Every time Gnar is meta I ask myself why Frozen Mallet exists

Fisher No Chains·Jul 2, 2017·104 votes·6,567 views

So... Rylai was nerfed because it gave too much with stats+slow and it only worked on abilities... Frozen Mallet, instead, works with every AA. And you know who builds this item and is cancerous as hell to play against? Gnar. Now that Gnar is somehow back in the game, I don't get how a permaslow is healthy for the game. I know that the item isn't bought much, but it's still in a unhealthy state and, imo, needs to be addressed, sooner or later.

I guess it was supposed for melee fighters to have a chance to survive ranged champs kiting them to death, but right now not a single bruiser builds it except for rare circumstances. Is anything going to be done about it? Frozen mallet's only purpose is to make Gnar annoying, nothing else in its current state.

197 Comments

gabetheguyJul 2, 201714 votes

I build it on sion and darius. it's fun.

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 201731 votes

Yes, it might be fun, but it's not a "must buy" or something actually needed for some champs to work. Gnar doesn't even need it, he builds it just because it makes his life easier.

MordepoolJul 2, 20174 votes

Mordekaiser Feelsbadman

KarfussJul 2, 20174 votes

{quoted}

Yes, it might be fun, but it's not a "must buy" or something actually needed for some champs to work. Gnar doesn't even need it, he builds it just because it makes his life easier.

Kayle would like a word.

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 201716 votes

I have literally never seen a Kayle building FM. Why would a champ with a huge 3s slow even buy it?

KarfussJul 3, 20172 votes

Slow stacks, AA based champion.

Not rocket science. Check AD Kayle builds.

Sexy Jack RabbitJul 3, 201716 votes

What AD Kayle's are building Frozen mallet?

In fact who is building AD Kayle in general? She scales so much better as Hybrid or just AP.

If you really want a slow just go for Rylai's to abuse your scalings better, it's only a 5-% difference, but the stats are so much better.

King of MongooseJul 3, 201713 votes

if you build fm over rylai on kayle then I will report u

but icon checks out lol

KarfussJul 3, 20171 votes

Season 3 icon, dear. It's season 7.

For comedic purposes, if we're too slow on the uptake.

King of MongooseJul 3, 20174 votes

low silver isn't much of a difference

5000000000000000Jul 3, 20176 votes

Slows stopped stacking since a while ago. Only the strongest slow at any given moment is applied.

DoktorKaiserJul 2, 20179 votes

Today I played vs a Vayne with Mallet. I got tumor.

AirKingNeoJul 2, 201716 votes

5.0 AS Kog'Maw will Maw.

Fight that cancer.

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 20174 votes

"Hey I actually surviv-" "An ally has been slain".

Rip Kamikaze Artillery Kog'Maw

Sp33d Zer0Jul 3, 20172 votes

5.0 Doesn't exist anymore.

AirKingNeoJul 2, 20178 votes

It's not even entirely Mallet. Gnar just negates bruisers so fucking hard that they need to undo the buff to his W damage.

RalanrJul 3, 20173 votes

Can they just put his three hit passive on an internal cooldown or something? Increase it if it already is.

Nothing tilts me more than seeing that red ring around me again right after he chunked me for the third hit.

WiegrafOfValorJul 2, 20178 votes

No no no no .. you should ask yourself why Frozen Mallet is not MELEE ONLY, because you see only ranged champions make the item unbalanced, since you as a melee champion already have to deal with their kiting and build-in kiting mechanics, why you need to deal with perma slow as well?

TEA Nietzsche Jul 2, 20172 votes

Tanky melee champions who want slows take Gauntlet.. Why would they need mallet aswell?

kile147Jul 3, 20171 votes

Perhaps they don't need Mana? I don't actually disagree with your statement though. Every other tank uses IBG if they want sticking power and really the only champs who use FM are Gnar and Shyvana, which is probably because they can't use the mana. If Gauntlet gave 300 Health instead of the 500 mana on manaless champs Gnar and Shyvana would probably prefer it as well tbh.

SH AzykanJul 3, 20171 votes

eh gnar doesnt use abilities enough to benefit from the sheen vs just auto attacking, shyv on the other hand would love it

JunkοJul 3, 20172 votes

Gnar throws out a Q like every few seconds lol. And it would be better because FM is useless on Gnar in melee form.

TF actually used to be built on Gnar till nerfs. He even got some AP ratios on release just because old TF gave AP. IBG is just a tankier TF.

FairyfleurJul 3, 201711 votes

Yasuo

Sire HippingtonJul 3, 20172 votes

As someone who plays since Preseason 1, i can tell you that mallet isn't a healthy item for melees aswell.(not as bad as on ranged though) A permaslow with no windows or conditions what so ever is just bad design and insanely snowbally. As soon as someone can win a full all-in while haveing a mallet, you can never get into his range again or you die. Remember the bruiser Yasuo days? item 3022 was a big part of it, you couldn't get close to minions or he dashed to you and then you have no way to escape the permaslow.

Tails9016Jul 2, 20175 votes

It's not only that Gnar, being ranged most of the time, builds it, it's also the fact that:

He gets a FREE speed boost for hitting you 3 times within a certain time frame
His hop ability gives him some nice mobility
He's a Yordle

4th3t0sJul 3, 20173 votes

Don't forget he usually builds item 3071 as well; so he's not only permaslowing you, but also packing a perma-MS boost.

RikariJul 3, 20174 votes

Let's not forget that Gnar's a top laner,mostly melee lane,outranging everyone with a heal,double jump,max% health damage on autos with a speed buff, and stuns built in

AL000Jul 2, 20171 votes

item 3022 is something for pure tank should buy... in my experience...

Honestly there is much better item than FM for Gnar.

I guess Gnar itself needs better rework since he is lack of burst damage while playing as mini-gnar... mega-gnar is much reasonable to play tho.

Prison AnaIJul 2, 201732 votes

{quoted}

is something for pure tank should buy... in my experience...

Honestly there is much better item than FM for Gnar.

I guess Gnar itself needs better rework since he is lack of burst damage while playing as mini-gnar... mega-gnar is much reasonable to play tho.

are you kidding? frozen mallet is probably the best item on gnar. He slows you on every auto so you cant run from his w proc, speeding himself up and applying it again its insane

SH AzykanJul 2, 20179 votes

item 3071 item 3022 item 3193 item 3156 item 3742 item 3047 ridiculously strong build on him...impossible to escape from and feels impossible to fight (since he can just kite you forever on top of super tanky)

AL000Jul 2, 20171 votes

You can't build that item at every games...

and MAW on Gnar?!

kile147Jul 3, 20175 votes

If you look at other MR items Maw makes most sense. He doesn't build lifesteal or have inherent healing to benefit from SV, Abyssal Mask doesn't work because he doesn't really benefit from either passive, Adaptive Helm is super situational on any tank, and wits end is wits end. Wits is really the only competition for an early Hexdrinker in lane, and considering how squishy mini Gnar is the shield on hexdrinker is super useful and the healing that proccing Maw passive gives you is actually a reasonable replacement for actual sustain on a champ who neither has nor builds any other sustain.

edit: typo fix

AL000Jul 2, 20171 votes

http://champion.gg/champion/Gnar/Top

40.56% Win Rate | 2086 Games

45.17% Win Rate | 259 Games

Both is using FM item... so what's wrong?

FM is pretty situational item IMHO...

SH AzykanJul 3, 20175 votes

https://www.op.gg/champion/gnar/statistics/top https://image.prntscr.com/image/IADUUzxXTu_JfvYA_eaZbA.png?noredirect maybe use a better site, champion.gg is extremely unreliable and even riot says op.gg and lolalytics are better to use

Sp33d Zer0Jul 3, 20172 votes

Frozen mallet is good on Gnar if he is ahead and can duel you. In an actual team fight, it is super negligible.

Guyy FieriJul 3, 20173 votes

False lmao. Never underestimate the ability of Frozen Mallet Gnar to secure 1-2 kills on the backside of team fights because they are slowed and can't get away.

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 20178 votes

I've seen Gnar building FM since release and even pros built it in pro play if I'm not wrong. Yes, there are better options, but this item is just cancerous on ranged champs, and especially on Gnar that already has a slow and also a gap closer.

General Esdeath Jul 2, 20173 votes

item 3022 item 3071 were the biggest build on him, especially in pro play since they farm for 20 minutes. Shreds armor AND slows every auto.

AwesomeGuyDjJul 2, 20171 votes

Ayyy frozen mallet that cripples you on AA is a problem! Ayy no one complains about ashe who has the same effect level 1!

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 201716 votes

Ashe is immobile and has nothing to kite champs unlike a lot of other adcs. She is THE CC carry and that slow isn't very strong early thb.

AwesomeGuyDjJul 2, 20172 votes

her kite is her slow, when she makes you move at fucking nasus wither speeds the only way your gunna reach is if you have /#lcsbigplays mobility.

Fisher No ChainsJul 2, 20178 votes

Yea, her kite is her slow, that's what I meant. Also, her slow is pitiful at early stages of the game, and isn't even that good later in the game. You can't compare a 90% slow to a 25% slow, lol.

General Esdeath Jul 2, 20171 votes

My favorite part of these threads is I don't see the white knights from my post that was the exact same thing. Another ranged champ abusing an item meant for melee champs.

TEA Nietzsche Jul 2, 20175 votes

Why would melee champions build this item when Iceborn Gauntlet exists? Slows don't stack after all.

General Esdeath Jul 2, 20173 votes

Because you have to use a spell to proc that and stack armor. Mallet can be on a tank Gnar or a squishy Yasuo

Also some champs don't use mana.

TEA Nietzsche Jul 2, 20171 votes

Yeah, so champions that do not have mana would build this item.. And those are Yasuo and Gnar, yet people complain about both of them building it.

General Esdeath Jul 3, 20171 votes

Don't forget the slow is applied on EVERY auto. No cooldown.

Aatrox Camille Darius Garen Illaoi JarvanIV Jax Riven Shyvana Shen Teemo Kennen Yorick can also use that slow to guarantee a flash/kill

kile147Jul 3, 20174 votes

The stickiness that FM provides is not unique. Black Cleaver makes you difficult to escape and IBG is basically no cooldown too. The slow zone is too big to get out of immediately if you build some armor, it lasts 2 seconds, and the spellblade cooldown is 1.5 seconds. Anyone who can stagger their abilities can use it for almost perma-stick as well. Yas and Gnar would both use IBG if it was viable, FM is basically just a IBG for manaless champs, and they both can build Black Cleaver for added stickiness because the speed boost essentially stacks with the slow from FM.

Pretty much all the champs you listed don't bother using FM because they either already build IBG or Black Cleaver for stickiness ( Yorick , Illaoi , Darius , Garen ), or have inherent stickiness in their kit and don't need either item ( Jax , JarvanIV , Camille , Aatrox , Riven , Shen , Darius ).

Shyvana, Kennen, and to a lesser degree Teemo have all built Frozen Mallet primarily because they don't have synergy with either of the other two items that champs normally buy for stickiness. Shyvana and Kennen would both rather build BC or IBG if either was viable on them. Teemo only uses FM for his rare on hit builds that are pretty sub-par and niche anyways.

Guyy FieriJul 3, 20173 votes

Why on earth....would Kennen buy Black Cleaver........

kile147Jul 3, 20172 votes

You wouldn't. My point is that the speed boost passive and stacking shred would work great on his kit if he dealt the appropriate damage type to take advantage of it.