[FOLLOWUP] Skarner Juggernaut Update

[quote=Dash][center][img width=750]/images/news/skarner-followup.jpg[/img][/center] [table width="100%"][tr][td bgcolor="#282828" padding="2px"] [table][tr] [td bgcolor="#080808" padding="20px"][size=6][color=#777]SUMMARY[/color][/size] [list] [*]Acknowledges that they shouldn’t have tried to make Skarner a full on Juggernaut without doing monumental changes to the champion. Even so he probably still wouldn’t be an effective one. [*]Skarner’s Crystal Spires passive occupies too much mindshare within the game for the play it's actually generating. [*]Plans to explore options to reduce the mindshare of Skarner’s passive [*]Plans to adjust his stat profile to be less “Juggernaut-y” and more Diver/Vanguard-like. [*]Looking to reduce some of his dependency on snowballing. [/list] [/td][/tr][/table] [/td][/tr][/table] [h1][color=#ffffff]Original Post[/color][/h1] [rule] Hi all, I know this is long overdue, but we wanted to get this design followup out there and available to the public so everyone knows how we currently feel about Skarner following his changes in the Juggernaut update last year. What follows is our opinion on the state of the champion in the game currently, including not only the things we think went well, but also the stuff that hasn't quite worked out. Our original goals for Skarner were to align him with a Juggernaut playstyle/fantasy and to establish an identity as a powerful objective controller amongst Juggernauts. To that end, there is some stuff that we think is working, and some stuff that isn't. Here's what we think is working as of now: [list] [*]We do think that Skarner succeeds in presenting himself as a much bigger threat around the main neutral objective points of contestation. Interestingly, when the 6.9 patch launched last week, early data showed that Skarner actually benefits more from his team obtaining Mountain Drake's buff than any other champion. That was pretty cool to see. [*]As a Juggernaut, Skarner's access to the enemy backline is meaningfully reduced. In this way, he does more closely resemble a Juggernaut's strengths/weaknesses. [/list] That said, there's some stuff that isn't working, most of which stem from two primary issues with the update: [list] [*]We probably just shouldn't have tried to make Skarner a full on Juggernaut. Without monumental changes to the champion, he probably will not ever be an effective one. The champion had a history of being a sticky, low damage threat, and trying to make him a Juggernaut meant we had to reduce that stickiness significantly, alienating his current player base's playstyle. Additionally, given the powerful crowd control tools in his kit, Skarner will almost certainly be better off building really tanky and optimizing to maximize his CC. [*]Skarner's Crystal Spires passive occupies too much mindshare within the game for the play it's actually generating. This is especially true for all the non-Skarner's in the game, who didn't necessarily opt in to the experience. The sheer level of involvement required for everyone in the game is a large part of what makes the passive feel "mini-gamey" or arbitrary. Additionally, the magnitude of the effects in the zones does lead to Skarner feeling relatively weak outside of them. [/list] So what does all that mean moving forward? While Skarner does seem to perform well in his role as an objective controller, he does have the aforementioned issues. Given the opportunity to do some cleanup work on the champion, we would probably look to: [list] [*]Explore options to reduce total mindshare (especially for other players) required by his passive. [*]Adjust his stat profile to be a bit less Juggernaut-y and a bit more Diver/Vanguard-like. [*]Look to reduce some of his dependency on snowball to succeed. [/list] Given this assessment, there may be some follow-up work we can do to clean up some of those issues, and we may try some small scope experimental stuff on the PBE to see how they feel. Cheers, Repertoir [url=http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/developer-corner/T5MTYIIt-followup-skarner-juggernaut-update][color=#0080ff]Source[/color][/url] [rule] What do you think about Skarner's current status in the game? Do you think these changes will be an improvement?[/quote]

[quote=Jovy]Well right now he's kind of the in the trash but until they change his ult I'm all right with that. And what do you think about Skarner right now, Wayn-... oh...[/quote]

[quote=PsiGuard]Sounds like they're headed in the right direction, though whether they come up with a solution that actually works well remains to be seen. I really don't like the gimmicky shrine passive.[/quote]

[quote=Dash][quote=MissMaw]Well right now he's kind of the in the trash but until they change his ult I'm all right with that. And what do you think about Skarner right now, Wayn-... oh...[/quote] I'm not a fan of him currently. I'm pretty much with PSI on this as it sounds like they're headed in the right direction. Though this is just coming from my experience as Wayn- I mean me?[/quote]

[quote=Vapora Dark]I also agree with PSIGuard.[/quote]

[quote=FalseoGod]Weird, I caught a few vids and blogs after patch 6.9 saying that Skarner has been hidden op for a while but his pick rate sure doesn't sustain that. Never cared much for this guy tbh, as long as they don't fuck him over for the people who do like him I probably won't even touch him.[/quote]

[quote=PsiGuard][quote=Dash89]I'm pretty much with PSI on this[/quote][quote=Vapora Dark]I also agree with PSIGuard.[/quote] [img=http://memesvault.com/wp-content/uploads/Angry-Guy-Meme-14.jpg width=50%][/quote]

[quote=SDS Lion Sin]I've always been a fan of Skarner. He isn't particularly a champion I would decide to main because he's a one (sometimes two) trick pony, where most other Juggernauts tend to be extremely versatile with different ways to combat things. I like Skarner how he is currently, he does what he's intended to do. From what I've played a lot recently, I haven't really relied on him snowballing. I mean, yeah, of course it helps, but like most tanks with cc, he's going to be the same mid and late game: zone out the enemy carry and help your teammates kill them. That's almost his entire purpose (besides controlling neutral objectives). His spires make him the champion he is. That's his shtick. I couldn't imagine him without his spires or just the way he plays in general. I'd be fine with his passive, his spires, not being as mini-gamey, but I'd like them to stay with him as a champ.[/quote]

[quote=ChocoZero]I used to main Skarner when i really got into league of legends "back in the old days". Once i got told that Skarner were going to recieve a "rework", i felt sad. I loved every single bit of the old Skarner, because i really invested enough time into Skarner to learn every mechanic and get used to it. Now, he feels weird and i dont like him at all, honestly. I see nothing wrong with his ultimate, in fact, thats what made him strong when i used to play him. I really miss his passive being the crystal stacks, and his overall dominance in the jungle. However, i can see why Riot wanted to make Skarner more enjoyable for others as well, but it didnt end how my expectations were at all. I would like to keep the old kit with new improvements, hands down.[/quote]

[quote=13 Snakes][quote=SDS Lion Sin]His spires make him the champion he is. That's his shtick. I couldn't imagine him without his spires or just the way he plays in general. I'd be fine with his passive, his spires, not being as mini-gamey, but I'd like them to stay with him as a champ.[/quote] so this is him in a nutshell, even though it got added to his kit last summer? for a champ that has been around forever? really? Really?? nah, you way off on this one.[/quote]