Talk:Varus/@comment-5888252-20130211110653/@comment-5888252-20130212003311

@Sipondo

"Euh... what? Runaan's Hurricane makes Guinsoo's Rageblade stack almost instantly, while Malady still requires seven (!!) hits to be fully utilized."

You won't have Runnan's Hurricane when you first finish your Guinsoo's, though.

Furthermore, Malady's cost efficient (and nearly 600 gold cheaper overall) even without its On-Hit effect or MRes reduction. Guinsoo's is only gold efficient after 3 stacks, and even maxed, grants less attack speed.

The On-Hit effects damage of Malady ends up being about 65 later in the game. This will end up surpassing the AD and Blighted Quiver On-Hit damage provided by a fully stacked Guinsoo's. However, Guisoo's grants more damage from Blight Stack detonation. More on this in a moment, however.

"You should choose between going down the whole magic pen road or not building any of it at all. Only building Malady for penetration will not help you much."

This is where things tip the balance in favor of Malady. First, keep in mind the MRes reduction is free--Malady is cost efficient even without factoring it in. I'm not going out of my way for the MRes reduction, I pick it up for the cheaper cost, higher attack speed, and greater late game On-Hit damage than Guinsoo's.

Now, Guinsoo's grants 47 more AP than Malady. This would mean approximately 3% more of their max health per Blight detonation than Malady. A 2000 HP target with 100 MR has 4000 EHP. Guinsoo's will deal about 60 more damage with that 47 AP.

3 Hits from Malady will reduce their Magic Resistance to 88. This changes their EHP from 4000 down to 3760. This means that there is 240 less damage required to kill the target. That small amount of MRes reduction has actually helped you more than Gui

"Guinsoo's Rageblade is simply stronger for this champion in efficiëncy, early game usability and end game strength."

The math above should be a fairly reasonable response. I might have made an error in calculation, though, I stayed up all night last night.

"Lich bane will not serve you any good when your abilities are cooling down and malady is lackluster compared to Guinsoo's Rageblade. Which item do you want to swap for Lich Bane anyway? Rabadon's Deathcap?!? Nashor's Tooth?!?"

I believe I've explained why I feel Malady is better than Rageblade. My build is Ionian, Malady, Nashor's, Lich Bane, Rabadon's, . (Not necesarrily made in that order) Becuase of my low cooldowns, it's fairly easy to proc Lich Bane two or three, sometimes even four times in a fight. And Lich Bane adds about an extra 425 damage every time you hit with it. Runnan's Hurricane is a brilliant item, and it  can definitely replace Lich Bane, or my defensive item, it depends. That said, I often find that enemies avoid grouping up once they realize my ultimate can instantly kill them, and I dislike relying upon an item that offers relatively little if countered by such. The one benefit Rageblade has over Malady is that it grants a bit of sustain (and more AS when you're below half), but the sustain is largely useless, since it's so minor, and most the time, if you're half health on AP Varus, you're as good as dead anyways.

"I personally prefer Warmog's and Rod of Ages as defensive pick. Void staff works well with malady. Do not take Abyssal Scepter on Varus; if you want the passive, ask your jungler or support to build it. Zhonya's Hourglass is an option against physical damage heavy teams, but I personally don't build it very often."

Warmog's is nice, though I tend to shy away defensive options and play super cautious. Not always an option, though, and so it definitely helps. The point of Abyssal isn't for the reduction effect, just the durability. It provides more effective health than a Rod of Ages would if you're talking just magic damage. I rarely make Zhonya's myself, though again, it's better offensively and defensively if you're taking just straight physical damage than Rod of Ages.