health This is a fantastic item because it provides auto attack based champions (yi, udyr, nocturne, etc.) the ability to gain a huge boost in attack speed while also gaining the anti-tank effect of BORK. Cementing this as a very decent jungle item for those carry junglers.

• Cinderhulk +300 health +15% bonus health (basically has sunfire capes passive and deals bonus damage to monsters) Fantastic tank item for those who have trouble clearing the jungle quickly due to lack of damage. Not only does this increase your health but even further the more health you build. While also adding extra damage to those pesky raptor camps that tear tanks apart. All in all it is a sound item which I think is exceptional.

• Runic Echoes +60 ability power +5% movement speed (Ludens Echoes passive) _I am not much of an AP jungler as they lack the sustain to really in my opinion work in the jungle. However, the runic echoes enchant does assist in not only giving those Mages some early punch, but the Echo passive really busts up camps helping Mages clear somewhat easier. _

What I would like to point out with each of the above items is that in addition to 1 or 2 stat bonuses, they also include not only the jungle passives that all Jungle Items have. They also have unique passives that are tailored to each specific "archetype" of jungler. Blood Razor for carries, Cinderhulk for tanks, Runic Echoes for Mages, however we are missing one big role... The assassin. So what does enchanted warrior give us?

• Warrior +60 attack damage +10% cooldown reduction....

So lets break down my logic of why this is weak and in need of tune up.

10% cooldown reduction is nice but.... for a first item in the game it isn't really required. Most AD assassins (ability based) focus more on lethality and armor penetration as their secondary stat under damage. In reality CDR in my opinion is essential for Assassins for later in the game. Since tanks get tankier, carries come online, and mages deal exceptionally more damage. CDR is essential so a single target assassin like Khazix can keep up the pressure for those longer fights. In the earlier moments of the game, an assassins damage is naturally superior to most outside mages and is highly dangerous. Being able to hit a target multiple times because of CDR is not as essential as being able to secure that kill quickly. Now I know what your saying, "Wait, CDR does make you kill more quickly" and your right in a way. But for a jungle assassin, you have at best one good spell rotation before your window to kill closes. Having the ability to slightly boost that spell rotation to say 1 full rotation and a half? Doesn't quite seem beneficial in my opinion. So whats an AD assassin to do? Well I think we should drop the 10% CDR and give Warrior a face lift. Here are some ideas:

• Fear the Void +60 damage (Passive) Shadow Blade: When you enter a bush or are unseen for atleast 1 second you gain +10 Lethality for 3 seconds.

• Murderous Intent +50 damage +5 Lethality (Passive) Blood rush: Killing a Large monster or enemy champions grant you stacks of Cooldown Reduction (1 stack = 1% CDR). Large monsters grant 2 stacks and Champions grant 5 stacks. Upon reaching 20 stacks (20% CDR) you gain "Blood rush". Stacks are lost on death. (ACTIVE) Blood Lust: Immediately consume all stacks of blood rush to reduce all remaining basic ability cool-downs by 50%. (90 second cooldown)

Here you go... two possible options to give a jungler that could really help them out in a pinch.

"Fear the Void" Gives the player damage and lethality when entering a bush. Giving them needed burst to their attack damage.

"Murderous Intent", is the wheaty's of assassins. It gives damage, lethality, and a cool passive that can be used in a pinch to instantly reduce cooldowns by 50%. This gives the player a risk reward system. Killing champions stacks your blood rush faster (only 4 kills) but risks death in which you lose them. Farming Large Monsters is safer, but takes longer. In addition, while cooling down your abilities sounds really strong. The lengthy cooldown and one use active can either work amazingly or fail miserably. However, it entices assassins to steal enemy jungle camps, ganks lanes, and counter jungle. All in all a high risk high reward item that has moderate damage, a tad of lethality and a bomb passive/active. Ofcourse if the Active CD on Blood Lust is too much we could just remove it.

CONCLUSION Simply put, warrior enchantment is dated, and needs to be revised to better support the role it was designed for. Bring an item out for assassins! Let me know what you all think!