Talk:Xerath/@comment-4525580-20140120043902/@comment-3974211-20140123121332


 * It's not suppose to be a nerf - it's a gameplay rework to make him more attractive to players (so people will play him). His current mechanics are supposedly too alien and most people don't like them. (I actually mained him last season, and I still play him now - he's fun as heck).
 * It's also not a huge nerf. In a lot of respects - it's a buff. There are some drastic differences in his play style that will nerf his "counter pool" (he won't be as strong against tanks and mobile champions anymore), but they definitely achieved the whole "players will relate to him more easily".
 * I dislike Stasis/Shocking Orb. "Stasis" doesn't suit the visuals and "Shocking" is such a lame word (brings those awful online articles to mind). The stun also lacks any personalised animation, which I was really hoping for. There's no real "impact". (They should have totally stolen his live Locus of Power animation and applied it to enemies who are stunned - i.e. tendrils of lightning holding them in place).
 * I dislike his new ultimate mechanically (too easy to cancel Q_Q), visually (really does not feel powerful) and with respect to his new W (he has the same ability twice). I do like the idea of merging his W/R together, but they've done it so poorly (both with regards to the merged skill, and what they replaced his W with)
 * They really needed to do a better job of making his W feel different (I still reckon an eruption rather than a fall-from-the-sky would have sold this: Xerath casts out his hand and a mighty eruption of arcane magic deluges from the ground."; they then could have kept his current R animation for his ultimate).
 * I also dislike the change to his visual theme. I liked the precision electricity. It felt powerful to slice people up. But apparently his crappy Scorched Earth skin was so well received they thought they'd give all his abilities plasma-like effects. Blurgh.

You will not that most of the things I dislike are visual. His power is still there, albeit moved around. His new Arcanopulse is hella fun.