@Riot, Have you Noticed the Item Power Creep?

Mandaari·Dec 11, 2013·1 votes·150 views

Riot, you've always been pretty against power creep on champions, but have you looked at your items lately? They've gotten to the point where items are just way too versatile. This isn't to say that they're OP, just overburdened in their designs. You knew this was true about Zhonya's Ring -- it gave too much offensive and defensive power in one item -- so you split the item up. Yet after a few seasons of power creep I think there are some worse offenders than Zhonya's Ring was.

Examples:

- Spirit Visage Remember how you nerfed DFG's CDR because you didn't want people to "fall into it"? You wanted people to build specifically for CDR if they wanted CDR. Then why does the tied-for-highest MR item on SR give tied-for-highest CDR along with some pretty amazing sustain stats? This item should be taken specifically when its passive is needed. It shouldn't be core on virtually any top laner.

- Blade of the Ruined King Again, the item has two different things going on with it. Originally it was made so the melee champs could get into range, and also to counter the health meta that was going on at the time. These two goals are so far apart design-wise it really makes me wonder why they're on the same item. Because of that its been rebalanced a lot since it was released. If you want a melee chase weapon that's fine; make a weapon that has BoRK's movement speed effects and give it good melee stats. Something akin to Hydra or Ghostblade. If you want percent health that's fine too. Put it on an item that specifically says "I want this to counter those 6 warmogs." Don't put them on the same item.

- Black Cleaver AD casters needed an item to cover their AD, CDR, and give them a little bit of tankiness. This was that item, but it gives so many different stats that there's really no downside to the item. You get pretty much everything you need. AD casters [I]should[/I] be able to get everything they need. But they should have to itemize for it, not get it all in one package. The part of this item that's especially overburdened is the armor pen. Armor pen should always be something you have to specifically itemize for because your opponent built armor. Like CDR, armor pen shouldn't be something you fall into.

- Hextech Sweeper, Grez's Spectral Lantern, and The Lightbringer Back when the new TT was released Teemo was an absolute nightmare. The entire lack of vision made trap champions extremely strong because of both the map awareness they offered and the inability to get rid of their traps. At the same time mages suffered because they needed a lot of stats. So Riot made these three items. Good. They were needed. But they have a little too much going on. For one, they address three different problems on one item -- Map awareness, trap detection, and jungle clear (not for Sweeper obviously). Keep in mind this is TT and that the versatility is a little more necessary here than on SR. The problem here is a little more subtle: Stealth detection. Stealth needs to be counterable, but not by an item that you'll see in every match anyway. A quick fix to this one is to remove the true sight and trap detection from the items. Then make a mirrored version of the items with worse stats that are specifically designed for stealth detection. That way you're taking a hit for countering a mechanic rather than just "falling into" the counter.

Compare these items to Executioner's Calling. Executioner's was specifically designed for ADCs to counter healing. Even though the item is pretty under-tuned it has stats stay true to its intent. Its stats are only really useful to ADCs and it has one passive with a clear goal in mind. If you want that goal then you need to take a hit in offensive power. In this case that hit is a little too hard, but an item that you build for a specific goal should make you take a hit elsewhere. This item does that.

TL;DR: There are some items that have too much going on with them. That's not to say they're OP, rather they're not "balanceable" in Riot's terms.

12 Comments

JackAquaDec 11, 20131 votes

I totally agree to everything, but especially the thing about Cdr. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have reached a max of 40% Cdr ? There are so many more nice items out there but no ! You can't buy em' cause then the Cdr goes to waste. Seriously Riot, stop putting 20% Cdr on every second item you make. It's weird enough that you make every single item build out of Cdr items, but then you add another 1% to the masteries so I'll always want to go 5% + boots !
Ugh, I need an own thread for this specifically.
But yeah, +1 to this.

FearZer0Dec 11, 20132 votes

Just because 1 stat value goes to waste doesn't mean you can't buy it, many items that give CDR are gold efficient without the CDR

JackAquaDec 11, 20131 votes

Yeah, no, I know that, but I just can't ... you know ? It just doesn't feel right to buy more than 40% Cdr ...

RhytoDec 11, 20131 votes

Lux lasers every second ^_^

Aeolian MelodiesDec 11, 20131 votes

Eh, as a support main I have those games sometimes when I know I'm overcapping my CDR but the other benefits those items provide me are just too good to pass.

MandaariDec 11, 20131 votes

Your comment and the responses to your comment pretty much sum up the problems with CDR especially. It's incredibly easy to find items that get you to 40% CDR, even without the blue buff.

Items shouldn't be gold efficient if a stat on them is going entirely to waste. Riot needs to remove/nerf CDR on a lot of their items and then introduce a high CDR item that's sole purpose is for high CDR.

Aeolian MelodiesDec 11, 20131 votes

I disagree, nobody - NOBODY - in the game strictly needs CDR. If the item you're describing was to be implemented it would need to give a fuckton of CDR to be worth building if its other benefits where not that important. Even so, it would just kill build diversity. Casters, supports and tanks need CDR, which is why it can be found on several items that benefits them. Riot obviously people to have a CHOICE when it comes to their source of CDR so they can adapt their build depending on their role and the situation.

MandaariDec 11, 20131 votes

Right, but that source of CDR should be a choice that comes with pros and cons. If you want a huge amount of CDR then you should be buying that item for the core reason (sole reason was a poor choice of words) of getting high CDR. Spirit visage is the worst offender of this because you're getting insane sustain, defensive stats, and CDR.

And when I say an item with high CDR I mean high CDR -- like 25% or 30%. Maybe make a few items like this: one for AD casters, one for AP casters/supports, and one for tanks. You would buy that item with the core reason of getting CDR and picking which one specifically based on your role. You can then buy a lower-CDR item that itemizes more for your role's other stats to finish off the cap.

Edit: To add on to that, there aren't really any champions that need solely AD and lifesteal or solely AD and crit, yet those items are core on ADCs anyway. ADCs need other items to complement their other items. They don't get it all handed to them in one item. The same thing would apply here. You would get high CDR out of one item (plus some other low-but-helpful stats) which you then complement with other items. No one item should ever give you everything (or mostly everything) that you need.

Aeolian MelodiesDec 12, 20131 votes

Yeah, only ADCs (mostly) really need AD and lifesteal and AD and crit, and you know what? The ADC itemization is the stiffest in the entire game. I wouldn't use it as an example to follow.

MandaariDec 12, 20131 votes

Alright I'll use AP mid items. Rabadon's, DFG, and void staff give purely offensive stats. If you want utility or defense you have to build separate items for them. Granted Zhonya's has pretty high AP. Abyssal also has lower MR and AP to account for its passive and stat duality.

And ADCs need AD, lifesteal, crit, armor pen, and AS offensively, as well as at least one defensive item so they don't get gibbed. There aren't any items that give all of those stats, let alone in large amounts.

Aeolian MelodiesDec 13, 20131 votes

And that's why ADC itemization is stiff as hell whereas APC itemization is much more flexible.

I'm sorry I'm really not seeing the point you were trying to make here...

MandaariDec 13, 20131 votes

APC builds are more flexible because they have more items available to them. The items individually work toward their own goal and aren't too spread out. It's not about the flexibility of a class's build. It's about how each item works toward that build.

The items I listed in the OP tend to work toward multiple goals.