Talk:Abyssal Scepter/@comment-26090928-20160211055416

What I feel is something important to include, the breaking point where Void Staff outclasses Abyssal Sceptre occurs at 57.5 magic resist. At 58 magic resist Void staff then increases damage by a larger margin, at 57 abyssal sceptre provides more damage (keep in mind however that this is subject to some variance, as Void Staff also provides 10 more AP now when it didn't before).

Because all ranged champions have a fixed 30 MR without items, Abyssal Sceptre is a helpful hybrid offense/defense item when snowballing in mid lane. Even when a champion attempts to circumvent it with a null-magic mantle, it's still just short of the breaking point at 55MR. This changes with runes obviously, so players should pay attention to whether the enemy midlaner brought AP or MR blues. It's reduction also improves magic damage against minions resulting in better waveclear with abilities.

Almost all the melee champs have scaling MR, which caps out at 53.4. Unless they're melee-AP (which may run AP blues), they also typically run MR blues. Most also build Mercury's treads. So realistically, Abyssal sceptre is outclassed by void staff when fighting nearly every melee champion in the game, builds withstanding of course.

Considering the primary targets of the midlaner, assuming they're AP assassins and not say siege mages like Xerath (which is fair since siege mages would have too large a range to use the aura), are the enemy midlaner who's typically ranged and often AP, the ADC bot lane when roaming, and the squishy back line in team fights Abyssal sceptre is strong specifically because the champions it's most ineffective on are typically the champions an AP assassin won't be focusing anyway.

Context is massively important of course, if your'e mid and your'e stomping and the enemy team sees you build an abyssal that's going to prompt them to build magic resist to offset it. Which is a simultaneously setting you back by putting you in a position where you have to sell the sceptre but also putting them in a poor position where they had to compromise their build order to rush an emergency mantle. The ADC blowing 450 gold on a mantle because you're a force roaming is doing him absolutely no favours in his trades against the opposing ADC in his lane. That said, the AP doing well forces the enemy to build MR regardless of whether you build AS or not, AS just ellicits the response faster in most cases.

I build it on Le Blanc often whenever I'm ahead. Especially if the enemy didn't bring MR blues, as sorc shoes + AS leaves them with -5 MR in that case. It is easily a third item after Claim and shoes so long as the enemy hasn't tipped over to 58 MR where void staff is stronger. The item is all in all at a good place right now, at least on AP assassins. I don't play enough tank or support champs to comment on how it is as a defensive item or as a damage enhancer on non-AP scaling magic damage like Thornmail or Rammus' W.