Meh, the ARAM queue really should just open all champs to put everyone on even footing. That's my opinion at least. But I'm not going to make a smurf just for ARAM, screw that.

 

Heh, speaking of free week Tryndamere... I actually carry with Tryn most of the times I get him in ARAM.

 

Calling it now, AP Kog'Maw sleeper OP. He got nerfed into the ground in S2, but the S3 changes + Athene's have made him viable again.

His early game sucks, lets be clear. Though his harass is okay. But you've got to play super safe or you're just going to be a big tasty jungler snack. Constantly. That can be recovered from though, no-one expects your power spike come mid-late.

You want to build almost pure mana to start. I go Dorans > fairy charm + Boots > Tear > Athene's > Dcap > Rylai's > Liandry's > ArchAngel's > Optional.

People bitch about Lux and her super safe poke from afar. AP Kog is WORSE. He's got good farm from early-ish midgame all the way through lategame. His AOE Slow is also a fairly significant nuke.

But all the power is really concentrated in his R. This is the ultimate Poke champion. Everything Xerath wishes he could be. Endless barrages of Living Artillery are just fun as hell. He's also a very skill-reliant champ, so you feel really rewarded for pulling off that clutch finisher or landing a series of skybombs on really dodgy champ and getting the kill yourself.

His ability to finish champs that are running away is rage-inducing. In three games I've had five seperate people bitch about it.

So far, I've pounded a Viktor, Karthus, and Fizz into the ground. I expect he'd enjoy similar success vs just about any non-mobile mid champ who doesn't have range to abuse and stay away from him. But even that's okay, because he's not his strongest during the laning phase anyway, and he can play just as safe as they can. Your primary goal is to reach late-game status, so laning is something to be endured.

R > E > Q > W

AP Kog is an absolutely golem buff DEPENDENT champion. Without it he is super gimped. He needs it like Dr. Mundo needs health. But with it he becomes absolutely terrifying. His R is frankly OP if he has enough mana to sustain a constant barrage.

Once you get Rylais, shit gets funny. With their ability to maneuver/run away severely gimped, landing R after R is flat a walk in the park. Rylai's + Liandry's turns you into an enemy-team-smashing orbital cannon. I would honestly rather face a fed Lux, Xerath or Syndra, than a fed AP-Kog'Maw.

He's also got the potential to be played on-hit/AP, like Kayle or Teemo, since his W adds percentile damage and scales with AP.

Downsides: Just like AD Kog. Super slow, super squishy, completely vulnerable to ganks being focused by tanky diving champions.

 

Anyone that gap closes AP kog can munch on him though. I've found that when I play AP kog, it's the people who actually do man-mode that give me the hardest time since kog needs to hurt really fast to be able to wipe them out. Cowards are easy to beat cause lulz poke.

AP Kog doesn't have as much of the "you gap close = you get 3-shot" ability as AD kog.

 

Do you seriously start Dorans Ring in mid Disaster? And you haven't gotten absolutely punished by your opponent? Who the hell have you been facing?

Starting no sustain in mid ought to be a death sentence if your opponent is even mildly competent, espescially on a low-aa range champ like kog (disregarding W). Hell, if I saw a no sustain start like that I would just force trades over and over, because even if they were mildly worse for me, I could sustain it back while someone starting Ring can't. I'd rethink that and start Faerie +ward(s) +pots if I were you.

Also screw AP Kog, annoying little shit that he is.

 

It's not something I could see working well on Kog because I know a lot of champs could punish that.

But a doran's start is something that I use on Syndra. As a sidenote, i'm not very good on Syndra, but I can play her functionally. It's kind of a cheese strat. Starting with a heavy sustain start is great and I do it on most champs. But if you have a champ with spammable abilities like Syndra (Q base cd is 4 seconds all ranks), you can force really early trades and kill your opponent before his regen can kick in. The 15 AP is significant, and the 80HP is as well. It will always be stronger in trades, and will win if your opponent doesn't let the sustain kick in.

 

Zac is OP broken. That jump skill has insane range. Brb jumping over 2 walls with one skill. Can't believe Riot didn't see the OP'ness of that move in PBE. Wonder how long till they cut the range, because I can't believe they will allow that to stay unchanged for competitive play.

 

I feel like there's a place specially reserved in wherever we go for people who get mad in ARAM's. First time ever on Nidalee (Was actually stunned the game started) and the entire enemy team builds full MR because we have no AD, 4 AP's & a tank - apparently this makes me a trash Nidalee, according to the Zilean who would go in, ult himself, die twice & achieve nothing all game.

Still, easy reports are easy reports. As for Zac, eh. I dunno, I've only seen a couple of games and they were normals so the skill differential was rather varied and thus, not too easy to judge. I don't think he'll get touched for a while and even then, the jump's only what, 900 starting? It'll be the last thing people will max (I imagine) if they want to be of any use in an actual fight.

 

For what it's worth, I know that Jon likes leveling E first when possible, as it allows greater ability for unorthodox ganking.

 

I know a lot of the Tournament Dom players go for E first.

And before Churchy laughs because Dom, most placers are gold+ too.

 

Because you asked.
Lol Dom.

 

@thebrute7, people try, but I tend to play extraordinarily safe till I have the money for my tear+boots. His long range on W&E allows him to farm fairlly safely for long enough to save for tear.

@evan_bitchface. A: You're Wrong about threeshotting closers. You just do it with RER. B: I still don't want your fucking opinion, you cockmonging reject.

posted from my phone during surgery recovery. All errors are because being addressed by evan_dicklips is more painful than even two percs can handle.

 

Because 1240 base + 2.0 AP at 16 is totally enough to kill a bruiser before they have you CC'd or dead. Right.

Maybe if you were playing a moron, sure. Since they're obviously not building defenses in that case. Or using actives. Or even trying to dodge.

But hey, it's nice to know what type of enemies you play against regularly. Must be fun having such easy games.

 

It is when you've got 600 to 700 ap and liandrys +rylais. Pure tanks will survive but even they take an arseload of damage. You see, sorc shoes + liandrys + mpen reds tend to cut through most people's mres like a hot knife through butter unless they are specifically stacking lots of mres, which is harder to do in S3. As just about anyone will tell you. Besides, lots of people gapclose who aren't tanky cc bruisers.

 

Wasn't that feature intentional? The Jumping over two walls I mean.
I'm pretty sure I saw that specifically in the Champion Spotlight for Zac.
Its supposed to give him an advantage in Jungle or something along with that err dribbling thingy ability of his to clear the Jungle fast...Or so I had thought?

Also, he's ... ok in game. Played against a few Zacs and I don't think he's broken by any means... But I dunno maybe I haven't played someone competent enough with him.

I always thought He was Mundo with more AP focus and emphasis on Disables.

 

Thoughts on the Karma remake? I've only played a few games with her so far, but for the most part I miss the old one more.

 

I'll admit to missing running into a team and shield-bombing all the time. Shield-bomb is still useful(can easily be a double-strength Locket+speed, if nothing else)... but Mantra on Q and W are usually a better use of it.

 

Weak and incomplete. Countered by mobility, longer range, safe farming, being minionblocked or sustain. AP YI, LB and Lux all crush her, for instance.

 

The thing with Zac is, he's almost impossible to ward against. Which means that you have to play your lane very passively, if you don't want him to get free kills.

And Karma rework. I really liked the old Karma, but now her kit has more depth, and I really like it. And the kiting ability with those skills is very appealing to me. That root also makes her a lot more helpful in ganks, which was IMO her major weakness earlier.