User blog comment:Simbey/Real Talk: Galio/@comment-6000413-20140120101934

As most before me have suggested, he has 3 problems, at the moment:

1) High mana costs -> you cannot really spam q all night long

2) Slow skillshots, difficult to place in the current mobility meta

3) Fewer mages are seen these days, so his strength is reduced in lane

I recently bought him, nonetheless, and found myself against a Lee Sin mid. He could dash away from my Q, E dealt not enough damage and could harass me better than I did. After 6 things improved a little, but a couple of times I got so much of a beating before using ulti that the first ulti hits destroyed me.

To spam he needs chalice. Against a AD chalice is a risk. If the enemy has dashed, blinks and so on you will try to harass, he dodges, closes on you, shits on you while you have smite on cooldown and disengage, leaving you with half HP, even with shield (or dead if shield is on cooldown).

After that you'll need Smite just to farm, because if you get close you die. And you know what? After you Smite a minion wave the enemy dashen on you for more harassa, while you have no way to retaliate. Either you die or the situation gets even worse.

After 6 you can taunt under tower, but you know what? Lee dashes on you and dashes on a ward after 0.5 sec. So you press R and taunt no-one. I still have to practice, but it's gonna require real skill to counter all this. And maybe build Randuin.