Talk:Swain/@comment-173.166.78.162-20130312191849

I think I may have figured out why Swain, as much as I love him, isn't popular in solo-queue or competive play and how one should best build him.

His damage isn't significant, be it dealt throguh AoE or single target. Swain deals AoE damage through Nevermore and Ravonous Flock, the former being something a snare/nuke and the latter being a toggled AoE dot which heals between damage ticks. However, unlike other famous AoE mages such as Cassopeia and Kennen, those abilities only hit a small number of people (three in the case of his ult) and can be dodged with some forethought. Swain's single target damge is the E+Q combo of Tormet and Decrepify, a tether with a slow and a damage amplifier, both dealing damage over time. However, the slow can be removed simply by running away from Beatrice: dodging/mobility nullifies much of Swain's power.

What do these short-comings mean? Swain is a terrifying beast in mid game, when his laning opponent has cover some serious distance if he gets hit by Nevermore to reduce the damage he'll take through Torment augmented Decrepify and Ravonous Flock. However, in mid-late game team-fights, Swain doesn't do the same damage to everyone, meaning that he has to focus a single target, which won't always be the ADC.

But to turn these weaknesses to strengths, we'll have to do some theory-crafting. Swain can be thought of as a brusier if we consider the incredible frontline-potential be brings. You try to get past the hulking bird-man with a snare and a slow. With the health meta in mind, RoA, Rylai's, and Liandry's may all be in order, to further that frontline power. As for resistances, Abyssal/Spirit Visage and Zhonya's should provide just nicely, making you an even bigger-presence through the aura/increased healing and CDR and the stasis. This Swain build should result in him becoming something of a bruiser-peeler, he has massive slows to slow the other team, and can simultaneously zone their ADC, if Swain gets his talons on him, his team can easily take him down with Swain's CC and considerable Damage.

Since this all came to me just now, I haven't been able to test, but this came to me now, and I wondered if I could shift my current build (Rush Sorc/Mercs and RoA, and choose from DC, Zhonyas, Abyssal, Athenes, Liandry's, usually in something of that order) to treat Swain's short-comings.