Passive: what are your design goals right here? it looks like ur going for some thematic stuff related to his lore but whats its use in game?
It seems like its main use is against traps and stealthed champions but 150 base range and 300 buffed range are both 2 short sense some traps have a higher activation range, and most stealth champs have a higher engage range than 300, PLUS in most cases in LoL you REALLY don't want to be standing still. This feels way 2 niche. And i feel like its going to be abused by Pros to just kill all the enemy wards...
Resource: i really don't see the point of making up a new resource, it doesn't seem that fitting. And again most of the time people REALLY don't want to be sitting still. I see how it fits into his passive so he gains increased resource regen and increased true vision, but it feels weird to have to stop moving to start doing things again if u run out of resource. And then if u do that ur making him lose synergy with certain items he might build bc he is wasting stats like mana/mana regen. Whats wrong with mana or rage/fury?
Q
this is great, i friggin love it, its a lot more engaging, and u could switch the resource regen to Rage/Mana regen. How about instead of Bleeding, you classify them as Poisoned and taking DoT? That makes more sense right? It would also be cool to add Skarner to the list of poison champs then u can have him interact with Teemo and Cassio, with in game mechanics
Due to the CC in his Ult and E, i think it would be more balanced, if Q's 2nd cast had a massive slow for the center, and the 3rd cast was a root.
W
this ability is pretty much ok, and the best ability i think of current Skarner so its fine that u kept it pretty similar. However 4 effects on one ability is too much on one ability. It would be better to make "dealing bonus magic damage with basic attacks and Frenzied Strikes" as a part of his passive maybe he gets it after being in combat for a duration or while shielded.
W suggestion
Skarner could have a (VERY SHORT) dash in the target direction b4 he gains the shield and other effects, where he quickly burrows and unburrows to gain the shield, for the split second that he's burrowed he'd be untargetable.
E-
I like him getting resource back for hitting the marked units
its fine, idk how i feel about him using some type of crystal magic, i think i'd rather just see his tail rupture through the ground like poppies hammer, or maybe he shoves his tail into the ground behind him and makes it pop up through the ground in front of him destroying an area of the ground
like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz-M23Ozgio&t=5902s
R -
personally i don't like free stats and think they are sub-optimal for game design, but it COULD work....but i mean with out the recast isn't it basically a Master Yi ult?
I think u really need to change it bc with this he's still an ult bot. its too strong and iconic to him while the rest of the kit is not, people will just wait a few minutes every game to unlock the true essence of Skarner bc they will really only play him for the hook.
u need to let go of the current R either scrap it and move on to fertile ground, keep the FEELING of it and pay homage to it (like Urgot's R+E), move it to a basic ability and make it weaker, or scrap it and keep the feeling of it throughout his entire gameplay and not just the ult.
I feel its holding him back too much like old Galio ult. They kept Sejuani's old ult but they weakened its CC and the CC wasn't as strong, they Kept Nunu's ult but its the same as Sej's. In both cases tho they gave them MORE exciting things to do besides ult. Sej: Infinitely stack CC. Nunu; build the biggest snowball with MAX speed, mastering the Snowball turning, Q, and stacking CC. They built Nunu's kit around the use of his ult, his kit enables his ult. They got rid of Galio's ult bc it was too strong, not super exciting/engaging/healthy, and maybe they couldn't figure out what to do to enable it better or what he'd do that was fun when it was on CD. Galio's ult held TOO much of what it meant to play as Galio its what he was mostly about. Thats why they made it a basic ability, bc his old abilities and their gameplay weren't as iconic. I think Skarner is the same way, i don't think his basic abilities will ever deliver on that SKARNER fantasy, the highlight is always the ult, so i think the ult needs to become a basic ability.
Some different versions could be (as an ult)
1.) After a 0.5-second delay, Skarner swings his tail forward 600 units impaling the first enemy champion struck, dealing damage, knocking them back a short distance and begins channeling suppressing them reeling them towards Skarner over a duration. Skarner cannot attack the target.
This would be a skillshot bc its so important. The reeling should be designed such that it takes time for them to reach skarner, they approach his location at a set speed so its not as easy for him to drag where ever he wants.
The REST are as a basic ability.
2.)
FIRST CAST: Skarner charges for up to 3 seconds, slowing himself by x%, and gaining damage reduction/shield/heal over time. Charging increases the ability's range, damage and duration. After 1 second, it can be re-activated ending the damage reduction/shield/heal.
SECOND CAST: Skarner launches his stinger in the target direction, forming a tether with the first enemy hit, dealing damage, and entangling them, and disarming Skarner for a duration. Skarner periodically pulls the target to him a set distance, and automatically pulls them the set distance if more than 200 units away. Attempting to basic attack the unit will end the effects.
Here i traded the Ground for a cast delay since WW gets to do it, even tho its a "pull" type CC like a taunt rather than a push type CC like a Fear. If they let WW flash+W after a delay then why not let Skarner do it even if I based this version off Galio. I also feel that it maybe important to give Skarner some sort of MS bonus or dash somewhere else in his kit to encourage the use of them instead of always trying to go for the flash+CC play, but it maybe fine without it.
After a 0.5-second delay, Skarner launches his tail 650 units in the target direction damaging all enemies it passes through, tethering the first enemy champion or large monster hit for 3 seconds, slowing them by 25% for 1.5 seconds.
While the tether persists, Skarner reveals and pulls the target a set distance towards himself every second reduced each time he damages them.
Here i think you would be able to get away with NOT disarming Skarner, a dumb balance move imo (why would he not attack), because the target isn't suppressed AND being dragged which would allow them to fight back.
Here you have this game play set up once the target has been tagged where they try to fight to escape. And its up to Skarner through the use of his basic attacks and landing Q's to stop them from escaping and maximizing his pull time/distance. I think this is MUCH better because theres a lot more interesting skill and gameplay and outplay potential involved that ISN'T allowed in the base point and click stun ult. BC its on a basic ability its weaker, but u can use it more, PLUS now you can actually make it STRONGER in accordance with the player's skill. Bad Skarner players will not get good pulls, but GREAT Skarner players can pull for a longer distance than his ult and deny escapes, and this is OK, because there's counter play and a chance that the enemy will break out of it.
See while i was looking up possible analogs to adapt Skarners ult to i realized he's basically like Blitz or Thresh. When u play these guys you play them for the hook, the hook IS their fantasy. Except for them they get to play their fantasy all the time bc their fantasy ability isn't their ultimate, its where it should be, on their basic abilities, and they thus have a weaker ultimate that still fits their playstyle without gating the fun of using the ability they want to use the most.
I could see this as his W or E, in either case the Q and the other ability is already set up to enable the basic version of the Ult, which i think is how it always should have been.
Skarner whips his stinger around him in a 400 radius cone in the target direction dealing bonus damage at the radius nearest the mouse and pulling the nearest champions under the effects of CC around him in an arc.
A simple ability that could work in conjuction with his other abilities. It might be STRONGER than his current ult in some situations, but the initial requirement for CC would allow this, making it Basic ability material.
Skarner launches his tail in the target direction and forms a tether with the first enemy hit for 1 second, after which while the tether remains they are pulled to his current location.
Skarner stabs his tail into the ground at his current location and dashes forward in the target direction before returning to the start of the dash after a short delay. If Skarner hits a unit he quickly drags them back to his initial location.
Personally I could see his W and R switching locations so the suppression/pull is harder to hit, and is weaker, but obviously u can cast it more and be in the fantasy more. And then W become a stronger shield with MORE MS, and maybe a dash, or some way to avoid CC/slows, and maybe you can cast it multiple times, to actually enable him as a Diver. I could also see his R replacing his E entirely opening up somethign new for an ult.
