jhoijhoi's review & discussion service

[quote=jhoijhoi][url=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/soraka-the-babysitting-queen-96689?page=7#lastcomment]Summoner's Soraka Guide[/url] [color=#ff0000]Verdict:[/color] A well thought-out and nicely written Soraka guide. [color=#008000]Possible Improvements:[/color] I believe the author should list some other situational items (there are only 7 listed). [[mercury's treads]] are not mentioned, neither is [[soul shroud]] or [[spirit visage]]. [[rod of ages]] is a possible item for a Soraka who wants AP, but doesn't want to spend gold on a [[deathcap]]. Otherwise a well-rounded guide. Summoner certainly knows what he's talking about with regards to playing Soraka ^^ Constructive Criticism: 1) As Sona I get 39.8% cool down reduction with: Soul Shroud, Surelya's, Glyphs of Focus, Masteries. With that in mind, I believe maybe Ionian boots are not really neccessary at all. Also, I truly believed that [[spirit visage]] was a must have early game item on Soraka. 2) While your Purchase Order is interestingly short, some people only read that. They'll only see the three items. I think that you should have the proper sequencing of when you buy the items up. Do you buy Kindle Gem first, or Philosopher's? Do you seriously not get boots until after a finished Shurelya's? You don't get a HoG or Kage's Pick to generate gold? 3) I feel as if 6 armour and magic resist is inferior to the reduced cooldowns in the Offense Tree (not to mention the 15% Magic Penetration). 4) Archmage's Savvy is actually really crap, so if you really wanted to, 0/9/21 *would* be better, like you intially thought. 5) "Early Starcall also allows you to see if any wards are present in brush or around dragon without needing to oracles / vision ward." How so? 6) I find it odd you don't mention Spirit Visage and Soul Shroud. 7) While you explain that the game is an inhouse, it still says "custom game" and it offsets your score. Also, you could tidy the screenshot so there's not so much yellow space, and so the two parts line up/end at the same place. Kudos though! For explaining why you get no AP! It's something that I truly wished even my friends would read. It's annoying hearing them say, "Oh, Deathcap is necessary on Soraka" =.= 8) I would almost suggest cutting that map in half diagonally so that the image of the warding areas are magnified, because it's kinda hard to see. Not a be issue though ^^[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi][url=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/alistar-the-cc-king-97131?page=3#lastcomment]PsiGuard's Alistar Guide[/url] [color=#ff0000]Verdict:[/color] An extremely in-depth guide about Alistar and his playstyle which details almost everything one would want to know about the champion! [color=#008000]Possible Improvements:[/color] Just because Searz does it, doesn't mean we should ^^ Explain abilities - if the author quickly checks out my Ashe guide, they'll see that my Ability Explanation section is very versatile. In it I am able to convey a large amount of information that I did not want to have in my gameplay section. Possible improvements include: Fixing up coding (column structure), adding in a screenshot of the walls Alistar can [[headbutt]] enemies through, and walls which are thick enough to prevent that, tidying up the item sections in his guide. Constructive Criticism: 1) I really fail as Alistar, but that won't stop me from reviewing your guide ^^ [[triumphant roar]] is always 12 seconds cooldown, so maxing the cost of it isn't a great idea when you can be reducing the cooldowns of [[headbutt]]. Your Ability Sequencing is also all over the place (the first one looks like a pattern o.O). If you're unsure of which skill to max first, it's an indication that perhaps you haven't played Alistar much? Also, [[unbreakable will]] - the second level of it could be delayed, as he only gains 15 physical damage and CC reduction for 1 second more. 2) Searz's format is great for guides that don't convey a lot of information (no offense, Searz). The problem I find with it is that it looks clustered if you have a lot of information for each item/rune/summoner. Either you have to write the same amount of words under each object to even it out, or you have to do some elaborative spacing out. Also, I'd recommend adding in an extra column between your main columns to add spaces between them so that the text doesn't flow from one column to the next. If you're not sure what I mean, check out my own guide. I too write a lot under objects, and so had to fiddle quite a lot with columns to get them to work. 3) I think your Summoner Spells section probably shouldn't be in columns. It looks lopsided :/ 4) :/ You talk about using your combo only to kill. I'm not sure if you mean "guarantee a kill for your team by throwing out an enemy for them to eat" or "I, as Alistar, will be able to single-handedly kill an enemy with my Pulverize + Headbutt combo". It really should the first. Alistar's role is to disrupt the enemy team. Flash in, Headbutt then Pulverize or vice versa, to make the battles from then on 5v4. I don't believe Alistar is quite meant to be an AP Carry. 5) I think your organisation here might need a fix up. I think that one section for the AP Build and one section for the Aura Support Build would work better than splitting the two builds up into game progression categories. Because basically the way it is now makes no sense. It's all over the place, and it's hard to follow. What if I just want to know the Aura build? It should be something like this: SECTION ONE: AP Build - [heading2]Starting Items - Core Items - Recommended Items - Other Viable Items[/heading2] SECTION TWO: Aura Support Build - [heading2]Starting Items - Core Items - Recommended Items - Other Viable Items[/heading2] This will make your guide more comprehensive. 6) "Another trick you can use is to Headbutt an enemy and hit Pulverize the instant your Headbutt lands. This takes some precision, so you may want to practice this technique in a custom game first." I thought they removed this?[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi]Taking a break ^^ Will get to the others soon :3[/quote]

[quote=Bloofyre]great reviews sir, I'm enjoying reading them all.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=jhoijhoi] 2) Searz's format is great for guides that don't convey a lot of information (no offense, Searz). The problem I find with it is that it looks clustered if you have a lot of information for each item/rune/summoner. Either you have to write the same amount of words under each object to even it out, or you have to do some elaborative spacing out. Also, I'd recommend adding in an extra column between your main columns to add spaces between them so that the text doesn't flow from one column to the next. If you're not sure what I mean, check out my own guide. I too write a lot under objects, and so had to fiddle quite a lot with columns to get them to work.[/quote] Columns are a bit complicated if you wanna make them look good. If you feel the need to write a lot or simply can't balance the things you write you should just remove the columns for those things. Columns is mainly used for when you have a few things with equal length, if you don't just don't use them.[/quote]

[quote=jhoijhoi]@Bllofyre (just noticed your name is Blue Fire o.O): *madam ^^ @Searz: Exactly what I wanted to say. And as I said, definitely didn't mean any offence by it - columns just look far better when there is minimal information as opposed to paragraphs of info ^^[/quote]

[quote=The_Nameless_Bard][quote=jhoijhoi] 5) "Early Starcall also allows you to see if any wards are present in brush or around dragon without needing to oracles / vision ward." How so? [/quote] Soraka USED to be able to reveal wards, shrooms, stealthed champions and the like with Starcall. It doesn't work that way anymore. Now it will hit stealthed targets if there are other visible targets in the vicinity and reveal them based on the individual stealth description. It can still target shrooms, but again only if there are other visible targets around.[/quote]

[quote=PsiGuard][quote=jhoijhoi] [url=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/alistar-the-cc-king-97131?page=3#lastcomment]PsiGuard's Alistar Guide[/url] [color=#008000]Possible Improvements:[/color] Just because Searz does it, doesn't mean we should ^^ Explain abilities - if the author quickly checks out my Ashe guide, they'll see that my Ability Explanation section is very versatile. In it I am able to convey a large amount of information that I did not want to have in my gameplay section. Possible improvements include: Fixing up coding (column structure), adding in a screenshot of the walls Alistar can [[headbutt]] enemies through, and walls which are thick enough to prevent that, tidying up the item sections in his guide.[/quote] I have to say I agree with Searz on the abilities section. There really isn't much I need to say that isn't already in a tooltip or in one of the gameplay sections of the guide. I'll start an ability section and see if I can think of some advice to include, but no promises. ^^ I did find it slightly challenging to fit two very different builds into one guide. I don't plan on changing the organization, since I often compare the differences between the builds (such as a 2nd [[Doran's Ring]] over a [[Philosopher's Stone]]). I'm really glad you and Searz suggested getting rid of the columns ;). I fiddled with them a bit, but couldn't get them to look nice with the text without doing something stupid-looking. Though I will say, the Summoner Spells section was the one section I thought that looked best :S. I'll clean it up as best I can, though it might look a little more boring than before :(. I thought you might say something about [[Headbutt]] screenshots. I'll have to do a quick custom soon and take some. Thanks for the suggestion. [quote]Constructive Criticism: 1) I really fail as Alistar, but that won't stop me from reviewing your guide ^^ [[triumphant roar]] is always 12 seconds cooldown, so maxing the cost of it isn't a great idea when you can be reducing the cooldowns of [[headbutt]]. Your Ability Sequencing is also all over the place (the first one looks like a pattern o.O). If you're unsure of which skill to max first, it's an indication that perhaps you haven't played Alistar much? Also, [[unbreakable will]] - the second level of it could be delayed, as he only gains 15 physical damage and CC reduction for 1 second more.[/quote] The only ultimate I will delay is Udyr's (and that's not even an ultimate). By level 11, I'm usually doing less laning and more roaming/team fighting, so I'll take the best ultimate I can get. The damage also helps for split-pushing towers ^^. Alistar's [[Triumphant Roar]] has pretty much been nerfed over and over from day one. The amount of healing I provide to my allies at first level could probably be equalled by Ashe with a single [[Doran's Blade]] for lifesteal. I find I really need some fast levels of [[Triumphant Roar]] to keep my lanemate from having to play passive. I only need 1 point in [[Pulverize]] for the CC, as the cooldowns generally are less important (in my experience) during lane phase. The distance between towers is so short, that I can only get off one combo at a time. I will try to focus my skilling order a little more. I sort of mention in my guide that it means next to nothing though. When I play Alistar, my skill order varies more than any other champion, it's entirely situational. By the way, I had no intention of making a pattern in the AP build, it just turned out that way. If you look, I prioritize [[Headbutt]], then [[Pulverize]], throwing in a couple points in [[Triumphant Roar]] to keep it from being useless. It's kind of weird how it turned out. [quote]2) Searz's format is great for guides that don't convey a lot of information (no offense, Searz). The problem I find with it is that it looks clustered if you have a lot of information for each item/rune/summoner. Either you have to write the same amount of words under each object to even it out, or you have to do some elaborative spacing out. Also, I'd recommend adding in an extra column between your main columns to add spaces between them so that the text doesn't flow from one column to the next. If you're not sure what I mean, check out my own guide. I too write a lot under objects, and so had to fiddle quite a lot with columns to get them to work.[/quote] I'm probably going to axe the columns (so to speak). I'm just glad some one pointed it out, because I couldn't get them to play nice with each other. [quote]3) I think your Summoner Spells section probably shouldn't be in columns. It looks lopsided :/[/quote] It's the only section in which the columns don't conflict with each other! Are you sure you aren't the one who's lopsided o.O? I'm probably going to keep that section the same--the last surviving columns from my guide. [quote]4) :/ You talk about using your combo only to kill. I'm not sure if you mean "guarantee a kill for your team by throwing out an enemy for them to eat" or "I, as Alistar, will be able to single-handedly kill an enemy with my Pulverize + Headbutt combo". It really should the first. Alistar's role is to disrupt the enemy team. Flash in, Headbutt then Pulverize or vice versa, to make the battles from then on 5v4. I don't believe Alistar is quite meant to be an AP Carry.[/quote] I honestly haven't a clue what you're talking about here. The only time I suggest picking up a kill for yourself (as far as I know) is at the end of the team fight section in my advice on chasing enemies. If you're chasing a retreating enemy, you can probably kill them by yourself anyway. I've netted plenty of kills even as Aura Support Alistar without any help from teammates. Besides the chasing part, the rest of the time you are CCing for your lanemate or CCing for your team (I mention Headbutting towards your team in the initiation part of the team fight section. I certainly know his job is disruption; my guide's called "The CC King", not "The Pentakill King" ;). I do mention a few times in my guide that you cannot replace an AP carry. I (especially in light of the latest patch) only play AP Alistar when my team composition is horribly lacking in magic damage. Now that he's been nerfed, I'll probably play AP even less often. I still play him the same way though, using my CC to help teammates more than solo enemy champions. [quote]5) I think your organisation here might need a fix up. I think that one section for the AP Build and one section for the Aura Support Build would work better than splitting the two builds up into game progression categories. Because basically the way it is now makes no sense. It's all over the place, and it's hard to follow. What if I just want to know the Aura build?[/quote] I talked about this at the top of my response post. The two builds I suggest are options that an Alistar player should be familiar with. Like a DPS and Offtank build for Xin Zhao, it's good to have a way to change your champion to fit your team. If you're looking for the Aura build, all the Aura sections have "Aura Support" in the heading. Like I said above, I understand your reasoning for this suggestion, but I'm probably going to keep it organized the way it is. It fits my comparison format better. Basically my guide shows you how and when to choose each build, and how to play once you've selected one. [quote]6) "Another trick you can use is to Headbutt an enemy and hit Pulverize the instant your Headbutt lands. This takes some precision, so you may want to practice this technique in a custom game first." I thought they removed this?[/quote] THEY DID???!!! Can somebody confirm this? The only reason I know about this build is from other Alistars I've seen (including some professionals) who use it as a gap-closer against warier enemies. I use it extremely infrequently for two reasons. 1. I suck at it and have never practiced the technique. 2. I MUCH prefer using Flash to get into range, pulverizing, then headbutting towards my allies. The WQ combo kind of wastes the Headbutt component and just does more damage. Still, it would suck if they got rid of that, when did this happen? Let me know if you have additional comments, questions, suggestions, input, advice, feedback, concerns, complaints or criticism :). EDIT: I almost forgot! +Rep for the help, you certainly deserve it.[/quote]

[quote=Bloofyre]correction: great reviews ma'am![/quote]

[quote=Rudmed]Guide for: [[Twisted Fate]] Why I'd like to see this reviewed: Re-evaluation of new changes, and some unexpected ones. What I'd like you to focus on: Anything. [url=http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/twisted-fate-royal-flush-revamped-54744]Twisted Fate Build[/url] I told ya I'd be back with improvements.[/quote]