Talk:Swain/@comment-7145241-20140122123754/@comment-9048637-20140122223621

Most of the time, I don't find myself needing the extra slow in lane. Thus, the extra damage from Torment is preferable. Bear in mind that Torment amplifies EVERYTHING you throw at them for the duration (except true damage like Ignite), not just its own damage; this includes Decrepify, Nevermove (granted, you sometimes need to use that before Torment, though), Ravenous Flock and even auto-attacks. Furthermore, the extra damage from Torment is a lot more reliable, given that even with the max-rank slow, the tether on Decrepify can be broken. Then of course, there's the mana cost; given how carefully Swain has to manage his mana post-6, I'd say that's a not insignificant consideration. And finally, yes Decrepify has a shorter cooldown, but in lane, you ideally want to harass with both spells anyway, with Torment cast first, so that point's kind of moot.

I'm not saying I'd never max Decripfy first; if I were up against, say, Fizz (ugh) or Ahri then I'd probably find the stronger slow pretty invaluable. But I generally, I find I just don't need it.