Vel'Koz - The Perfect Rework?

Meteor Driz··1 votes·566 views

Hello there friends

Velkoz see you have come to a post about everyone's favorite eyeball of doom.

Background: I am a mid vel'koz main and he is my lover. He got me into plat last season so for that I owe him this post.

Here is my thoughts on the perfect rework of Vel'Koz:

Current W: Moved to passive Still stores charges, which now automatically fire off in combination with Vel'Koz's other abilities on cast. Consumes additional mana when activated.

Explanation: In nearly all combat situations, you already have to combo this ability with one of your others to maximize it's potential. Fortunately, it has a completely instant cast allowing for simultaneous combo already. So this change won't feel all that different for people.

New W: Examine Mind Vel'Koz leaps onto targeted champion and wraps himself around them for a short time (1.5 - 2 seconds). During this time, Vel'Koz leaches mana from his victim and they are slowed, while Vel'Koz is unable to cast spells or attack during this time. Additionally, the target champion is unable to target Vel'Koz for the duration (BIG NOTE HERE: only the champion Vel Koz attaches to is unable to target him. Both targets are otherwise subject to all normal spells and abilities during the duration). Vel Koz leaps off of the target after the duration for half of the initial cast distance. If the target does not have mana, cooldown timers are frozen for the duration (spells can still be used if they are not on CD).

**Explanation: ** This gives Vel'Koz the ability to power the extra mana cost from his automatic W on his passive, at the risk of coming into closer than normal range. And even more importantly, this allows Vel'Koz some much needed DEFENSE against divers who can penetrate his kite. At the same time, it gives the enemy team the chance to still get to him if they bring more than one person into the dive.

Just from these changes, Vel'Koz would feel a lot more like a floating tentacle alien (that may not be his lore but that's how I sure feel when I play him). Velkoz

Please leave your feedback and suggestions below! Thanks!

5 Comments

Helmight1 votes

Moving Vel'Koz's W to his passive is a pretty absurd buff. He'd have five effective abilities, plus near-free waveclear. The new W meanwhile goes against everything that Vel'Koz wants to do - he's squishy and wants to keep everyone at a range so he can disintegrate their faces, not jump on someone and get instagibbed.

If anything, I figure Vel'Koz's rework should focus more on making his poke mage gameplay more distinct from people like Xerath and Ziggs, not rooting out his primary gameplay loop and giving him free power.

Meteor Driz1 votes

{quoted}

Moving Vel'Koz's W to his passive is a pretty absurd buff. He'd have five effective abilities, plus near-free waveclear. The new W meanwhile goes against everything that Vel'Koz wants to do - he's squishy and wants to keep everyone at a range so he can disintegrate their faces, not jump on someone and get instagibbed.

If anything, I figure Vel'Koz's rework should focus more on making his poke mage gameplay more distinct from people like Xerath and Ziggs, not rooting out his primary gameplay loop and giving him free power.

I guess I didn't really explain the main point of jumping on their heads very well. I was thinking of it as a defensive abiltity against people super strong dive. There are a lot of champions in that game that simple cannot be effectively kited. At least with this he would have a chance to survive with his team backing him up

Helmight1 votes

Ah, gotcha. As a defensive ability it's interesting, but Vel'Koz's already has his E to disengage from diving champions. He's also one of the best champions to kite with - I can't count the number of times I've gotten away from someone thanks to throwing out Qs and Es behind me as I run the hell away. And, in an ideal world, Vel'Koz still needs to be weak to diving champions because of how strong he is at a range. Getting into his personal space should be the appropriate counterplay for Vel'Koz, so giving him a W that shuts down assassins immediately would make him very strong.

Meteor Driz1 votes

Definitely a good point on the diving as counter play part. In honesty I don't think he really needs a buff at all, but since they have pretty much dedicated to giving him one I guess the fairest place I can see is in defense. E is just slightly a bit too unreliable against instant dashes or highly mobile champs.

If they give him anything in the damage or long range department I think he might be out of control since hes already one of the best in those departments (imo).

Regardless of what changes they make, I just hope he can still punish enemy teams that funnel in formation. That's probably my favorite part of playing him

Helmight1 votes

I don't think that the MYMU is meant to straight up buff any champions, but rather to give them QoL changes and differentiate them from each other. That way, even if Vel'Koz does less damage than other champions, he still has a reason to be picked.

And trust me - his ult, and his ability to annihilate grouped-up teams, isn't going anywhere :P

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