Can Iceborn Gauntlets be switched to melee only?

JavelinJoe·Feb 14, 2016·106 votes·3,935 views

The item itself is ok. It is fully balanced for its cost/benefit but only if used on a melee champion. Ranged champs like Ezreal benefit too much from its passive AOE slow and empowered auto. You cannot escape/chase a ranged champion who applies a massive AOE slow every 1.5 seconds. I am all for kiting, but this makes it way too easy. Almost to the point of deterring all chasing due to the free poke damage while slowed. When you want to retreat or get away from them, you are slowed to a crawl after every few basic attacks with no chance to get away (unless you use flash or some other costly/risky/inconvenient escape).

47 Comments

Critmaster GarenFeb 14, 201615 votes

iceborn gauntlet, steraks gage, duskblade just to make sure.

HighH1Feb 15, 20164 votes

Haven't seen duskblade abused yet but the other 2 HAVE to be melee only.

ElindisFeb 15, 20161 votes

Duskblade is fun on one-hit draven. Reaver, IE, Duskblade -> Single Q crit = dead squishy Not really viable tho

Hemulen MagiFeb 15, 201612 votes

I don't think that it needs to be disabled for ranged champions. Reducing the effect for ranged would probably be plenty. 30% slow for melee proc; 15% slow for ranged. Sterak's Gage could be given a 3k total hp requirement for its passive to be available to proc, and that would prevent marksmen from normally building it. Duskblade... I don't know... It's too new to speak about. I honestly think Duskblade might be less toxic on marksmen than it is on assassins... Asassins shouldn't have easy access to %health damage... I think this thing is going to be a bigger balance problem than DFG...

ElindisFeb 15, 20161 votes

No. Tanks and Juggernauts already stack slow reduction so they kinda ignore him as his damage as ADC is quite terrible when compared to other ADCs. It's assassins and mages that cry over him, as he has enough damage/poke to damage their squishy asses, and they don't really have any slow reduction... In addition he has E which kinda counters assassins...

Leblancs BoobFeb 15, 20167 votes

Lol wouldn't be the first time Ezreal ruined an entire item. Ezreal THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

YCitizenSnipsYFeb 15, 20165 votes

Ezreal has had the option to build Iceborn Gauntlets for how long now? Since season 2?

Blue Ezreal hasn't even been the main build on him in forever, don't see why now all of a sudden it needs to be melee only when its been fine for years.

Bouncemaster ZacFeb 15, 20164 votes

I think the issue is less ranged champions and more "ranged champions that shouldn't have that much utility." It's great on Urgot (yes he gets played) and Thresh both as a substitute for item 3110 if you wanna get safer use of your utility, as both already have some form of ranged slowing or lockdown. The issue is champions Graves who Ezreal aren't supposed to have that kind of ranged utility. It would be more reasonable to just alter the item's armor-into-aoe-growth to have a minimum requirement. You don't have at least 150ish armor? No IBG proc for you. That way niche ranged tanks don't get cheated just because Ezreal broke another item.

WestonbirtFeb 15, 20164 votes

Exactly. As an Urgot main, the last thing I need is for two of my core items to be nerfed (or rather, removed).

Remlap1223Feb 15, 20162 votes

I don't see how pigeonholing it into a melee item is going to make it anymore healthy. It's barely built on anyone as is, with exception to Ezreal.

They're talking about having the range scale up based on armor, so Ez is only going to basically slow one target, but if Gragas built it, he's basically going to have an area the size of his barrel roll slowed.

This doesn't change the fact that it honestly doesn't really feel good on anyone. Frozen Heart is a much better option, because it gives you the CDR while having a persistent effect.

Gangplank doesn't build tank anymore, and while Poppy could proc the slow, it's much easier for her to just use DMP.

So I ask again, how does making the item shit on the one person who actually uses it help anything? It won't. It'll go from Ezreal abusing the item to it being Wit's End tier basically.

charcharmunroFeb 15, 20164 votes

Malphite , Taric , Alistar , Sion , Illaoi , Nasus , Udyr ...

CubedJusticeFeb 15, 20161 votes

Poppy too.

Remlap1223Feb 15, 20161 votes

item 3742 is much better.

ElindisFeb 15, 20165 votes

I don't see how is Ezreal kiting melee champions a bad thing. You can just stack slow reduction (swifts, mastery and elixir in late game) and laugh at his pathetic damage as he has nothing without that slow...

SkypualFeb 15, 20162 votes

Stop it's balanced as it is, nobody except Ezreal builds it and it's effectiveness gets massively reduced by Tenacity/Slow mastery and by Swiftness boots, try learn counterplay instead of circlejerking about different threads. Exact same thread was posted here.

UrPalAlFeb 15, 20162 votes

Sadly the boards is a giant circlejerk of people who don't know what they're saying.

TeCoolMageFeb 15, 20162 votes

Nerf IBG. Buff Frozen Mallet.

UrPalAlFeb 15, 20163 votes

IBG isn't OP though, EZREAL is just abusing it. Nerf him.

Ulquiorra995Feb 16, 20161 votes

Yep. Wouldn't be the first time Ez ruined someone else's item because he (ab)used it too well. Take down the disease, not just the symptoms.

UrPalAlFeb 17, 20162 votes

Too late, look at the PBE, look at those Muramana changes...

RIP mah boi Jayce 2012-2016

P.S. Fuck you Ezreal.

Ulquiorra995Feb 19, 20161 votes

Oh crap. Not a toggle anymore? Guess it has to be paired with Essence Reaver now, which makes Urgot very sad.

UrPalAlFeb 19, 20161 votes

Makes Iceborn Jayce sad too.

UrPalAlFeb 15, 20162 votes

Wtf no, I like bring able to use it on Jayce, and Jayce is far from OP.

Can we just need EZREAL instead? Raise CD even more if he misses his Q or something?

JavelinJoeFeb 15, 20161 votes

Jayce cannot use his Q with max range every 2.5 seconds like Ezreal can (assuming he hits the target for the 1.5s off the cd).

ElindisFeb 15, 20162 votes

Comparing Jayce's Q to Ezreal's Q now? WTF boards

UrPalAlFeb 15, 20161 votes

I don't even know why he started comparing it.

UrPalAlFeb 15, 20161 votes

He actually can though, check his CD. Only thing is Jayce throws his entire body on top of the person unlike EZREAL who stays a safe distance away

Bouncemaster ZacFeb 16, 20161 votes

{quoted}

Jayce cannot use his Q with max range every 2.5 seconds like Ezreal can (assuming he hits the target for the 1.5s off the cd).

Exactly, the issue is Ezreal. The issue with single-proc on-hit items is always Ezreal. He needs his Q canged, we don't need a perfectly balanced item nerfed.

Glory to GodFeb 15, 20162 votes

I used to pick IBG on Sona even before the buffs because it gave great stats and a passive that goes well with her kit. But honestly I would give up on it just to see the pretty boy less often ruining games.

GottaGoToSpaceFeb 16, 20162 votes

If riot doesn't want to go that far, maybe gutting the base aoe and having it only scale off their total armor minus the amount given by gauntlet itself would help. This would prevent ez from abusing it too hard since he usually only builds gauntlet/seals for armor.

JavelinJoeFeb 16, 20161 votes

I like your thinking. Maybe make it bonus armor not including IBG because thornmail deals damage following this way.

MatezoideFeb 15, 20161 votes

Remember when IBG's slow field was smaller for Ranged champions?

Seriously why was that even changed? Are they just looking for an excuse to nerf IBG, so they are trying to have Ezreal abuse it until he breaks the game?

BlackSquishFeb 15, 20161 votes

There has to be that one thing in League, right?

Healz PleaseFeb 15, 20161 votes

I like it on Karma, but yeah. This would nice.

ivnkoxhcucFeb 15, 20161 votes

Sometimes I've used iceborne gauntlet on Gnar -- It would make it nonexistant for his mini form. Which would be dumb.

Karma DeifiedFeb 15, 20161 votes

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/gameplay-balance/5BLGUpsU-regarding-blue-ez

NekusenFeb 15, 20161 votes

Same as Frozen Mallet for kiting 1 target.

Hemulen MagiFeb 15, 20167 votes

It already has a ranged penalty (reduced slow) and I don't think it's problematic at the moment.

ElindisFeb 15, 20161 votes

Because mallet has juggernaut stats, which is pretty bad for Ez. He doesn't want loads of hp, he wants damage and reliable slow. Pseudo sheen proc from Gauntlet gives him both. If mallet had its stats reversed (high AD, low HP) it would be far more interesting item on many champions, including Ez

JavelinJoeFeb 15, 20161 votes

He doesn't want loads of hp, he wants damage and reliable slow.

not to mention the bonus armor mana and cdr

ElindisFeb 15, 20161 votes

Ezreal doesn't really need bonus armor, mana and CDR. He gets that item for its passive, not stats. He has Manamune for mana anyways, CDR is decent but 10% isn't going to be that strong. Armor is rarely needed as he has pretty long range so he's not taking much damage.

JavelinJoeFeb 15, 20161 votes

65 Armor is pretty strong for an ADC in early game since it is not likely the opposing ADC will have armor pen yet. But I agree he get it for the passive primarily. I simply meant that the other stats are just icing on the cake.

ElindisFeb 15, 20161 votes

How about reversing stats on Frozen Mallet instead? New mallet with high AD and low HP would be played much more, it would actually counter champions like Xin and it would not be overbearing as it was before because of abudance of slow reduction Ezreal would take the Mallet every time over Gauntlet, as it would add damage to his auto, Q, E and R...

AeróFeb 15, 20161 votes

It's an overloaded item in and of itself. Wayyy too many stats in one item that is too cost effective. You get armor, mana, a slow, and increased damage for no real cost. Tri-force offers a lot of stats but it takes time and a lot of money whereas gauntlet is quite affordable.

QNjixEktAnFeb 15, 20161 votes

also red buff should only slow if you are a melee champion while your at it. Only makes it impossible to fight a 1v1 vs the ADC gods or even actually lane vs them if they have it. See buff just go to another lane cause you can't do anything to them now besides be slow kited and burned for true damage.