When I'm saying "Cripple", I mean something like Sona's Diminuendo or Urgot's current passive. Both of them cause your target to deal reduced damage while debuffed.
Now, most tanks stop enemies from dealing damage outright by CCing them, but I'm curious as to whether or not damage-cripples are appropriate on tanks, or whether they're only intended for supports.
Can I get some insight on the subject?
Old Man Teeto2 votesMalphite reduces attack speed with his E.
Shen taunt causes taunted targets to deal reduced damage to him.
In general though, Hard CC is easier to balance.
Lets take Malphites E, if your not an attack speed champion - say a mage
You don't care about the attack speed slow. However, someone like Vayne, Trundle, Irelia is absolutely offensively crippled. The spell is intentionally overtuned to be crazy good against the targets it works on because it's worthless on so many other targets.
Hard CC is effective against everyone -- barring a few -- and always feels good to use.
Zanphyra1 votesVery true.
Also technically Trundle Q is similar in that respect to Malphite E. He reduces the enemy's AD and raises his own. A mage may not care about their AD being lowered, but a marksman or AD caster would care far more about losing AD.
100% agree with your post.
Teridax681 votes
would be your best bet for that, though his relaunch will likely give him a completely new kit. Technically, all tanks "cripple" damage output in some way or another (
soaks up massive damage for his entire team, reducing incoming damage in the process, for example), but directly lowering your opponent's damage output can risk being oppressive: one of Urgot's problems, and one of the reasons he's still a decent anti-carry in the early game, is his passive's ability to automatically make him win early trades by reducing his opponent's damage output, while also messing up their last-hitting. Diminuendo's Power Chord works better because it's far more situational, though 
's no tank.
I personally don't think directly crippling an enemy's damage output is necessarily the best thing you can implement on a tank, since tanks are meant to be taking as much damage as they can and the most sensible way to reduce incoming damage in that scenario is to become situationally tankier (as with Unbreakable). You're right in that it's way better as a support-centric mechanic, since supports in general are meant to mitigate damage dealt to their team without necessarily taking that damage themselves (so it would work on caster supports but not necessarily tank supports).
Hullabaloo9071 votesAre you considering attack speed reducers? that cripples damage on a specific type of champ.
darkdill1 votesNo, not attack speed slows.
12tales1 votes
So, yes. To some extent.