Talk:VPBE/@comment-9477978-20140719134753/@comment-35229418-20140720133640

I liked old Xerath too, at least as much as I like him now. I think they changed him for the same reason they changed Skarner - he had huge power that he sometimes couldn't use: lots of armor (something that a ranged AP caster shouldn't have) and lots of armor penetration that people seemed not to notice. Also, if I remember correctly, his E+Q combo was particularly enhanced by Rylai's (slow the dude so that you can stun him more easily), while now he doesn't need the item at all. Alternatively, they could have changed him because he didn't feel enough like a sniper - yeah, standing still to kill someone from a high distance is sniper-like, but in League, snipers are usually quite mobile (Nidalee and Varus come to mind).

About Vel'Koz, I actually like him more as a support than as a midlaner. What I'm trying to say is that having a champion play mainly in a role different from the one intended feels kinda wrong. I know it has happened with lots of champion (Blitz, Zyra, Karma, Lulu, Kha'Zix, maybe Thresh, Twisted Fate at a certain point if I recall correctly, etc.), but it shouldn't really happen IMO. Even if I like support Vel'Koz more than mid Vel'Koz, he's supposed to be a midlaner. Actually, he's really good as a midlaner too, but I've always felt that his late-game scalings were quite low, and that's why I'd really like that ult base damage/AP ratio change to happen. I think he's more similar to new Xerath than old Xerath though, so he shouldn't need to be reworked.