User blog comment:Jens Ingels/The support item rework (suggestion)/@comment-24403085-20150505145332/@comment-24057740-20150506121342

Without Snowballing the game loose a big aspect of its apeal. While it can be annoying to fight that 7/1/0 Riven, it doesn't feel bad to play that 5/0/2 Eve. It's fine to get rewarded for playing good and even when your fed you need to know how to push that lead (prevent the enemy from staling and comming back).

If you want more masteries and no items go to HOTS?

Items give you another strategy minigame in the game. When you know your char you can build many items that fit into different situations. I like that aspect of the game and the calculations behind the right items for your char.