Why Riot doesn't make Iceborn Gauntlet's Spellblade do magic damage?

YumaS2Astral··6 votes·1,180 views

Yes, I know that most Spellblade procs (Lich Bane, Runeglaive enchantments) already do magic damage.

However, the problem currently with Iceborn Gauntlet, is that it is outclassed and there isn't really a lot of reason to use it over Trinity Force or Frozen Heart on champion where you want to buy it. Iceborn Gauntlet does less damage than Trinity Force and doesn't give many important stats (such as attack speed and AD), and offers less armor and less cooldown reduction than Frozen Heart while only offering slighty more mana.

You think that it could replace both Triforce and Frozen Heart on a build and save a slot, but you are really better off just using both items in a build because their stats are just superior to Iceborn Gauntlet. And, in a meta where everything has a dash, you are better off using Trinity Force's movement speed steroid instead of Iceborn Gauntlet's slow.

An idea to give Iceborn Gauntlet a more estabilished niche over Trinity Force:

> Unique – Spellblade: After using an ability, your next basic attack deals 125% base AD bonus physical damage to surrounding enemies and creates a field for 2 seconds that slows enemies inside by 30% (1.5 second cooldown).

Change the "125% base AD bonus physical damage" to "125% base AD bonus magic damage". In which way this would give a more estabilished niche over Trinity Force? Well, because then even if it would technically still do less damage than Trinity Force, this item would do a different type of damage, allowing it to work well against tankier bruisers that would itemize for armor. Also, most champions which would want to use it are tanks which do mostly magic damage with their kits and do not really care for the attack speed from Trinity Force. Examples being Malphite, Maokai, Sion, Taric (if you are, for some reason, using him top), and Ekko (when build as a Cinderhulk tank in the jungle). With Iceborn Gauntlet doing magic damage, they could go with an AP bruiser build combining magic penetration items, and it would still be a very tanky build. The synergy with Liandry's for example, would be fantastic.

Also, this would allow Iceborn Gauntlet to actually serve as a cheap, alternative item for champions that use Trinity Force when they are behind or when they really need the armor.

Also, I've seen on the wiki that Iceborn Gauntlet used to offer 15% cooldown reduction. Maybe Riot can consider giving it back? Because besides Ionian Boots of Lucidity, we don't have any cooldown reduction items that don't offer either 10% or 20% cooldown reduction. This item wouldn't outclass Frozen Heart because the latter would still have more CDR, armor, and would be better for champions that don't need the Spellblade proc or are using Trinity Force.

11 Comments

OperationDEEZ13 votes

You don't take it to do more damage than trinforce, you take it for the slow field.

Lord Boltrix1 votes

The point he made was that champions with dashes aren't really bothered by slows, which makes having tanks peel using it rather inefficient. You'd rather just have damage or more innate tankiness if you can't serve the purpose of peeling as a tank through item choice.

You can argue for or against the CDR, but the change to magic damage is a good one, seeing as it grants a marginal amount of AP, which is supposed to help AP users who tend to do magic damage anyways.

Rather than give more CDR, I would recommend boosting the AP by 20 by including an Amplifying Tome in the recipe.

So it would be Sheen + Amplifying Tome + Glacial Shroud.

Ez might benefit a bit too much from it, but we could come to that bridge when we get there.

Ferrous Oxide1 votes

You underestimate the power of iceborn kassadin

Lord Boltrix1 votes

Kassadin already needs to be rethought anyways, in his case it's the champion, not the item.

YumaS2Astral1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ferrous Oxide,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=iqITZEpR,comment-id=000000000000,timestamp=2015-10-26T12:00:28.697+0000)

You underestimate the power of iceborn kassadin

I would rather still use Lich Bane, because it scales, and does way more damage, even with the proposed Iceborn Gauntled buff above.

BlackEyesBlue1 votes

YOU underestimate how many champs just don't care about slow most of the time.

khorney1 votes

i would have to get nashors tooth if i was getting iceborn to stick to them and hell might as well get rylais as well more slows for more aa

Kaeblen1 votes

you realize that item 3057 does physical damage, right? currently we have: item 3057 base item: physical damage item 3025 AOE physical damage item 3078 single target physical damage item 3100 single target magic damage item 3708 AOE magic damage

YumaS2Astral1 votes

{quoted}

you realize that item 3057 does physical damage, right? currently we have: item 3057 base item: physical damage item 3025 AOE physical damage item 3078 single target physical damage item 3100 single target magic damage item 3708 AOE magic damage

I don't see how this is a reason to not make Iceborn Gauntlet do magic damage.

Kaeblen1 votes

Technically no. this is not a sufficient argument to have Iceborn deal physical damage. I like the aesthetic symmetry, but that's about it.

On the other hand, your argument and suggestion above are not a compelling reason TO give it magic damage. According to your own statements, the damage type has nothing to do with it's problems. If it needs higher stats, give them to it. If it needs to apply a 2 sec slow to everything hit, rather than just the slow field then do that. But really, there IS a lot of value in someone like Maokai Ezreal Kassadin TwistedFate dealing Physical damage with the attack rather than magic. But that's still not the point. The point is, that Iceborn Gauntlet is meant to provide CC and armor. Since the damage type has little to do with that I see little reason for it to be changed.

Minions4eVeR1 votes

Am I the only one who believes that Iceborn Gauntlet should deal 150% base AD instead of 125%?

I mean, yes, it slows, but Trinity Force is really out-classic the item by miles:

  • More damage
  • More mobility
  • Better stats
  • Movement Speed passive

Iceborn Gauntlet should at least give 15% CDR and Spellblade should deal 150% Base AD, so at least, it has his niche as a tank caster item on Blitzcrank Gragas Malphite etc.

(Ezreal lol)

More from Gameplay

More by YumaS2Astral