Rework Concept to Thematically Fit Caitlyn and Sona
No Riot-bashing please.
Caitlyn -With the release of Jhin, it is clear that Riot can make marksman champion fit the game in a balanced and enjoyable fashion. Unfortunately, he fits the role Caitlyn is touted as being thematically geared toward. Jhin does Caitlyn better than Caitlyn it seems like. Yes, Caitlyn has her own skillset and way of doing things but other than arbitrary zoning I believe it's general opinion (based on what I've seen on the matter) that Caitlyn has never felt like a sniper. High-powered, long range, fast bullets, deliberate fire rate, and a certain sniper feel satisfaction that makes you feel like a badass for landing the shot. So here's a rework that accomplishes what I think fits that, but also stays true to her lore of gadgetry and policing.
P: Caitlyn chambers the next bullet after every AA. Her bullets have armor pen based on level. Attack speed increases reload speed instead. Caitlyn reloads after every fourth shot, Q, and R.
Q: Next AA decreases armor rating scaling off skill level for 3 seconds. The AA range is also doubled. The bullet will stop after hitting the first champion in the bullet's path.
W: Bury a snap trap that roots champions in a sprung police net for 3 seconds. The trap deals no damage. The trap is only visible to true sight. Champions shot while rooted automatically apply Q at no cooldown.
E: Place a Hextech sentry at target location that stays active for 90 seconds before powering down. Caitlyn can reactivate it by approaching it and clicking on it. There's a brief channel to reactivate it. Enemy champions that approach it are followed by the sentry and it grants vision of them for 10 seconds.
R: Global ult: your crosshair is made visible by a laser sight. In 5 seconds following activation, Caitlyn fires a lightning-fast armor-piercing bullet down the line of the laser with increased armor pen based on skill level. The shot automatically crits. The shot can be intercepted.
Sona -The Sona rework isn't necessarily a failure from a competitive standpoint. I would argue that her position didn't change much. (Now many of you may consider it to be a failure because of that. This I can agree with to an extent.) The real issue I have the rework though is that thematically she doesn't feel like a magical musician. Likewise, she doesn't feel fun and meaningful to play. Bear in-mind, this is my opinion. I would argue the reason she is used as much as she still is stems from her character design, ease of use, and general need for an easy-to-use support for the majority of players that hate supporting. As someone who highly values a good support and plays the role fairly well, I just find Sona to be highly underwhelming despite not being useless as many opponents of the rework would argue. My go-to supports are Lulu, Braum, and Orianna. I go Morgana, Thresh, and Zyra per-request. The reason I value these supports is because they alter fight and skirmish dynamics in meaningful ways which are often needed throughout a game. Reliable CC, protection, peel, positioning, consistency, etc. It's not that Sona doesn't offer some of these things, she just doesn't feel worthwhile versus other champions that outshine her in these departments. This rework is to better fit her theme of a heart-stopping magic bard and make her a fun competitive support pick. The abilities still grant the 360 zone of effect. That fits the theme of sound and I saw no reason to change that.
P: Power chord: Every fourth spell cast (including the ult) empowers Sona's next AA with a passive ability on-hit. Sona's abilities after activation, also have a lingering aura of increased range as she continues to play the tune. Auras grant passive effects.
Q: (7 sec cd at max) Increases allied Atk dmg and charges Sona's and nearby allies' first AA with a spellblade scaling off Sona's AP. Values are decreased by a factor of the number of allies affected. The aura increases allied mana regen and for every minute the song is played the mana value restored increases by 1.5%. The base value of the mana regen increases with skill level. Power chord decreases target's Atk dmg.
W: (7 sec cd at max) Increases allied armor and magic resist. Values are decreased by a factor of the number of allies affected. Passive aura grants health regen and for every minute the song is played, the health regen value increases by 1%. Power chord decreases target's armor and mr.
E: (7 sec cd at max) Sona plays a dissonant composition slowing enemies in 360 radius. Passive aura increases allied movement speed by 2%. Power chord decreases target's Atk spd.
R: (60 sec cd at max) Crescendo is a short-range 360. Passive aura grants 30% tenacity. Power chord silences target.