@Morello: The direction of Soraka's rework

Wow you guys sure are getting a lot of reworks going on this year. I mean we had a decent amount last year, but this year.... holy shit! I'm glad as well! I can't wait to see all the reworked champions and hope they turned out well.

2014 year of the rework. 2015 year of real game features replays/achievements XD

Can you elaborate on whether or not you going to try push soraka into support position? I mean i personally dont find going against soraka mid very enjoyable, but that doesnt mean she should be pigeonholed into supporting.

And if you are going to keep her sololane capability can you change her in a way that doesnt hurt her support?

I mean im not a game designer but with the recent lulu nerfs it didnt really hurt what was considered as too strong in the midlane. Base damage nerf hurts support more than mid.

Personally i think that lulu being able to have such strong offensive capabilities(her glitterlance and autos do an insane amount of damage) while ALSO having strong scaling defensive abilities(dont know the exact number but late game with shield and ult, at least 1000 health).

All you really nerfed was how annoying it was for you to take a lot of damage without being near lulu. Im greatful that she can no longer glitterlance you twice with enough cdr from her pix on you, but her being able to shield minions wasnt something many ppl complained about

What about her fantasy/awesome reality of "I am a viable solo champion" some soraka mains seem to have? I love taking her mid and top. If the "helping" fantasy returns her to being the worst support in the game and unable to leave bottom, that's going to piss a lot of people off.

This season has been like a backhanded middle finger to the traditional supports. First they get pushed out of bottom by utility mids, now the 2 who managed to find other lanes have been nerfed (lulu) and are in the process of getting completely nerfed again (soraka).

This also stinks of riot trying to enforce the meta when it should just let mids and tops evolve around lulu and soraka venturing out of bottom.

I'll admit I don't play Soraka much, and currently I am an Unranked Plebeian. But from what I understand: at her worst, Soraka doesn't need to interact with enemies, and just stands by waiting for her lane partner's health and mana to go down, and manages to invalidate the enemy's damage entirely when overtuned. When she does interact with enemies, it's a point-and-click silence, and a lane-pushing skill where all you can do is 'not be near Soraka, and continue to not be near Soraka because you keep losing Magic Resist'.

Now, on the topic of Starcall if you're support Soraka, you probably DON'T want the lane to be pushed when you're trying to knock a few seconds off the cooldown of Astral Blessing, and if your Soloraka, you can push so well it can become a bit overbearing to the enemy.

I've had an idea for a while: Turning Starcall into an AoE Skillshot, hitting an enemy grants Stacks of something, and your next Astral Blessing consumes those stacks to turn a normally weak regen into a better one (Maybe even Infuse uses up those stacks as well). Not sure what else would change, or if Starcall would keep the magic resist shred or not. Is there any design flaws this has that I'm not really aware of?

I'm genuinely curious if there were any kit prototypes that Riot has tried internally that just didn't work, and why.

So... Morello. In the competitive scene we've just seen a very much heal based comp (SPOILERS: FNC vs ALL). This is probably due to the fact that heal was changed, but ALSO because ignite was ninja nerfed with the heal change and people are taking it less in their comps. Are we gonna see some more heal nerfs coming out soon? Or is this a viable strat, sort of like how poke comps and engage comps are sometimes chosen in competitive play? Would you be OK with a "heal" comp, if it perhaps had the downside of being weak to engage comps? TBh, i didn't really see that weakness FNC's heal comp that game. They just healed and healed and healed, and if anyone ever got caught, flash. How do feel about all this?

As far as I understand, her main issues are counter-play (can't stop passive top-offs under tower) and living up to her core fantasy (MEDIC!) as these two currently conflict with eachother.

There's also the issue of her Q having counterplay besides staying just outside lane or killing her.

My suggestion is to remake her Q into a short-medium range harassing skillshot that deals damage and allows the Soraka player access to her W.

DISCLAIMER: Below is just a suggestion, obviously numbers would be different and anything about it could be changed.

| Ability | Name | Effect | |- |(Passive) http://i.imgur.com/2EA0naM.png | Salvation | For every stack of Astral Essence Soraka gains, nearby allies gain an additional 2/5/8 HP5 and 2/5/8 MP5| |(Q) http://i.imgur.com/CJ8Qq6Q.png | Starcall | Calls down an astral being to the target area dealing 60/95/130/165/200 (+50% Ability Power) magic damage to enemy champions. For every champion hit, Soraka gains a stack of Astral Essence. Max 5 Stacks| |(W) http://i.imgur.com/ALvytBW.png | Astral Blessing | Heals a single ally 75/100/125/150/175 health per stack of Astral Essence and increases their armor by 50/65/80/95/110 (+15% Ability Power) Requires at least one stack of Astral Essence [EDIT: or does very minimal healing without stacks]|

Basically make Q a pillar-like skillshot that can be dodged, make it give you a stacking buff that's more beneficial to put yourself at risk and get stacks with. Makes it to where you can't top off anymore as you have to harass to get your heal up, if this seems restrictive, maybe allow Infuse to gain stacks as well?

the principles and problems that our mental model is built around

How exactly would you describe those problems? Why is healing a problem in League of Legends? Doesn't it require teamwork and contain at least one counter-play? More precisely, will some buffs and nerfs to change anything in the current state of the game? Oh, and I would love to understand why do you think she is broken, what characterizes broken to you? Thanks!

Just so you know, take out her healing and she won't be Soraka anymore. By that point you'll have already failed at doing a rework for her. She's called "the healer of the stars" in her lore for a reason. Heck, her whole story is based on the fact that she's a healer. Her theme isn't just "helping", her theme is specifically "healing". If other supports end up having superior healing (because they will at this rate, considering the double standards behind healing in this game), then you really need to reconsider how you're going about changing Soraka. If you don't know how to handle healing, do Soraka fans a favor and leave it to someone who does (so Xypherous or Guinsoo probably).

On the bright side, even if you do decide to destroy what she's supposed to be and thereby make her rework an utter failure, it's nice to hear that you'd at least make her into a helper support. So she'll still be interesting and likeable to players who like that kind of support; she just won't be Soraka. Which is okay, kind of (not really), considering that the number of "helping-fantasy" supports in this game is infinitesimal.

Prob won't be read but might as well show my take on W. I think to give more counterplay, Soraka's heal could be a channel to an ally, during which she is immobile (possibly floating in the air like her recall?). It'll probably also give armor to the one she's channeling to. It stops mid raka from takin the stage (unless u make it so she heals herself) and enemies can have a say in her healing. Soraka actually has to make sure she's in the right position in order to heal. Thanks for readin this :P

Morello, what do you think about something like this? I think it cures all problems with Soraka.

The main thing is, that there is no way to retain all current features while increasing kit viability. For example Starcall: it is great thematically and feel powerfull on use, but although I love BattleRaka, Starcall in its current form is extremly unviable on support champ - which Soraka should primarly be.

Passive - Consecration: Allied units (and herself) strucked by Sorakas spells gets X% Damage Reduction for 4 seconds. Probably working on stacks system, it depends on a desirable power curve.

Reversed Kyle passive. Makes Soraka and her team less squishy, also is in theme of Astral Protector.

Q - Two options:

1. Starcall: - Works on ammo system, spammy. Each X second Soraka gains a Starshard with max number of 5. Casting Starcall costs and consumes 1 Starshard. Soraka sends a small star as linear skilshot, detonating on first enemy champion hit for Y dmg, true-revealing him and reducing his sight radius to 300 when removing allied vision for 1 second. Also damages non-champion enemies whilst in flight for same dmg (Graves-ult like).

"Non-violent" battlefield control by reducing vision. Minions can't block but used for harras through them push lane. Still can effectively farm in sololane. Ammo system to have it spammy when needed, no "spam like no tomorrow" all the time.

2. Stardust: - 4s CD. Soraka covers all enemies in a cone in stardust, inflicting dmg and true-revealing them and reducing their sight radius to 300 when removing allied vision for 1 second.

AoE dmg even vs champs but without possibility for chaining vision reduction.

W - Astral Touch: Vector skillshot, starting at targeted ally unit. Targeted unit is healed for moderate amount and a bolt of energy is fired from them (range ~700). Bolt slows (20-40% for 2 sec) all enemies it pass by and grants additional heal to original target for each enemy champion struck.

Grants some "sure" heal but to get most of it you need to line up as many enemy champions as possible. Additional slow makes saving target more plausible. Can slow distant champs like lulu E+Q combo.

E: CD: 10 sec | Cost mana

Two options:

1. Infused Rune - Soraka immediately places small rune on target location. Rune is active from the beginning, give vision in small area around it and lasts 5 seconds. Get consumed when stomped on by any champion. Damages and Silences enemy champion for 1.5-2.5 seconds. Gives 35% speedbuff for same time for ally champion.

No longer gives mana. Still zero-time silence. Can be used for scouting. Soraka needed even a slightest movement skill in kit.

2. Enchanted Groove - Ground targeted skill to immediately create a Sacred ground for 3 sec. Enemies inside it are silenced, but if they leave it before it expires they take some dmg (both effects can happens multiple times). Allies inside have granted huge MP5 boost, and when they leave it they gain a MS boost until ground expires (or until they walk in again).

Now "no-brainer" skill become playmaker when retaining its functions. Can be used to zone out enemies, awsome counter-initation or follow-up CC; still give mana to allies but are tied to one area for this time, being easier to hit by skillshots/zoning themselves (counterplay, depending where you place it). Some mobility 'cause she needs it.

R - Wish: Two options:

1. LIVE version plus gives max effect of Sorakas passive to affected champions.

Now isn't partially wasted when rescuing one champion, buff still can be effective on full-health champions. Can be little over a top in teamfights.

2. Still global, but targeted on one friendly champion. Pilar of light heal the target and create shockwave that heal nearby allies for same amount.

Removing the "always everyone everywhere" part gives space to buff the heal. It has less "wasted power" when we want to rescue one guy, but also can be set to be a whole team heal in clustered teamfights.

I've been a soraka main since season 1. I'm not big into the competitive play realm. I do think she could be a more balanced pick than she is right now. She got a huge buff with the heal spell being as good as it is.

I have a couple of suggestions. My first one is that W should heal % missing health. IT would no longer be used to top off. You'd need to use it at just the right moment before someone died but best the closer they are to dying. IF you are fast you can save someone as they are bursted. Totally clutch. And you could still be deceptively tanky if you can time a heal on yourself just right.

Starcall is the easiest to use ability in the game. Its great for people with disabilities in their hands like I have. I can't aim a skill shot as well as I sued to. Stacking q's to do damage is tough and risky. Great if you can get in to do it. I've always felt it to be a wave pushing and risk/reward spell. You need to skirt the edges to stack up the damage.

She is a sustain champion. That should never be changed. Her star call could be turned into a another sustain or vision granting ability just by changing what it does. It could reduce the cool down time on her sustain abilities.

Just the best I can think of. I'm not really familiar with how riot wants the game to be. But I still feel making w restore % missing health would make it riskier. You want people to be lower on health for a clutch play. But they could also die before you time it and save them.

Could the W be an AoE skillshot, as in she forms a Power Word Barrier that heals people in a circle, but maybe does it over time? This way to gain health one would have to sit in the circle, but also not sit in it if the enemy is running them through?

Could you take a look at this thread I just made?

Thank you kindly,
Hyrum Graff
ForumWanderer

That isn't possible with Riot's model right now is because of a couple of reasons:

• In order for Soraka to keep her heal, she needs to take risk to use it, or she should have a diminished heal if no risk were taken. Neither of these are true right now, and if that doesn't change she will always be discouraging interactions from players since she'll keep top off her carry's HP.

• By doing that she nullifies trades, and in the run her opponent would realize that it's better to just sit there and farm until the rest of the laning phase, since Soraka will just heal everything back again anyway.

• That said, if she were to be a supportive defensive support like say Janna, she would still have to interact with her opponent and the heal right now is preventing that. Simply nerfing it won't do since she doesn't have much else to compensate for. We'd have to include "ideal usage" like Nami's heal boune, or taking risk of getting damaged to have it useable.

• But Nami is allowed to have a heal like that because the rest of her kit screams "player interactions", so ideally it means she will utilize the rest of her kit, or sit there with a dimished heal while not utilizing her kit and be overall useless. Soraka currently can't be punished like that because the rest of her kit doesn't have any player interactions either (with the exception of Q, which is flawed). So let me make this clear, if they can't find a way to make her kit more offensive oriented, she can't have her W heal back, and she would begin transformation into a helper support without a low cd heal.

• The players are really attached to her Astral Blessing because it fulfills the healer fantasy. In my opinion, the fantasy is doable, as long as she has opportunities to work for that heal like a combat healer. The whole point of heal is recovering from combat, so if there's no combat, there would be no heal. And with a more combat oriented kit, Soraka players would get to heal better.

the problem is not that soraka does not work with her current kit, the problem is that if she works, she's totally toxic to play against, as ur enemy will spam all he has into ur face, and if u want to trade back it gets heald back up.