༼ つ◕_◕༽つ give burrow or we riot ༼ つ◕_◕༽つ

cross posted from here: http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?t=4436659

lets talk skarner!

again.

Currently skarner is a tank who's job is to infiltrate the enemy team and CC someone other than the front lines.

this means he needs to walk up to the enemy team, CC (in melee range) either the APC or the ADC or any other priority target, and try to get out.

his current tools to get this accomplished are an MS boost that ramps up, and a slow.

im going to propose that the only way for skarner to accomplish what he is meant for is by him being completely broken overpowered.

lets examine skarners problems shall we?

1. he is not tanky enough to get his job accomplished.
2. he is easily escaped from by anyone with a gap closer.
3. he is completely useless outside of CCing a priority target.
4. skarner lacks an initiation tool, yet he is a front line TANK.

the only true way to fix this is to make skarner be able to get past the front line and get his job done, but with his current tools, this is impossible to balance, if you make skarner tanky enough to ignore the voidstaff lyiandries APC and last whisper ADC for a good 5-7 seconds while he walks up to them to CC them you officially broke the game. because he'd be unkillable.

now, the only logical solution to the problem is a bit of a role change for skarner. shifting his role a bit to the initiator role which he lacks at the moment.

Give him a gapcloser, take away his slow completely, and give him a gap closer very similar to lissandras gap closer, his E would mark where the end point is on the ground, just like lissandras does, but he burrows under hte ground, and travels there a little faster than lissandra does to her gap closer, this means he's untargettable while he's gap closing.

this would have counterplay (so first skarner just lost his slow, but to stick on targets he has an MS boost and if he wants more he can build brofists, trinity or rylais, or just take red buff) in the form of either flashing/gap closing away from skarners destination, or instantly turning on skarner CCing him when he comes out and killing him before he ults someone.

this does a few things:

1. it enables skarner to accomplish his job, without overtuning his tankyness, since you dont have to consider damage taken while traveling to the back lines, but only damage taken coming out of the back lines.
2. it enables smart choice for skarner, and his targets. his opponents have the option of flashing/gap closing away from skarner, and skarner has the option of flashing after them, or flashing out of the engagement.
3. it enables good counter play, as the targets team you can either turn on him and kill him, or disengage.
4. this change would add a lot to his scorpio feeling.
5. i dont actually think a lot of ppl are against this change.

lets face it, how many tanks do we know that lack an initiation? besides skarner?