Thread:DexterWolf/@comment-3017217-20140924071008/@comment-24884995-20140925155208

With the sustain-ish build that I have for him, I can only afford to have 15 points in offense. It allows him to have the same amount of AP as he would with a fully dedicated offense mastery page without sacrificing too many defensive traits.

Spirit Visage is a rather wasteful item with the build I have, considering that I build tanky items pretty late into the game. The 10% CDR will go to waste, as I will already have hit the 40% CDR cap far before I begin building it. Th only advantage, as you said, is the enhanced healing and the additional 1% spell vamp. Not as benefitial as I once thought.

Catalyst is important in its final construction, not just the components. It gives you a certain amount of health and mana back each time you level up, which gives both health and mana sustain while in lane. Catalyst needs to be purchased early not because if its effect late game, but to give essential sustain early game. It, of course, is good to finish the item soon after. Tear of the Goddess is a late game item that is purchased early to maximize its effectiveness, but in order to use Azir to his full potential with my odd build, getting an early Tear is simply not an option.

My reason to get a Codex is because it gives a large amount of power, especially during the early laning phase. In addition to the 30 AP, it gives 10% CDR, which increases his AS  as well. By the time I am done with my Ionian Boots, I'll have 30% CDR (+37.5% bonus AS). With approximately 80 AP and the sustain from Catalyst and Spell Vamp, he can do a lot of damage and stay in lane.

The expense of a Codex could make you lose lane? If anything, it helps to just the opposite lol