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Why are Lethality items so cheap?

EmpressOfBeauty·11/18/2018, 9:27:13 PM·29 votes·12,492 views

With the exception of Last Whisper as % Armor Penetration at 1300g, why is Serrated Dirk 1100g?

Genuinely asking because building items for adc, mages, and some top laners such as Zeal, Lost Chapter, and Phage cost more which allows for lethality builders to back for an earlier powerspike.

Zeal is 1300g, Lost Chapter is 1300g, and Phage is 1250g, but what I don't understand is that these items don't even have that much of a strong use towards them. I don't mind that they cost more. I would just like to know why lethality items don't cost as much. Mages have to wait 200g more before being able to back and get mana, ability power, and cdr. If it is to balance out that they can buy a Blasting Wand at 850g, that still doesn't help because it has no building components early on like Serrated Dirk does. Zeal and Phage also don't even provide cdr either.

Can someone explain this to me, please. I am asking because I am curious. I'm not trying to come for AD lethality users.

EDIT: People saying assassins don't scale well - They still end up one shotting you after they start snowballing. So what does it matter? You can't really farm well without the proper items to match them.

69 Comments

ModThe Djinn11/18/2018, 9:28:49 PM37 votes

Because Lethality is supposed to be an early-game stat to help Assassins capitalize on the early-tomid-game when they are most useful. Many of the other items you mention build into stronger mid-to-late game items by design.

Moody P11/18/2018, 9:39:55 PM24 votes

because assassins don't scale well while marksmen and mages do

AR URF11/18/2018, 9:46:50 PM10 votes

kind of bs IMO.

item 3134 1100 with 3 benefits 25 ad, lethality, and passive item 1038 1300 with just 40 ad

kikisbewstngsrvc11/18/2018, 9:29:24 PM10 votes

because you can't expect ad assassins to not have the largest advantage in the game balance at any point in time now can you?

Noor Sakata11/18/2018, 10:07:29 PM9 votes

Ikr ? assassins mains will use the argument " Mages first recall is also 1100 gold , item 3191 " As if rushing help helps lol , it might give some armor but eventually we need mana , without Lost Chapter we will miss a lot of cs and ends up enemy snowballing and if the enemy assassins decides to be an as*hole and buys item 3155 after 1 Lethality items it's a gg , all your hope is that other lanes won Because once an assassin got item 3147 item 3155 and can get it item 3111 to make it even worse You need item 3285 item 3157 item 3020 item 3165 item 3089 to be comparable to their level of power spike even if you out scale them Out scaling takes so long in this snowballing meta and still Assassins can 1v1 those mages in late game anyway It's a matter of team fights where assassins can fall but doesn't mean they are horrible in late game.

DM For Rat Facts11/18/2018, 9:44:14 PM7 votes

Imagine posting a question and getting three radically different answers posing as an objective truth.

Wacky911/19/2018, 5:36:14 AM3 votes

Armor is much cheaper. The armor needed to negate Duskblade's lethality is nowhere near Duskblade's high price.

feintfiend11/19/2018, 10:33:25 AM3 votes

Looks like another buttblasted mage player "Wow that squishy built full damage and killed me??!?!?! How is this allowed?!?!?" Meanwhile jax and Irelia kill you with a full rotation and 3k health. Meanwhile seekers armguard alone absolutely cucks AD assasins [zombie-brand-mindblown]

Sire Hippington11/19/2018, 10:36:02 AM3 votes

Most lethality users are sustainless melees with not to much killthreat(vs competent opponents) befor lvl 6(exept Talon lvl 2) They tend to get denyed alot of farm in the early lane, so their first powerspike needs to be cheaper so they can afford it. Also, ad-assasins are a early-midgame class and lethality is an early-midgame stat, it's cheap so they have that strong spike earlyier in the game to compensate for how they fall off later on. Not saysing that system is ideal, but that's the reason for the price.

Paroe11/18/2018, 9:46:19 PM2 votes

@thread

Serrated dirk is 1100g because it only has 1100g worth of stats (at level 18), and its passive is not very strong. Its completed items are normal price.