Reimagining Sona: The Mute Composer
Why am I doing this? well imo, Sona was my first champion to ever pick up because i'm really passionate about music and thought that a music based champion would be my main forever and would allow for creativity and expression (like music should do) but after not many games she got boring, like very borning but I only kept maining her because I loved her concept but not the excecution and I like to think that when you share a problem you should also share a solution so here we go.
Sona: The Mute Composer. As the name implies she'd be all about composing songs, her R would be her main ability "Compose" and she'd have it immediately from level 1, this will allow her to set off her compositions. Her Q, W, E will keep the same idea but with a huge twist. Her Q, W and E will be used in conjunction with each other, when you use your abilities they'll stack up to 5 and that's when they'll be set off by "Compose" (her R/Ultimate). Lemme explain, you can use 3 Q along with 2 W for a tune with a specific effect for what you need, depending on how many Q's, W's or E's are used will change the effect of "Compose". (Upgrading compose will buff the ability's effects). Remember, only a maximum of 5 in total can be combined, so you can focus all (5) on damage (Q), all (5) on buffing and healing (W), all (5) on debuffing enemies (E) or mix and matching to suit the situation, the more spells charged into the composition, the more mana it'll cost. (They all follow a similar pattern so it's easy to get used to and understand; a combination of 5 of the same ability gives the same feel as an ultimate). (For a more practical use: If stacked to 5, the ability will set off on it's own).
Q: 1 Q= A little poke damage (1 target) 2 Q= More damage (2 targets -basically sona's normal Q) 3 Q= More damage and your allies around you gain a damage boost (2 targets) 4 Q= More damage, greater damage boost and increased range (3 targets) 5 Q= Increased damage, damage boost and you will damage every enemy in a considerable area (every target in the area)
W: 1 W= Small heal (1 target) 2 W=More healing (2 targets) 3 W=Increased healing and offer allies a small shield (2 targets) 4 W=Increased healing, shield power and range (3 targets) 5 W=Increased healing, shield power, provide damage reduction buff (all allies in range)
E: 1 E= Small slow (1 target) 2 E= Increased slow (2 targets) 3 E= Increased slow and give enemies an attack speed debuff (2 targets) 4 E= Increased slow, attack speed debuff and range (3 targets) 5 E= Release a pulse that stuns targets depending on how close they are to you (the closer, the longer with enemies farther away recieving a considerably smaller stun) (affects all enemies).
For each point in the ability it unlocks a new level allowing Sona to stack it more and therefore get more benefits. But you'd think "How will only having one usable ability be of any use?" Well I'm glad you asked, first of all, stacking an ability will not put it on cooldown, therefore, if you have your Q at level 5 you can spam Q five times fast and use the ability then is when the Q will be on cooldown (depending on how many stacks of it you used) and so will your R. But here is when your passive comes in effect.
Passive: for every enemy or ally affected by one of Sona's abilities, the cooldown of R (and only R) will be reduced by 1 second (up to a maximum of 5); meaning that in teamfights she'll be a "spammy as ever" but she'll not be able to spam, for example, 5 E's as its cooldown would be separate from R, meaning a good Sona will be able to manage cooldowns and effects appropriately depending on the situation.
I believe that she might sound overpowered, but with the right numbers, she can be the same old Sona but with her musical creative spark rekindeled and she'll be finally able to express herself, not through words, but through music - her own compositions- her own emotions.
I believe that, like any musical instrument, it may seem overwhealming at first, but with practice and dedication, a good Sona player will carry their team like a musician carries people's hearts.
Examples of use: You and your adc are at low health and you are being chased Use a mixture of 3W and 2E to heal and shield your adc and you and slow your enemies so you can escape.
Want to be flashy? Well flash into the middle of the enemy team with a 5E's and be the center of attention as everyone is stunned by your harmonious performance.
Want to be a jack of all trades yet master of none? Go for 1Q, 1W and 1E.
You are trading in lane Can't decide if to poke or heal? Well a combination of both will do 2Q and 2W (assuming you are level 4) .
Want to be classic and do regular old poking? Just go for 2Q or even 3Q if you are feisty, but remember, the more stacks on an individual ability, the higher it's individual cooldown and mana cost will be, so maybe stick with 2Q and just spam a lot if low on mana.
A teamfight just started Use 5Q's to power your team up and deal considerable damage (then your Q will be on a significant cooldown) so you stay behind and send a barrage of 3W's and 3E's as to not overwhealm your cooldowns and having the support abilities up more frequently. You see Garen and Udyr aproaching your ADC so you get near your ADC with 4E's charged and when the time is right, you finish off your composition with the last E stunning the enemies with your marvelous composition and proceed with another power boost from your invigorating Q to take advantage of your stun. The teamfight is about to end but the enemy team have a fed orianna that has left your team really low on health, so with your last bit of mana, you concentrate to bring out the most emotional and powerful combination of 5W, your performance was delightful and your team's hp have revitalised along with the shield and damage reduction buff, they were able to withstand Orianna's powerful, huge Ball and take her down. With the enemy team gone, you play the hymn of victory as you gracefully slaughter your way to victory.