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The imbalance between magic and armor penetration items

EmpressOfBeauty·12/22/2018, 8:07:18 PM·4 votes·2,056 views
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There isn't enough magic penetration for all of the magic resistance abilities in the game and it is much harder to counter it as opposed to armor penetration. Excluding item 3124 item 3091 which the Guinsoo's is armor and magic penetration, and Wits End is generally never built on most magic users, the only real choices you have for cutting down magic resistance is item 3165 item 3020 , and item 3135 . The fact magic penetration comes in the form of boots means that magic users give up a crucial offensive stat which could had come in the form of protection (item 3111 item 3047 ), or cdr item 3158, movement enhancers item 3117 item 3009. Other physical champions can get access to these while not losing out on armor penetration while also noting item 3111 gives more protection to the cc most magic users have.

If item 3916 built into something else and had more variety similar to item 3035, there would be more options for magic users to combat magic resistance. It doesn't help that Oblivion Orb only gives 15 magic penetration when item 1033 provides 25 magic resistance at 450 gold.

Magic penetration to armor penetration is a joke. Magic users get ONE flat magic penetration item outside of the mandatory boots, and then Void Staff which is percentage based.

Armor penetration doesn't have a boots component. But it does have THREE flat armor penetrating items: item 3142 item 3147 item 3814, two choices for percentage armor penetration item 3033 item 3036, and a shredding percentage armor item item 3071. The difference is major considering how much you can stack both Armor AND Magic Resistance. How can a magic user expect to overcome an enemy with 130+ magic resistance with an enemy who built item 3139 item 3111 item 3163. And that doesn't count how much base magic resistance you get through leveling. Now it is true you get more armor than magic resistance by levels, but it isn't anywhere near the difference needed to fix the imbalance.

As for champions who can reduce an enemy's resistances, we have for magic resistances to be resisted only Corki Evelynn Jayce Karthus KogMaw Kayle and Trundle.

Then for shredding through armor there are Darius Gangplank Yasuo Garen JarvanIV Jayce Kayle KogMaw Nasus Renekton Sion Trundle Vi MonkeyKing Corki Rengar...

So for an example, say you have 2 tanks. One stacks full armor and the other full magic resist. This is just an example not the actual build. Malphite : item 3068 item 3742 item 3143 item 3110 item 3075 item 3047 Maokai : item 3001 item 3194 item 3512 item 3065 item 3102 item 3111

Now you have a physical damage champion to tackle on the armored tank and a magic user to take on the magically infused defensive tank. MissFortune : item 3142 item 3814 item 3147 item 3071 item 3036 item 3006 Orianna : item 3040 item 3089 item 3151 item 3135 item 3165 item 3020

Now I am not saying these are correct builds but I am giving the example of how a magic user would have to counter the Maokai vs Miss Fortune. I guess you could argue that Liandry's Torment is another tank busting item but at the same time it is not magic penetration. Someone could take a combo like item 3156 item 3139 item 3111 and not be a tank. Most burst mages would not opt to build Liandry's Torment. I also know that a full attack speed and crit would work better for tanks but I used Miss Fortune for her kit. I am just comparing the difference in builds.

Not to mention Miss Fortune in this situation doesn't NEED her boots. Orianna does for the magic penetration and movement. Miss Fortune has a Strut movement bonus and Youmuu's passive and active, so if she wanted to add item 3124 for even more armor penetration, she isn't being hurt much and she would blow through Malphite.

I think Oblivion Orb should get a second building component just like Last Whisper.

45 Comments

dunder kill12/22/2018, 8:29:02 PM8 votes

ITT: OP fails to realize champs have about twie as much base MR as base armor, that lethality is gated by level, and that item 3916 item 3020 is not a valid comparison to completed items. How OP do you want flat magic pen to be exactly? Mages already do basically true damage for 2600g

HP Crookshanks12/22/2018, 8:20:26 PM3 votes

We need an AP version of item 3071 to make AP bruisers and full AP teams viable. ( I still don't understand why full AD teams are allowed to destroy +300 armored tanks while full AP teams do almost no damage when the enemy team starts to build MR.)

artcrime299912/22/2018, 8:36:02 PM3 votes

I agree with OP. Its a shame how some matches it feels like my mages do nothing at all. Its so much easier to build tanky against AP than it is against AD.

Bears Dont Care12/22/2018, 8:49:33 PM3 votes

I would argue the only issue is how a 450 gold mr defense item, is only countered by a 2k plus item for magic pen.

In terms of magic pen, it a not really an issue where there is not enough.

charge attack12/22/2018, 9:14:35 PM2 votes

Magic pen is OP

King Lego12/22/2018, 9:48:46 PM2 votes

Hmm.... My counter argument would be is that i think the ADC class is specifically designed to shred through tanks while the mage class are meant to shred through squishees. I mean if there was more magic pen items, i think the mage class would be unfairly busted since they can melt both tanks and squishees alike without the need to build AP much.

I am however, a Velkoz main. So i don't really know what magic resist means. For obvious reasons.

saltran12/22/2018, 8:59:33 PM2 votes

Yeah, we need to nerf magic pen

Escheton12/22/2018, 8:29:08 PM2 votes

Counter argument: Penetration and true damage should not be on items and runes but instead be niche abilities on certain champions that require it/ are designed around it.

Cats Are Food12/22/2018, 8:23:54 PM1 votes

Here's a simple problem:

Magic Users tend to also come equipped with hard CC. As it stands they already blow monster chunks out of anything squishy, and with items like item 3151 they can also melt down tanks.

The problem isn't penetration, the problem is the over tuned items that AD champions get.