CDR Itemization on Tanks

It's no surprise that a wide range of character archetypes like to have CDR. We have mages, AD casters, and tanks all alike that want to have a reliable way to hit 40% CDR during a game. While the first two can do so fairly feasibly, the latter distinctively runs into issues, due to having to vary their build more with the enemy team comp.

Mages seem to be in a fairly good spot right now, in terms of CDR options available to them. Morellonomicon is an excellent slot efficient item, providing useful mana regen, AP, and 20% CDR. It isn't hard to pick up a Twin Shadows (10%), Will of the Ancients, or blue buff (10%) to then hit the cap (or go 5% over with masteries). As for AP Junglers they only have to get Magus to be halfway there! Athene's serves at a higher cost, lower power alternative to Morellonomicon. There's also Banner of Command which is definitely a niche item, but it isn't bad!

Even AD champions are in fairly salvageable condition, in that Cleaver (10%), the Warrior Jungler enchant (10%), masteries (5%), Youmou's Ghostblade (10%), Essence Reaver (10%), and Zephyr (10%) are all viable picks.

The problem comes when trying to outfit a tank. With Spirit Visage having 10%, that is the only CDR a tank will ever have in their build when building MR. On most champions the passive will be useless, so Banshee's Veil is a much better pick (but it gives no CDR). Should the enemy team will have full AD, comparatively that is easier to itemize against for CDR. Frozen Heart, the tank's sole 20% CDR option, is a niche pick against teams with heavy AD, specifically as a counter to heavy autoattackers. A tank that wants to hit 40% CDR will often have to pick up Frozen Heart, which is, frankly, an extremely suboptimal buy against certain team comps. If the enemy's only source of AD-based damage is their ADC, once that threat goes down, Frozen Heart becomes a 2450 gold purchase for 20% CDR and some mana. Even if they have multiple AD users, building health and armor is nearly universally preferred over building just armor. Especially now that armor Pen is so widespread.

The other tank options for CDR give only 10%, and are limited to Iceborn Gauntlet (which shares Frozen Heart's problem of providing large chunks of mana and armor, with no resistance whatsoever against magic and no health) and Locket of the Iron Solari (which is supposed to be a support item to begin with). That's about it. The only tanky Jungler item won't give CDR as of patch 5.5, and Face of the Mountain is for supports! Top laners do not pick up these items. Tanks have a pretty strongly invested interest in their boots; the opportunity cost for picking up Boots of Lucidity on a tank (thereby not taking Ninja Tabi or Mercury Treads) is much greater than the opportunity cost on an AD caster (not taking... Berserker's Greaves?). But then you are missing out on Tenacity which is almost essential on a tank, or the passive on Ninja Tabi!

So, the tank that gets both Visage and Locket has 20% CDR, and if they don't particularly want Frozen Heart or Iceborn Gauntlet, they're immediately screwed. This is significant, because against teams with heavy AP, it is extremely disadvantageous to invest in an armor item that does not also provide either health or magic resist; no matter what the tank picks next, it will be suboptimal.

The simple fix to this problem would be to create a tank item that offers 10% or 20% CDR and either health or magic resist (though not necessarily both, otherwise we end up with Spirit Visage mkII). This could be done by reworking Zeke's Herald to make it a more desirable buy in general (this item is incredibly slot inefficient presently, and due to its build path, most supports don't even buy it). Alternatively, creating a whole new item might be only way to go.

Credit to Leaf of the Lake for posting this. I just updated it to fit the newest patch. You can find the original thread here! http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4291485

Suggestions:

Thawed Heart (melee only): 60 Magic Resist - 1300G value 20% Cooldown Reduction - 633G value

Unique Passive: 25% Base mana regen to allies within a 1000 range Unique Passive - Grants a shield that absorbs up to 30 (+15 per level) damage. This shield will regenerate over 3 seconds after 9 seconds pass without taking damage. Cost: 2500 Gold

This fills a very empty niche. I see this being purchased on Junglers like Amumu who suffer from mana issues and love CDR. The shield is mostly helpful for clearing camps or as an anti-poke. The item also good on tank supports, as it can benefit your allies with mana regen.

Righteous Glory: 650 HP 300 Mana 10% CDR (the 100% HP regeneration removed)

Passive and active unchanged

This has enough sustain from the passive. A trade of some sustain for CDR, I'll take that any day!

Current Tank Items:

: (Support Item) Grants HP and CDR, but is only for supports.

: (Never Built) This thread probably wouldn't have been made if this were a worthy investment. It gives 20% CDR! However that comes with the price of having horrible stats for its cost.

: (Any Tank) Fantastic item that offers sustain but no CDR. Of all the items I think that this should never give the stat. It's enough as is.

: (Jungler/Few Supports) HP, sustain, a gapcloser, CC, mana...This item has everything a tank needs but CDR.

: No resistances but it does give a bucket-load of HP. No CDR but for all the stats it gives CDR should not be added to them.

: (Never Built) Not only is this item way too expensive for what it gives, you also get none of the golden stat I'm asking for.

: (Support Item) Gives CDR but isn't that tanky. It's mostly buffing the *utility *of a support tank.

: (Any Tank) Passively does damage to all nearby, offers HP and armor, but still no CDR.

: (Any Tank) It's the ultimate armor item, once again though, no Cooldown Reduction.

: (Any Tank) No CDR.

: (Only Tanks with Sustain) This gives everything I want in a tank item except for most champions the passive is wasted. Unless you're playing a tank with innate sustain you forgo this for Banshee's Veil which...yeah...

: (Situational) It's mostly used for supports, but I guess Junglers could run it. Don't take it as a top laner. It does give CDR but as I said before, it's too situational fix the tank itemization problem. So if you're looking at the average tank that does NOT have built in sustain (so most of them), this is the ONLY MR CDR item...

: (Support Item) For the stats it gives, you shouldn't call this a tank item. It's meant for non-tank supports to get AP and also give their team some resistance.

The problem really lies with Jungle tanks. These are the items that they can build that grant tankiness and CDR.

: Armor and 20% CDR. If you need to build more health then look elsewhere. It also gives mana so if you are Shen or Shyvana then forget it.

: Pretty much only good on tanks that can utilize the spellblade passive. No health. If you are Mordekaiser or Zac then don't get it because of the mana.

: It is a good item but doesn't give that much tanky stats. 15 less Magic Resist than Banshee's Veil and Spirit Visage, so it is meant to supplement an already tanky build.