Boards›Gameplay

Tracker's Knife-- What's keeping it back?

VentusDragoon··4 votes·3,455 views

Hello, VentusDragoon today on his biweekly or so questions about your thoughts on the game. With the release of the new queue, I've found myself going jungle a lot more often than just support as I usually do, not that I mind. I play various junglers, but most of the time when I go tank jungle (Sejuani, Zac, Nautilus, etc), I buy this nifty little item in the shop called...

The Tracker's Knife! item 3711

This fancy little dirk not only gives you the stats of your enchantment of choice along with the base jungle item, but gives you a free sightstone to boot! Lee Sin mains cry tears of joy and the game becomes a much more warded place!

...

Except they don't. And the game doesn't.

Even though the concept of a free item 2049 attached to your jungle item seems incredibly helpful to help vision on your team, as well as providing a much easier way to counter-jungle, I've noticed that the junglers using it are few and far in between. Almost all damage junglers bring along the shiny Skirmisher's Sabre item 3715, while most others take the true-damage-slow for Stalker's Blade. item 3706 You would think that ESPECIALLY Lee Sins would bring along the Tracker's knife for the larger amount of wards to jump to, but it's exceptionally rare to see anyone take it, oddly enough.

So, my question to you all is, what do you guys think the problem is? The stats with enchantments are exactly the same, so what's so much better about the usability of Stalker's Blade and Skirmisher's Sabre than free wards? What are you ideas for how this may be buffed/adjusted so that it's a bit more popular? I'd love to hear all of your ideas!

Have a good day everyone!

21 Comments

Fowus3 votes

better in higher elos

worse in lower elos because not many people have good map awareness

VentusDragoon2 votes

Bumpity bump so this doesn't get lost in the pages of history.

Nanuk Pihoqahiak1 votes

I'd assume it's just because the other two offer so much more.

You have one that provides a bit of true damage and a slow component, which helps junglers without direct cc. You have the other which helps any jungler duel the enemy jungler or laners. The free wards are nice, but you're giving up both of the other options. And in games that are being played correctly, your own laners will ward key spots for you, in addition to other things you can utilize like Razorbeak's buff / the jungle wisp thing.

VentusDragoon1 votes

Mhmm, I understand where you're coming from.

What do you think about Lee Sin though? He's already got quite powerful damage and CC early game, not to mention unmatched mobility with wards. Why would they choose another (Usually Skirmisher's Sabre) over the Tracker's Knife?

Nanuk Pihoqahiak1 votes

Maybe because something like Chilling Smite makes it easier to land a Q which is where a lot of his damage starts. Once he's on a target, landing subsequent Qs isn't as difficult. It could be argued that ward-jumping to a target for Q is just as valuable, but I feel like giving him a ranged slow is more lucrative. This is coming from someone that doesn't really play Lee though. Maybe a more experienced Lee main might have better insight.

VentusDragoon1 votes

Perhaps. I'd like to hear from someone who really plays him a lot.

ModWulf Helhammer1 votes

People in lower elo (myself included) don't like to ward much. So they see the smite upgrades and see "hmm, these two give me more damage/CC, and this one just makes me see the map. Why would I want that?"

It doesn't need to be buffed, people just need to learn to build it

VentusDragoon1 votes

Second bump for the people.

Also, I'm sorry if I don't reply to every comment, sometimes I just can't come up with a way to reply to something. :c But I promise you I'm reading every single one!

ModWulf Helhammer2 votes

You know bumps don't really work on this forum, right?

VentusDragoon1 votes

They do a bit when you first post. Hence why I'm only bumping the first day.

Angry Monster1 votes

Some items are just meant to be more useful in competitive than in non organized match.

Also the choice between the 3 upgrades are about how you want to play. Blu is for when you have 0 gap closes and need to run in, Red is a duel choice, and Green is vision.

Green is can be argued the weakest and strongest effect at the same time. It allows you to know the situation you are in. how to optimally play out a situation and or use target abilities that you normally do not have vision for. What it does not do is amp your damage or directly help you get to the enemy unless you can ward hop.

Their is no problem with green unless you count the player base's understanding of the game. It has limited use in solo q, but that has more to do with people not paying attention to the map. Bad players are going to be bad and do what they want. Understanding when to use each smite upgrade is just part of the game.

Not a really interesting thought piece IMO.

Abyssphere1 votes

I think Tracker's is fine really, but it works better on some champions than others and is going to be a lot better with team players than players who are more about the solo carrying. I think it's so rare because:

  • Last season, Stalker's was the "general" choice. A lot of people default to that no matter who they're playing because it was the most general one in season 5, and these people haven't broke their habit.
  • Tracker's is a non-combat smite, which means you NEED to have teamwork as a priority and the vision game on your mind to use it well. In low ELO, vision is something a lot of players don't care about, and a lot of junglers are more focused on carrying the game themselves than helping the team. It's like how in high ELO, junglers occasionally buy Sightstone, but they never do that in low ELO. People won't spend gold on vision.
  • Certain champions can't give up other smites. While I love Tracker's on Elise because Stalker's can be unnecessary, I know that other junglers can't afford to lose that extra gapcloser. Convincing a Skarner to take Tracker's will be very hard.

I really think it's a perfectly strong smite, I think it's only being held back by player ignorance. People don't realise that Chilling Smite isn't always essential, and they don't realise how powerful it is for the jungler to be capable of putting down vision and clearing it at the same time.

Xenomancers1 votes

Smite that has no damage is the weakest...interesting.

The Loveless1 votes

Not as fun as emoting champs lol. I'll keep yellow trinket and others will get sweepers

BadmoonBC1 votes

I use it sometimes. In really like using it plus trading my yellow trinket for blue trinket so my team has great vision. Sad part is even with free upgrades wards no one freaking wards.

trash sion1 votes

You're looking at low elo.

I never take it because I'm trying to carry and no one watches the map in Silver anyway.

Watch some of the LCS, it's taken frequently.

LaskaraTooSwakk1 votes

Interesting. Ill be sure to try out stalkers blade on lee sin next time ,':)

big knuckles1 votes

I always take trackers when i go Skarner, but don't like it on anyone else i try. I always go stalkers on eve, because the extra damage and slow helps to secure the kill

Oglaf1 votes

The "Only Supports should Ward" entitlement mentality from the other roles - including Junglers.

Khell DarkWolf1 votes

I always use trackers knife when I jungle because I like to keep tabs on areas with warding.

But my biggest issue with it is the fact that I'm forced to port back to shop to refresh the charges.

I think it would be better if killing jungle camps gave you a charge back or if it worked like the trinket where it refreshes based off cool down or BOTH.

I still miss my Trail blazer...

WoonStruck1 votes

Tracker's Knife is the best jungle option, however, in solo queue people watching the map is rather unreliable. You can place wards and it sometimes doesn't even make a difference despite everyone seeing what could happen if they don't back off.

Because of this, people just take red/blue smite for the extra chasing potential and dueling potential to try to hard carry games.

More from Gameplay

3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay764 comments
7,167
votes
3 Refunds per season, upvote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay156 comments
3,510
votes
UPVOTE FOR URF
Gameplay606 comments
2,440
votes
Yes plz.
Gameplay456 comments
1,721
votes
3 Refunds per season, up vote if you want 3 refunds per season.
Gameplay114 comments
1,716
votes
When is ANYONE at riot going to address the awful new player experience?
Gameplay634 comments
1,383
votes

More by VentusDragoon

The True Nightmare
Memes & Games20 comments
51
votes
How Shen Affords All of His Skins
Memes & Games42 comments
49
votes
How Shen's Taunt ALSO Works
Memes & Games20 comments
49
votes
Hey There Memers...
Memes & Games76 comments
43
votes
How Shen's Taunt Works
Memes & Games26 comments
25
votes
How Shen's Ult Works
Memes & Games5 comments
20
votes