Karma is no longer a hybrid Battlemage?

IxtaliKing·5/25/2017, 12:26:32 PM·24 votes·2,850 views

According to the updated class list she's just an Enchanter now :/. I'm assuming this is deliberate because Taric managed to keep his hybrid Warden status. Starting to really lose faith in Riot, especially now seeing they've also changed LeBlanc to a Burst Mage. It's as if they don't mind alienating players from their champs.

I was really looking forward to the eventual Enchanter update because I thought maybe they might reconcile Karma's fan bases, but now I don't believe they will. Riot seems to have chosen a side and it's a shame because it really didn't have to be that way.

71 Comments

LankPants5/25/2017, 4:10:30 PM11 votes

Also Zyra as a pure catcher. What the fuck even is that? Equating Zyra's playstyle to the likes of Blitz, Thresh, Rakan and Ivern. The only other character in that group she's anything alike is Morg and she's not exactly a perfect fit there either.

There's no justification for this. She should be a battlemage due to her overall sustained damage with plants, the fact that Riot has her as a catcher shows that they have absolutely no idea about what she's even meant to be.

SilverSquid5/25/2017, 4:05:40 PM9 votes

I find it sad that Riot wants to nail Karma down as an enchanter. It makes so little sense. She only has ONE ability that affects her teammates. Her passive is about hitting enemies. Her two other abilities are distinctively about disrupting and hurting others. And her ultimate doesn't really count, since it nowadays only does what the main abilities do.... but slightly better. So, if only a quarter of her abilities is about enchanting her teammates.... why is she ONLY an enchanter???

It's so... weird. It really feels like Riot believes that's all Karma is good for nowadays. Let's ignore her past. Let's ignore her damage capabilities. Let's ignore her selfheal. All she does is shield one person and sometimes shield multiple people. How is that good champion design? How is that not showing Riot's design philosophy problems with Karma?

Why not make her selfheal useful on builds other than tank? Why not allow her to heal her allies? Why can't we once have an update to her, that actually considers her damage capabilities in a not-abusive way (which I think was done, when they pushed 80% of her damage into a single burst and removing all but one damage combo)?

I hope I did missread or missinterpret something, because I am so confused and disappointed.

ME UNGA ME SMASH5/25/2017, 12:41:19 PM2 votes

Leblanc has always been a burst mage? Lol.

Fondling Gems5/25/2017, 11:31:47 PM2 votes

They were trying to cut down on the number of "hybrids" if they felt that the champ leaned more towards one role than another. Battlemage tends to be the more consistent short range damage dealers, and karma does not do consistent damage, she does medium burst on a low CD.

Taric kept a hybrid status because he works as both a warden and an enchanter without leaning towards either side. As an enchanter he is more effective as he builds into a tanky champ, and as a peeling warden he works mostly through healing and shielding like an enchanter. His two sides directly play off and enhance each other, and he is commonly built for both styles which makes him very hybrid.

Karma, while similar to battlemages, does not deal damage like a battlemage and only plays similar to one because it helps her work as an enchanter by letting her shield and lock down enemies with her short ranges. It also lets her get her ult up more which Karma's tend to use to buff her whole team with E more over other abilities in teamfights.

As such Karma only acts like a battlemage at all because that helps her fulfill her role as an enchanter, which is how most karma players play.

Erockandroll5/25/2017, 12:53:39 PM1 votes

Kinda the interesting part about about Leblanc and Ahri, is that they distinguish themselves from other AP Assassins. They have range, and they have at least one really good tool for wave clear. So they kinda have a classification of their own as a Assassin/mage hybrid. (Or as Riot dubbed, "Kiting Mage") And from the sounds of it, Riot is pushing them with "A little less Assassin and a little more Mage."

Not sure about Karma though. I've pretty much played her exclusively as a Support, And I'm not even sure when or how she was played as a battle mage. I don't believe she has the Rapid DPS of a Cass, Ryze, or Karthus, nor the Tankyness of a Vladimir or Swain. It seemed to be that she's always been an enchanter, and she ended up playing tanky because of her shields.

Darkdemon6535/25/2017, 4:13:02 PM1 votes

{quoted}

especially now seeing they've also changed LeBlanc to a Burst Mage.

LeBlanc was a burst mage since her release up until the start of this season.

An Enemy Sutando5/26/2017, 6:36:31 AM1 votes

Why are people getting their panties in a twist about a title?

Literally nothing changed except what they're called.