How is it decided if a champion has mana/energy/no resource?
Having no resource seems like such a big advantage over other champions. Why do some champions not have to spend a resource for abilities? How do you balance that sort of thing?
56 Comments
While I'm no red I can help explain the usual reasoning.
A resource is used when a champion's kit need to be 'gated', or limited, in a certain way that's cohesive to the kit's design.
Lack of a resource isn't lack of gating, it just reduces the gating to cooldowns only. This may seem strong initially until you realize the context resource less champs come out of.
(Resource but still no cost) 
These champs have kits that are either very visibly 'triggered' or they're simple fighters with easy to identify play patterns. what this means is that there are enough ways to counter these champs that the additional worry of a resource running out would simply make them easy opponents with very little options available.
It's definitely a strength to be resourceless, don't get me wrong, but only comes in lieu of very obvious weaknesses. With the exception of Kat and Riven, for example, they're all very easily kited. You balance their resourcelessness by extenuating the weakness that justify they're lack of a resource. For Kat you can simply decrease her damage since her passive is the thing that her kit revolves around. Riven you can dull her early game edge, like her base sustain (which they've done before).
Now if you're also curious on reasoning behind using Energy vs. Mana vs. Rage I can give some reasoning behind that as well.
Source: I'm an avid champion conceptor and game design nerd.
I would say Rek'Sai is a good example of subverting mana for an alternative resource.
Her Unburrowed Q is (relative to many other auto attack modifiers) an extremely weak auto attack modifier that is distributed across multiple auto attacks. Seeing that auto attacks are already a resourceless function of the game, such a weak modifier to them would make no sense to overcost with mana (Look at mid S4 Malphite's buff where they massively reduced his W's mana cost).
Burrow is an entirely utility based ability that can not possibly be abused if spammed.
Unburrow is on a static cool down, and is telegraphed by both Rek'Sai needing to burrow and then get in melee range of her target, also making it virtually impossible to abuse if spammed.
Rek'Sai's Unburrowed E fits perfectly with the rage mechanic in that it only gets stronger the more rage she has - It's impossible to randomly burst someone down with it due to how her rage mechanic works/is consumed, but instead favors long drawn out fights. It's restricted almost because it's not mana based. Imagine having a non ult true damage nuke that you can activate at any time if you simply had the mana. That's Olaf territories of sketchy game design there.
Her Burrowed E, finally, is yet another example of an ability that can't really be abused if spammed, especially after you consider that tunnels can get stomped.
*I won't evaluate her ultimate since almost all ultimates are edge cases anyway
The only thing that really breaks this rule of being hard/impossible to abuse if spammed is Rek'Sai's burrowed Q, but Riot held so far back on that ability that it really isn't any problem at all in its current state.
I guess I could make an attempt, right? My thoughts?
I believe that the kits without mana tend to be more dependent on combinations and melee range. Now let me explain. Take Garen. His Q is a movement speed boost and an auto modifier, his W gives him more tankiness, his E gives him damage around him (and a lot of it at that) and his R is a somewhat ranged execute. He has no mobility besides running up to his target, nor is he heavily ranged. Katarina has a Q which does low damage without follow up. Her W is around her, and her E is a reasonably long cooldown to get her into a fight and keep her alive for a tiny bit longer, her ult requires her to be in the middle of them. She can't play the war of poke, she has to go all in to make the most of her kit. Shen has a low ranged Q, a shield, a dash and a global teleport shield. He has low distance without his dash, his dash is costly to miss. His Q can't be used to poke from miles away like mages.
Basically, from what I see, to make the most of their kit in general requires them to chain in abilities, and/or they tend to be up close and personal with the person they are fighting. I can see no resource-less champion who breaks this rule yet.
Well for the energy bar it is easy
Are they a ninja? if yes, they are energy.
I just don't even want to imagine a with a fully stacked 
item.
I remember the last time someone asked this question and also remember an answer. Riven has no resource because it would make trinity too efficient for her
EDIT: not my words
Having no resource seems like such a big advantage over other champions. Why do some champions not have to spend a resource for abilities? How do you balance that sort of thing?
Is the champ a ninja? Then it's energy based. Everyone else have more difficult criteria.
dice roll because RNGesus or no faith burn in hell LOL
I posted the exact same thing with almost the exact same title and got downvoted -20. lmao. So glad that you're more popular then me.
How about HP cost champs? Other than 
I dont really see why they give it to who they do
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz-PtEJEaqY
roughly this
Part of it is itemization. Can you imagine a Riven running with mana? You might think at first that it's a good idea, lowering her spammability, but the reality is that mana items are closed off to her. If she had mana, she would make INSANE use out of items like Trinity Force/Sheen.
On a similar footing, if Katarina had mana, she could abuse an item like Morellonomicon, given that heals are often one of the only ways to survive her combo.