[Champion Rework Project]: SKARNER, the Crystal Vanguard
#SKARNER
I've seen a few downvotes I'm not sure of the reasoning behind: please let me know so I can address the problems / concerns / questions! If you think I'm on the wrong track, tell me why!
This is part one in a planned Champion Rework Project, a challenge to myself to do at least one solid champion design rework every week -- possibly more.
Skarner is a bit of an odd character. He's very auto-attacked focused, heavily reliant on a somewhat gimmicky mechanic (the Crystal Spires) that consume a large part of his power budget, has somewhat uninspiring lore, and isn't the most well-defined character in general. This makes him a perfect target for a revision.
#THE GOAL The goal of this rework is simple: push Skarner further into the Juggernaut role, creating interesting gameplay with strong moments of power and weakness without restricting Skarner's effectiveness to isolated areas of the map. Since he IS a very auto-attack focused character, I'm going to be making him the Attack Speed Juggernaut: a tanky, highly kiteable monster who becomes a terrifying scorpion-shaped blender of death if you let him play to his strengths.
A side goal was to preserve as much of Skarner's current feel as possible: while I'm not a huge fan of his current incarnation as far as power curve and specific moments of power, I do think Skarner players are attached to the Q-spam and the Ult. As such, I've made both more rewarding: Q has a lot more power if you're skilled with it, and the R's new stack-adding mechanic makes it an incredibly powerful initiation tool if you can land it.
The version of Skarner presented below has its worst-case scenario power cut a little: Crystal Slash deals less damage by default, Skarner's W no longer grants a speed boost, and Fracture's cooldown is increased by a second (although it gains a really nice Maximum Health damage bonus that allows it to hit like a truck in the very late game). That's an important balancing point to the Juggernaut play style -- highs and lows built around engagement ranges and moments of opportunity.
The true Juggernaut emerges when Skarner is able to get close enough to an opponent (or hold them down with Fracture) for long enough to land three auto-attacks -- that's sufficient time to create a Spire at their location, granting Skarner access to the bulk of his power. He gains access to incredibly strong Q scaling that doesn't risk falling off from missing a Q, massive movement and attack speed boosts, faster repeated shields, and more casts of Fracture. Only other Juggernauts can really stand toe-to-toe with him in this situation: other characters are forced to kite him, or force him out of his Spire radius.
Ideally, I'd also be changing Skarner's lore...but since his new lore would, in my mind, still fit his current playstyle, I'll leave that out for now.
##NUMBERS ARE ROUGH ESTIMATES ONLY. They are probably too high in some places
This is by design. It's easier to start high and strip power from what is overwhelming than start low and be unsure where to add power.
Anyway, let's get down to it!
##COMMENTS AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED.
#[PASSIVE]: CRYSTAL RESONANCE Skarner's auto-attacks apply a Mark of Crystal Resonance to large monsters and enemy champions for 10 seconds, stacking up to three times. When Skarner deals ability damage to a target with 3 Marks of Crystal Resonance upon them he raises a spire at their current location. Spires last for 12 seconds, and grant Skarner massively increased movement speed and attack speed while he remains in range of them. The buff decays rapidly over 1 second when Skarner leaves the area or the Spire decays.
Spires have a 16 / 12 / 8 second cooldown, which starts when the previous Spire decays.
#[Q]: CRYSTAL SLASH Skarner deals 30 / 34 / 38 / 42 / 46% Attack Damage physical damage to all enemies within 350 units. If he strikes at least one enemy unit, Skarner gains a stack of Crystal Empowerment for 4 seconds.
If Skarner has at least one stack of Crystal Empowerment, subsequent casts of Crystal Slash refresh the duration, but do not also add additional stacks unless Skarner strikes an enemy champion or large monster. Casts of Crystal Slash that hit enemy champions or large monsters refresh the duration and add one stack of Crystal Empowerment, to a maximum of 4 stacks. Bonus stacks of Crystal Empowerment decay one every 4 seconds as long as Skarner keeps hitting minions, but all stacks vanish completely if Skarner goes 4 seconds without hitting a target with Crystal Slash.
Crystal Empowerment stacks do not decay when Skarner is in range of a Spire.
Crystal Slash deals 17 / 19 / 21 / 23 / 25% Attack Damage bonus magic damage per stack of Crystal Empowerment.
Basic attacks reduce Crystal Slash's cooldown by .25 seconds, quadrupled to 1 against enemy champions.
Cooldown: 3.5 / 3.25 / 3 / 2.75 / 2.5 seconds. Mana Cost: Extremely Low
#[W]: ENCHANTED CARAPACE Skarner shields himself for 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14% of his maximum health for up to 6 seconds. While the shield persists Skarner's basic attacks reduce the cooldown of Enchanted Carapace by 1 second.
Cooldown: 16 / 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 seconds. Mana Cost: Moderate
#[E]: FRACTURE Skarner fires a line of energy that deals X magic damage to the first five enemies in its path, slows them by 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50% for 2.5 seconds, and marks them with Crystal Venom for 5 seconds. Auto-attacks against targets marked by Crystal Venom consume the mark, deal additional physical damage equal to 4 / 5.5 / 7 / 8.5 / 10% of Skarner's maximum hit points, and stun them for 1 second.
Fracture's cooldown is reduced by 1 second whenever Skarner auto-attacks a target marked by Crystal Venom. This cooldown reduction is increased by 75% (to a 1.75 second reduction whenever Skarner auto-attacks a target marked by Crystal Venom) when Skarner is within range of a Spire.
Cooldown: 15 / 14.5 / 14 / 13.5 / 13 seconds. Mana Cost: Medium-Low
#[R]: IMPALE ACTIVE: Skarner rears his stinger, rooting his target for 0.25 seconds as he brings it down, dealing 100% AD physical damage, 20 / 60 / 100 (+50% AP) magic damage and suppressing them for 1.75 seconds. At the end of the duration, the target takes the same damage again.
The target gains a stack of Crystal Resonance every .5 seconds while suppressed.
For the duration, Skarner can move freely and drag his victim around with him but cannot attack them.
#RECOMMENDED ITEMS
--Core-- Mercury Treads Sterak's Gage Blade of the Ruined King
--OFFENSIVE-- Trinity Force Titanic Hydra Black Cleaver
--DEFENSIVE-- Frozen Mallet Iceborn Gauntlet Dead Man's Plate Randuin's Omen