User blog comment:Lukeatlook/Pyro's Item Overhaul 11 - The Mage Project/@comment-1330314-20150110223619/@comment-4813965-20150110230125


 * the problem with mana right now is that it's just not a fun stat. Champions who are gated by mana see it as a hindrance, and as a system it's treated as a problem to solve (usually through mana regen), rather than an interesting perk to take advantage of.

That's what mana is: a resource. In a very simplified way it comes down to a binary dilemma: do you have enough mana to cast spells or not? Same as with health - you're alive or dead.


 * Scattering it and mana regen across items will make those stats more common, but will not necessarily do anything to improve the value of mana or make it more interesting.

The point here is to allow mages to get some mana while building items that aren't necessarily meant to make you spam spells all day long.

As for your view on penetration, if armor penetration did not exist, bruisers would just need to stack up 5 tank items and one damage item and they'd steamroll over all carries while being nearly immortal themselves.