Could we let Skarner ult his new crystal spires?

not 100% on the outcome it would give, but thematically, if Skarner's mere presence on the rift causes these spires to appear and empower him when he's close to them, then i would think he also has some way to tap into that power directly and take it with him.

The reason I bring this up is because most of the feedback i've seen about Skarner has been how a lot of his power has been shifted into these neutral zones, and outside of them (particularly ganking a lane, seiging, or defending his base) he doesn't have access to that power when he needs it most

So, if he could ult his spires, here are some ideas of how he could take that power where he needs/wants it_(although definietly not all of them)_

ulting a spire:

• instantly captures it
• gives Skarner the zone's buff for a duration (LONG ENOUGH TO GANK) (This makes the most sense)
• makes the zone follow him for a duration, and then stop where he currently is for another duration (cloud also buff teammates)
• empowers his next ability in some fashion (other than q)
• instantly refills a portion of his mana
• gives him cdr for a duration
• has a reduced ult cooldown

So yeah, thematically it makes sense, and intermittently solves the problem of not having his power where he might need it, trading it off for his ult, gated by level 6, and gives Skarner the choice to either use it to lock down a single enemy like he always has, or pre-emptively use his ult to gain some power that he could use against multiple enemy's down the road.

P.S. if you really want to play up the idea of Skarner having a neutral objective oriented playstyle that still revolves around the zones, them ulting a spire:

• creates a sheild around the zone that friendly and enemy players cannot leave or enter for a duration, and blocks skillshots, dashes, and vision from inside-out and outside-in (WELCOME TO THE SLAUGHTER DOME/MULTIPLE ABDUCTIONS) THIS FOLLOWS HIS STORY OF BEING THE PROTECTOR OF HIS KIND BECAUSE HE WAS THE FIRST TO AWAKEN I just had to say it