It feels like rabadon's is built less often after MYMU then before.
I'd post this earlier but this is something I realized much later.
Not all mages build death cap now which still feels kinda surprising.
I get ludens and stuff was added but I still see games where mages are full build and rabs isn't built and instead they go utility ish items.
I'm not a mid main so what happened?
@thread Overall AP was nerfed by 200. Full builds are 500~600AP with rabadans now unless you build mana+AP. It makes rabadons MUCH less useful.
people started building utility and tankier mage items because you dont need rabadons to 100-0 a squishy late game and if you dont rabadons doesnt really help. thats what i have gathered from watching other ppl play
Well, it is the most expensive item in the game, and it takes a while to buy so that could be why....
Because its not needed. An expensive ap only item isn't too useful anymore.
Rabadons just helps you kill things faster that you were gonna kill anyway.
Depends on what your looking to do. I rarely build Ludans anymore because I like Deathcap more.
If you want to hit 40CDR you need at least Morello and Zhonyas/Abyssal/Lich/Protobelt/Lucidity Boots + Blue buff. If you want to always have 40CDR you need Morello + 2 of those items. You could take CDR runes but to me I'd rather have MR runes.
So my standard build is on say Syndra is 
which leaves me with 3 choices to finish it out, I may not buy Void right away but I will usually always buy Void. If I'm playing vs a Squishy teem I might opt into buying 
so I can basically do true damage, leaving me two items. Generally for me its 1 of the CDR items + Deathcap so I can have at least 30-35 (depending on mastery) + 10 when I have blue buff CDR and 600+ AP to annihilate whoever I look at it.
Different people have different Ideas and play styles, there is just a lot of different useful AP items to buy now.
Massive costs and poor builtpath in a early-midgame centered gamestate.
You can simply get alot more power for less gold with other items, so unless you snowball or get close to fullbuilt, deathcap isn't really worth it. Same reason why IE-crit builts have been out of favour for quite some time.
Also, with how high damage still is in the game overall, you don't need raba to burst people. I recently played Brand-support and Killed the enemy mid in one rotation from fullhealth with 
, so ~3 ap items and pen boots....so why would won want a big ticket AP item if you can succesfully burst people without it alrewady?
+ Earlier game times
buff helped
Mages have more access to cdr, which means their damage output and combos are more constant.
More consistent damage means you can sacrifice the upper limit output of Rabadon's for better utility while still maintaining relevance because of the excessive amount of cdr in the game.
If cdr itemization wer to be gutted, Rabadon's would see a spike in popularity.
Sometimes living longer is what could make the difference in a team fight. Usually most itemizations aren't on the basis of max ap = win, but his/her's usefulness to the team.
Overall less ap on items apart from mana build, cdr does the same but amplifies base damages also and nerf after nerf even average ap ratios across skills are going down... plus it's crazy expensive. It's kind sad to be honest, might as well go CDR/Pen and survive enough for another rotation
Rabadon isn't too useful anymore (Because lol lategame being one reason). You have enough damage without it, so better off going for utilities such as protobelt, etc.
i always get it as my 3rd or 4th item
Because its the cost of trinity force while just being a stat stick that isn't entirely useful without other stats.
With the easier access to CDR nowaday, Magic Damage has gradually become A LOT more consistent. In a teamfight it's often better to survive longer and get off more rotations of spells (and as a result raising your DPS), then building an item that will effectively just allow you to overkill something/
It's just not that much of an encouraging item, and unlike Triforce to AA-Bruisers, Rabadons just isn't core, in the end there isn't any real necessity to buy it.
Power spike item, highly expensive.
You would basically build it as a 3rd item, if not, you won't build it at all.
Think it this way with current mages buildpaths, depending on mage, they would usually go:
Morello > Boots > Hourglass/scepter > Void.
Tear > Seraph embrace > boots > Hourglass/scepter > Void.
Morello/Seraph E. > Boots > Ludens > Void.
(manaless champion/non heavy mana reliant):
Scepter > Boots > Hourglass > Void.
See the pattern?
When you go rabadon, you go high risk glass cannon:
Morello > Boots > Rabadon's Deathcap > void.
Where is your armor? Where is your Magic resist? Wheres the 2.5 hourglass active?
I wish Rabadons were merged with Zhonya like they are on Treeline
