Talk:Kassadin/@comment-168.8.249.173-20130320185534/@comment-88.186.19.90-20130321043813

It's not a matter of CC, it's not a matter of AoE (though lane control is affected); it's a matter or damage rotation and how the champion works.

Kassadin basically has a point-blank full AP burst rotation every ~8 seconds or less that can't be avoided (there's no real skillshot in Kassa's kit), can't be escaped (Kassa can always reach you thanks to riftwalk, and if you put yourself out of riftwalk ranged you effectively zone yourself), and can't be retaliated (3 second silence+slow means he has more than enough time to run away before spells are available again). Mana is not a problem because you usually buy mana on Kassa and blue buff exists.

That's wayyyy too OP. If he could really burst that hard that often, even with just Q+E damage and using riftwalk to run, he'd be too strong in lane because he would push you out in less than 30 seconds (3 spell rotation). The worst part is that he could do it completely safely: you can't retaliate and you certainly do not have the mobility to catch up to Kassa.

If you put charges on Kassa's pulse, you do 2 things: you delay his burst rotation and you give opportunities to the opponent. Kassa's Q alone is very potent but certainly not strong enough to be considered more than simple harass (and silence without the slow makes Kassa vulnerable to chasing), so riftwalk+Q isn't that threatening, that means the opponent knows he is "safe" from a huge burst for 20 seconds (the time for 2 Q+W+E) every time pulse is used provided he doesn't use spells. In other words, the opponent can choose to handicap himself  to stay in lane longer and hence farm more before he has to eat another inescapable burst of damage.

On a sidenote, it also lowers his pushing abilities withought handicapping Kassa in push trades: if the opponent decides to push aggressively with spells, Kassa's E charges often and he can hold his own; if the opponent plays conservatively, Kassa can't push his lane in the blink of an eye and gank without commiting himself at minion range and is forced to make a difference by pushing his opponent out of lane.