@GrandmasterD: Against the assassins main target, the opposing teams ADC, it would be better to use pure AD IF and only IF the math in the current situation gives more damage output (e.g. if the ADC doesn't have more armor than a randuin's + runes and masteries).
Regarding true damage, is there a difference between doing 10 true damage and doing 15 damage that becomes 10 damage after armor calculation? It seems to me that the only thing important is the number of damage actually done. Or is there something special I have missed when it comes to true damage?
@Embracing: Yes it stacks, but it's still a math exersice. Cleaver + LW gives you 55% + 10 armPen, which is a helluva lot armPen, but against someone with Randuin's this means:
If you instead buy two bloodthirsters (more expensive, but still only taking up two slots), this gives you 140 AD. Using the same math against Randuin's:
Since there usually are perhaps two tanky opponents (support and pusher) and three more or less squishy (ADC, APC, jungler) and the assassins targets are mainly the squishy ones (quick in and out, and make sure they die) There seem to be two aspects to this:
Regarding true damage, is there a difference between doing 10 true damage and doing 15 damage that becomes 10 damage after armor calculation? It seems to me that the only thing important is the number of damage actually done. Or is there something special I have missed when it comes to true damage?
@Embracing: Yes it stacks, but it's still a math exersice. Cleaver + LW gives you 55% + 10 armPen, which is a helluva lot armPen, but against someone with Randuin's this means:
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55% armor penetration = 50-50*0,55 = 27,5
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10 flat armor penetration = 27,5-10 = 17,5
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New armor according to formula = 17,5 / 117,5 = 15%
If you instead buy two bloodthirsters (more expensive, but still only taking up two slots), this gives you 140 AD. Using the same math against Randuin's:
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Damage reduction from Randuin's: 50/150 = 33%
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Total damage from two bloodthirsters: 140 * 0,67 = 93,8 damage
Since there usually are perhaps two tanky opponents (support and pusher) and three more or less squishy (ADC, APC, jungler) and the assassins targets are mainly the squishy ones (quick in and out, and make sure they die) There seem to be two aspects to this:
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Strategic (like GrandmasterD pointed out): Should the assassin focus on the squishy targets or on all targets
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Mathematic: Given that the strategy is set in the team, buy LW if your main target(s) are tankier or buy pure AD if they are squishier. Thus making the LW more of a situational choice rather than an unquestioned must-buy
As a small aside, roughly every champion will have about 100 armor at level 18, barring some extreme cases where they get 0 armor from runes, masteries, self bought items, or even an
Aegis of the Legion from the support/jungler. So, higher armor to calculate.
That fact alone makes LW and/or BC core on assassins/bruisers, depending on how fast they can apply stacks. (
Talon combo, with a hydra/tiamat, would be a perfect scenario for both, just FYI)

That fact alone makes LW and/or BC core on assassins/bruisers, depending on how fast they can apply stacks. (

Ok, I don't have that much experience so it's great input about the typical armor level of a lvl18 champ. At the levels I play, I've met Ashe's, Vaynes's etc with 60 or 70 armor including friendly auras.
Seems to break even damage wise between 2*BT and LW+BC at around 80 armor (I had old numbers on black cleaver. it does 55 damage not 50 and stacks armpen up to 5 times not 4).
Thanks for taking the time to answer!
Seems to break even damage wise between 2*BT and LW+BC at around 80 armor (I had old numbers on black cleaver. it does 55 damage not 50 and stacks armpen up to 5 times not 4).
Thanks for taking the time to answer!
mmmalex wrote:
At the levels I play, I've met Ashe's, Vaynes's etc with 60 or 70 armor including friendly auras.
That's actually their base armor without ANY auras, runes or masteries at all. I think you might be playing at the non-existant level, or at least something really low, since basically everyone will take armor seals.

You can put all the math you want behind it, but the fact is, any assassin needs armor pen to kill any target, including squishes. What also makes LW better than cleaver on assassins is that LW gives you all the armor pen upfront and right away maximizing initial damage which is what assassins are about. If you look at most builds you see 3 core damage items on any assassin. Damage
Blade of the Ruined King/
Manamune/
Bloodthirster, into
The Brutalizer, into
Last Whisper often times skipping brutalizer.
You could also think of last whisper as a preventative medicine, because the moment a carry buys an armguard/chain vest a lot of kill potential goes out the window without penetration.





You could also think of last whisper as a preventative medicine, because the moment a carry buys an armguard/chain vest a lot of kill potential goes out the window without penetration.
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Typical ADC build:
Armor from seals = 1,41 * 9 = 12,49
Armor from masteries = 5
Armor from Randuin’s Omen = 50
Total armor = 67,49
Typical runes/masteries for an ADC/assassin:
Armor pen marks: 1,28 * 9 = 11,52
Armor pen from masteries: 6
Total armor pen = 17,52
So mastery + mark armor pen completely removes armor from masteries + seals. The formula for total armor is:
ARMOR / (100 + ARMOR)
If the ADC has built Randuin’s, the formula gives a total armor of 50 / 150 = 33%. This means that 100 – 33 = 67% of an opponent's attack damage counts. Buying a B.F. Sword, the total damage would be 0,67 * 45 = 30,15 .
If the opponnent builds Last Whisper, the armor is reduced by 35% giving:
50*0,65 / (100 + 50*0,65) = 32,5 / 132,5 = 24,5%
This means that 75,5% of the attack damage counts. As Last Whisper gives 40 AD, it does in total: 40 * 0,755 = 30,2 damage vs someone with Randuin’s.
B.F. Sword does a total of 30,15 damage vs someone with Randuin’s and costs 1550 gold while Last Whisper does 30,2 damage and costs 2300. The difference in damage (0,05) is hardly worth the difference in gold (750). Plus, if the game progesses for long you’ll have the option of further upgrading your B.F. Sword to something better. Have I missed something, or is Last Whisper heavily overrated for assassins?
Ofc the ADC could build more armor, and there is a value where LW does more damage than let's say Bloodthirster, but shouldn't LW be VERY much situational rather than core?