User blog comment:Willbachbakal/(Champion Rework) Varus, the Arrow of Retribution/@comment-25228021-20150501160206/@comment-1330314-20150503120342

I don't see landing autos as a bad thing, especially since I increased his base attack speed, which would make it easier for him to land autos in combat even without his steroid. From a gameplay standpoint, it means AP Varus has moments where he's extremely low on power and where he telegraphs his intent, before landing massive burst, and in the end, the loss of AP scaling on his autoattack steroid returns in the form of an additional means of accessing his passive. It would make AP Varus's gameplay a lot more streamlined, and would allow him to shine better at what he does (anti-tank burst) at the cost of power he doesn't really specialize in (autoattack-based DPS, which he can already purchase through Nashor's Tooth).

I also think there's a significant difference between Desecrated Ground's range increase and lock-on mechanic: when Urgot locks onto a target, his opponent basically can't stay within 1200 range of him without taking massive damage, regardless of positioning or interaction, which is why the mechanic is so toxic. By contrast, Desecrated Ground offers a powerful range bonus, but only on a localized area, which would be clearly telegraphed enough for Varus's opponents to move away from and therefore evade not only his attacks, but also potentially the ability's damage. I agree that an effect like this would allow Varus to autoattack from massive distances, but seeing how that bonus is heavily telegraphed and avoidable, I think it's a healthy form of power for him to have.