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[Rework Concept] Annie, the Dark Child

Universal Scarf·7/4/2016, 4:12:34 AM·8 votes·2,550 views

Hello, Board Users! Today, I am coming to you with some ideas to change one of the most butthurt cahmpions in the league. The Child that is darker than s*tan's butthole.

http://static.zyra.cc/img/skins/1215/annie_0.jpg

Well, not really. She is on fire. Literally, the girl on fire. But her gameplay? Uh-huh. She is one of the most basic mages in the game, and the skill floor and ceilings are so close to each other that its not even funny. Especially with the last change to her stun indicator - new players benefitted from it, but the laning annie is just terrible now at high ranks - noone even comes close until you cast stun, unless you are in the bush the whole game waiting to instakill. And then, her burst-cooldown problems roll in, which are not even compensated by her E. So...

I thought, like with my other posts, I will just throw some ideas out there and see what happens. Here we go.

ISSUES THAT I THINK SHE HAS

  • Burst-only type of gameplay, which is a "roll face on the keyboard after flash" type of gameplay, and when you're done, you can't do anything else.
  • Tibbers is the key to persistent damage. Which is, if you fail your cast and fail to stun your target, you can just go back and run around helplessly for 180 more seconds.
  • Literally single defence spell that doesn't fit the character design at all, and makes no sense on the kit. No reasonable damage, no reasonable defence. Given other damage sources, unreworkable and unbalanceable.
  • 3-cast burst down of any carry, dependless of their build, if you have Void Staff. Counterplay much? Still wanna nerf Zed? Or, better, Irelia?
  • Literally no chances against hard-controling tanks, that build a bit of tenacity.
  • As an outcome of strenghths-weaknesses ratios: 50-50 win or fail in every game, depending on if they have a powerful tank. If they do, you're screwed, if they don't - they are screwed.
  • Farming without your Q is barely possible. Basic attack wind-up just forces you to waste your stun with your Q on that last minion that is left low-health and all your creepwave is focusing it. And then waste 150 more mana stacking that stun, so you have at least some defence before you get dived and killed. Sweet!

MY IDEAS

Changes to basic attacks She needs a cut in the wind up of her AAs, and that's about it. Making it faster doesn't feel necessary, but will feel like a good improvement to quality of life for her. Depending on farming with Q doesn't always end well.

Changes to abilities

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/6.12.1/img/passive/Annie_Passive.png

  • [P] - Pyromania - Stuns targets that have been hit by 2 abilities within 2 seconds. So, the problem with Annies stun is that it has no window for her opponents to react. Like, at all. She jumps in with the flash/protobelt, and bam - you're stunned. And then dead, apparently. So, I wanted to give enemies a little window to escape. But there is a trick: since you now have that, Annie can bait control-removing spells from people with mind games. I will flash and chain 2 of my abilities to stun you... or will I? Since there are no more obvious stacks, and you are upping the skill ceiling. What a treat to a competitive play!
    • New - "Need Some Windows" - every 4th ability stuns its target -> landing two abilities on the same target within 2 seconds will stun the target for 1.5/1.75/2.0 seconds (on levels 1/6/11). Cooldown on the same target: 5 seconds.

http://s3wc4.goplay.com/wysiwyg/2016/03/29/Disintegrate-Q-ability-Annie-build-guide-season-6.jpg

  • [Q] - Disintegrate - Two charges. Killing a unit with the ability grants additional charge. Damage increases by percent with each re-cast. Her problem with the Q is that, as long as you're not someone with a spell-blocking wall or shield, this spell is undodgeable, and is a nuke within itself. Like, come on - half-delete any carry in late game with one Q? With no chance to dodge it on their part. This is just ridiculous - no risk, high reward. I decided to add some risks, but also make the reward a bit bigger. With re-cast mechanic to this spell, dividing and, in the end point, increasing the damage of Q makes for another change - make Annie stick to target for just a little bit, and reward her for it. As well, again, giving enemies a window, to react a little bit to what is happening. Also, additional charges on kill - way to make that last-hitting damage persistent, and additional wave-clear potential.
  • Damage: 70/115/160/205/250(+85% AP) -> 60/80/90/120/140 (+50% AP).
  • Cooldown: 4 -> 8 seconds.
  • New - "More Fireballs" - Annie can re-cast Q up to 1 more time within 2 seconds after first cast, with a delay of 1.5 second.
  • New - "Exciting Pyromania" - Killing a unit with this ability grants an additional free re-cast and refreshes the re-cast timer. Deals 15% more damage with each re-cast. [NOTE]: Annie has 2 seconds after each re-cast to perform another re-cast. Ability goes on cooldown after max # of re-casts is reached, or the time for re-cast is out. CDR reduces the delay between Q re-casts.

http://s3wc3.goplay.com/wysiwyg/2016/03/29/Incinerate-W-Annie-build-guide-s6.jpg

  • [W] - Incinerate - Casts in a wave fashion. Base damage and scaling down, but besides dealing initial damage, burns targets for % of their HP over time. What I wanted to do here, is to give her more of a feel of a flame. Incinerating actually sets someone on fire. Duuh. As well as a little design tweak to make it spread in a cone rather than just appear, it now sets enemies on fire. Squishy targets won't feel the difference, but there's some viability against tanks!
  • New - "Actually spreading fire" - Now spreads in a cone with a speed of 3000 units. Still fast, but at least feels like it's not appearing out of nothing. Still not a projectile, though!
  • New - "Actually Incinerating" - Applies "Incinerated" de-buff to champions hit, burning them with magic damage for 3%(+1% per 100 AP) of their max HP over 3 seconds.
  • Damage: 70/115/160/205/250 (+85% AP) -> 70/110/150/190/230 (+80% AP) magic damage.

http://www.mobafire.com/images/ability/annie-molten-shield.png

  • [E] - Molten Shield -> Molten Shield/Fire Outbreak Shields Annie for an amount. If broken, explodes, pushing enemies away from Annie and dealing magic damage. Since her E is currently just a plain damage reduction and deals basically no damage, I decided to add a little kick to it - not a full damage ability, not a completely controlled defense ability. Something safe against jumpees (I see you, Rengar), and something that not-so-much matters for mages that basically counter her. A safe choice that is a good defence against assasins and is a good addition to the safeness of the kit.
  • Cooldown: 10 -> 22/20/18/16/14 seconds. Now reducable with CDR.
  • New - "Now, actually, a shield" - 16/22/28/34/40% damage reduction -> shields for 60/80/100/120/140 (+20% AP) HP.
  • Shield Duration: 3 -> 2 seconds.
  • New - "Fire Outbreak" - When broken, the shield explodes, dealing 60/85/110/135/160 (+40% AP) magic damage to enemies within 300 untis from Annie, and pushing them to the radius of 300 units away form Annie.

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/6.12.1/img/spell/InfernalGuardian.png

  • [R] - Summon/Control: Tibbers Has exact same movement speed as Annie out of combat. Some new animations to fit the design The change to movement speed is just a quality of life change. Because now you can be sure that Tibbers will not be five miles away when you need him, running away on Janna's passive.
  • New - "In your face" - Annie throws her stuffed bear to the location of spawn, not having the bear for the time Tibbers is alive. When Tibbers dies, he shrinks back into a stuffed toy, and the stuffed toy returns to Annie, like Sivir's blade or Dravens axe.
  • New - "Won't lose him again" - Gains movement speed when moving toward Annie -> Tibbers will always have the same movement speed as Annie at any given point out of combat.

This kit may be too strong, or may be too weak. But I tell you what - it will be a lot easier to tweak and balance than what we've got now. There are a lot more conditions to change and numbers to toss around, than the plain damage numbers we got in the current kit.

So, please, let me know, what do you think of this, down in the comment :)

And, please, check out my other creations: [Rework Concept] Teemo, the Swift Scout [Champion Concept] Luka, the Child of Kaladoun [Champion Concept] Senna, the Lanterns Light

Thank you for your attention! GL & HF on the Fields of Justice! :)

20 Comments

Emerald Fang7/4/2016, 4:41:46 AM3 votes

But what is her passive? Basically, all you need to do is poke with your Q and then Tibbers on their face. It's almost EASIER than right now.

Scarfee7/4/2016, 3:01:22 PM1 votes

This is definitely something she needs.

I especially agree with Q. How fucking much I hate her, when, with Ashe, I have, like, 800 HP (70-80% og HP), and she just one-shots me with her Q without question.

GrenaderCommando7/4/2016, 3:03:42 PM1 votes

Yeah, that's a change I can behind of.

The only question: what's the point of changing E to spread like that? wouldn't it break her Yasuo counterplay? LIke, winwall will e stopping it now?

Elzar897/4/2016, 3:53:00 PM1 votes

Cool idea! The kit seems to be very integrated within itself.

TheOvermind7/5/2016, 3:50:43 AM1 votes

While I love your ideas and the way you justify them I feel like you are trying to change Annie a lot without keeping her identity of a burst mage that is easy to learn to play .

Neekotine7/5/2016, 4:04:09 AM1 votes

I like the passive/w/e. The thing with her q is that it make her like "omg she did q, she will do q again and again with 1sec delay beetween casts, let's back up" I think she will have too much lane pressure, which is not really fun to play against, also when you try to approach her, she can knock you out. I think an other rework for her q will be great. All the rest of her reworked kit is pretty cool, I mean e is alrgith but feel too much for her new kit, I like the w idea and her passive. Good work![slayer-pantheon-thumbs]

Universal Scarf7/8/2016, 5:18:49 AM1 votes

EDIT 7/8/2016 - Added couple images for icons, enjoy!

Puptart7/4/2016, 4:25:44 AM1 votes

I like all the changes, but I feel like tibbers can stay the same and lower the damage on her shield. That is really about all I see that would make her a lot more interesting to play.

RogueWill7/8/2016, 5:37:03 AM1 votes

This rework is awful simply because it lacks to understand the concept of Annie Gameplay.

First of all the Passive is a straight up Buff, you go from only having a stun evey 4 spells to having a stun every time 2 abilities are out of CD. You fail to see Annie W has no cast time and only interrupts movements. So Q+W combos and R+W combos are quite easy to pull and result on both abilities landing at the same time. You are nerfing her tibbers stun range a bit but given annie the ability to stun whoever she wants anytime her spells are out of CD is not a bright idea.

Second her Q. Charges are not the answer since it basically turning Annie (coupled with her new passive) and nothign more than a lane bully that will be pretty much ueless after laning phase. During laning she can charge the Q eith minions but outside minions phase you will only have your basic damage, you can arguee that she can charge it up though the teamfight but hiting multiple champions but considering annie is a frail mage she won't last that long.

Third her E. Why woudl annie want to push people away from her? that's counter intuitive for a short range mage. Her E is designed to give Annie the ability to survive to some extent in close quartrers since her range is pretty low. Similarly of how vlad has his sustain, and ryze has his shield annie needs some form of defense to survive the fight since she has no range for protection. She can't stay at the back since she wouldn;t do damage at all, is the same concept applied to graves passive MR and Armor on his E.... you need to give some way to live.

W and R changes are not that huge and are mostly quality of life change so I won't cover them up, however I want to point out that by addding what is basically blaze to her W and basically making her passive a rip off of brand''s blaze+spear combo youa re making Annie to similar to brand but instead of having a flame that bounce from champion to champion you have a bear. There woudl be actually no real reason to pick annie over brand and viceversa, you pick whoever is stronger and forget the other.