The current state of Sona and possible directions she could be taken
http://forums.na.leagueoflegends.com/board/showthread.php?p=46101743#post46101743
INTRODUCTION (feel free to skip, it's mostly fluff and explains why I made this thread)
with all the changes in season 4 along with a busy school and work schedule, I have only had the most minimal time to play league. With aspirations to become a video game designer, and lots of time on computers that don't have league, I spend lots of time thinking about concepts and what might be best for a champion. I don't claim to have the best ideas, but that's what this thread is for, to talk about a champion I love.
since level 10 when I bought her, Sona has been my main. although I strayed a bit when Leona became so strong, I absolutely love the champion. The constant need to position correctly and always moving makes you feel like a commander and more time to watch the map and be strategic makes her very fun to play for a player who might not have the best mechanical skills like me XD. I learned her inside and out, all the nuances and plays she can make, and although at a base level she is simple, mastering the timing and positioning of Sona really does show.
After all my time playing her and seeing how riot works and what they want in a champion I think it's time to have a long talk about Sona and where she might be headed in the future. Below will be a list of possible changes I have thought of, and anything anyone would like to add or comment on would be quite helpful. Here's hoping this thread accomplishes something :D
Goals
primary goals
- get rid of auras to make her a more engaging and powerful champion
- tone down the power of her ult while still retaining it's current feel
- give her skills more interaction and skill (managing passive, spell order, etc)
secondary goals
- keep her kit thematically sound
- create a new use for her "stances" since the auras will be gone
- make her reward skillful play more
- keep the playing the piano feeling of her kit
Possible Changes (with explanations where necessary)
passive - the primary part of the passive will remain the same, dealing damage on next autoattack after 3 spellcasts.
new - after casting a spell, additional casts of the spell will have x% more effect/ cost x% less mana
explanation - by adding this, it adds more skill and decision making to the champion. right now once you hit mid/late game you spam spells all the time even if they have no point. this new passive makes it more viable to repeat the same spell multiple times instead of spamming if you don't need your other spells. this part of the passive would be used to replace some of the power lost by the auras, and would also let her keep her stances. when she uses q she goes into her q "stance" and plays the song until another spell is used. it works well both thematically and hopefully mechanically
q - this spell's base effect remains the same, dealing damage to 2 nearby enemies
new - enemies hit take x% more damage for x seconds
this is a major change. basically my idea is for each spell to have a bonus effect. but then the power chord (passive) will apply the effect of the last spell used. overall power chord will lose a little power normally, but you could possibly have the 2 effects stack, and/or refresh the effect. This would add more skill to the timing and also allow sona to still have her buffing of allies she lost from auras, but only for very temporary time limits. this change I am much more tentative on than the passive one. I am not sure if it actually adds more skill or if it just makes her really strong since she has such low cooldowns. but with a low enough buff/debuff time (1-4 seconds) it might make the timing of her spells (right at an engage, right before death of an ally, stuff like that) much more skillful/important, so overall I think it might add depth, but I think it would have to be tested for sure.
w - this would keep it's base effect just like q, healing sona and 1 ally
new - lower's damage dealt of next enemy that deals damage to you or ally within x seconds by x% for x seconds (power chord is same as now for w)
same as q change, this change gives Sona a way to protect an ally from an initiation from the backline instead of having to be at the front as a squishy. it gives her more flexibility to protect an ally and overall is better. the damage lower might be lowered to 10% or 15% perhaps?
e - this one stays the same as well mostly. except for one thing. this is a small qol change mostly
new1 - the speedup on e now starts MUCH higher and falls off and overall is about the same
with sona being so slow and fat, the ability to use e as a skillshot dodger would be very helpful, cuz right now it's just a press me i'm off cooldown button. it needs the play and counterplay imo. it also gives you more incentive to level it when the speedup boost is higher per level (making skillshot dodging easier)
new2 - e will work like nami e kind of, giving the next spell or aa that hits an enemy (including minions)within x seconds a small slow, with power chord working the same as before, possibly stacking with the slow from the spell)
new3 - (optional possibly op) - with changes to her ult possibly making it much weaker, it might be a good idea to try turning her e power chord into a stun
overall the goal of these changes is to give her e more reasons to level and more power. right now it really just is a skill you use whenever you have excess mana, it needs more play/counterplay and more power. taking power from the ult and possibly from the passive might help here. but if the new power chord feels clunky I would be fine with that change not going through. but the way the speedup works really does need to change. it would give her so much new potential without actually buffing her chasing much.
r - this spell I would like to see reworked slightly. it needs to be nerfed so the power can go on the rest of her kit
first possible change idea - her ult now becomes a new debuff trance which works like a stun, but when the enemy takes non-dot damage the stun ends. this would allow her ult to still be used as an initiation move and an escape, but would take a lot of it's real power away. overall it keeps it's uses and thematic appeal, but loses a lot of power to be put elsewhere on her kit.
second possible change idea - her ult gains the requirement of having to have her power chord up and expends it. this means she loses a power chord and also makes it harder for her to use an ult. it would be a big power change early game and still a slight power change late game. overall it would make sense for her character. bonus idea possibly increasing the required stacks for power chord would be interesting. with the debuffs put on the spells, power chord could become a much harder to obtain resource without making her feel clunky, making it more valuable and also helping to balance, but that is really just another possible lever
third possible change idea either using her last used spell and possibly requiring her power chord (like second idea) her ult now loses the stun but gains an additional affect. for q it deals a ton of damage, for w it heals allies under it as well as damaging enemies, and for e it slows heavily. it would allow more choice and skill and I think it is a possibility. while this option takes the most power away imo, it also gives a lot of choice and a lot of power budget to other parts of her kit
CONCLUSION
overall I love Sona, I think she needs more levers and skill to tune with, and that she has so much in her spells that could have more play added to them. with her ult nerfed and her auras gone, she could really become strong and also she could become slightly more niche than before with previously she was always a safe pick in any comp, now she could be played more interestingly imo
PLEASE give any feedback or ideas you have about Sona, I really want to talk about her and what can be done to make her a more engaging champion and to get rid of some of the toxic elements riot dislikes about her.
and TO RIOT, it would mean a lot to me to hear you guys respond. I listen to the forums so much and try and learn so many game design concepts from you all. I think you do an amazing job and would love to hear feedback on how well my own idea fit into riot and game design concepts in general, or if anything in this post is sound or might be worth changing. the thought of an idea of mine going into the game would make me happier than probably anything in my life, and I really hope to see you guys someday as I aspire to join the ranks :D
TL;DR this is hard but Sona needs small changes and tweaks to gain a more engaging experience, and needs to lose a few parts of her kit so that she can be stronger and easier to balance in the long run
