User blog:NightbladeX/Kassadin Rework: Thoughts

I've seen a lot of hate towards Kassadin's rework right after release. I, too, was saddened by the silence removal, truth be told. So after the patch came to my server, I immediately tried to play Kassadin. After playing him (being denied 5 times beforehand), I have to say I don't have MUCH of a problem with the rework as it is.

Pros:

> If anything, Kassadin's burst damage is off the charts now. Especially if Lich Bane is built on him and W is maxed first. If he was banned because of his silence and Riftwalk utility before, this might be the reason he'll be banned now.

> The Q change is a beneficial one at all stages of the game, especially early game. I noticed that playing aggressively early tends to be extremely risky. Even at rank 1, Q provides decent damage mitigation when exchanging and last-hitting. Moreso if it's maxed first.

>  W's active's mana restore on-hit is just great. Really great. In lane, last-hitting with it is encouraged since it's the only way to quickly regain any mana lost while harassing. When killing champions, it's the one thing that still makes multiple Riftwalks possible. If it hits at least.

> Kassadin's kill sequence has been simplified in my opinion. Activate W > R > hit W > E > Q. If chasing, it's imperative to activate W before Riftwalking again.

> W's active gives Kassadin a chance to outdamage AD mids in early exchanges.

Cons:

> Kassadin is much easier to harass this time around. Any champion that outranges Kassadin will typically have no problem with him in the laning phase. Kassadin is also prone to an early death if he's not played carefully.

> As mentioned by other wiki contributors, Kassadin's lowered base damage worsens his already horrible early game. This also forces defensive play even more. Either Riot should raise the base damage or increase the AP ratios on all of his abilities. I can feel either happening soon enough.

> For me, Kassadin relies on his W for everything after the rework. So not maxing it out first means you won't have much of an impact until midgame.

> Kassadin pre-rework typically had no problem falling behind early due to his disables and naturally high damage. Now, Kassadin players will have to take care not to fall behind. Kassadin relies on snowballing, moreso after the rework, and if the enemy mage gets a lead, it can still kill a Kassadin who has fallen off early.

> Post-rework, any Kassadin player will now be FORCED to build mana to sustain the much higher cost of multiple Riftwalks.

That ends my thoughts on Kassadin's rework. TL;DR: He's still viable and he can still melt faces in less than 3 seconds, but you'll have to pick your moment well every single time you enter a fight. Also, Lich Bane is practically a MUST on him.

Leave a comment guys. Nightblade out.