User blog comment:Zilverdael/Seperate itemsets and why they are good/@comment-1330314-20140617111554/@comment-1330314-20140617225204

The Elder Scrolls series (or at least Skyrim) are a good example of how absolute itemization freedom leads to richer gameplay than most other RPGs, including ones with flashier effects like Diablo or Path of Exile: there is nothing to stop you from playing a mage in heavy armor, and the playstyle is just as viable as a cloth armor mage, with different tradeoffs and gameplay. The current system in LoL is more restrictive, since some champions do far better with certain items than others, but the idea is the same: to promote natural gameplay evolution, as opposed to forcing players to pick what you, the designer, want them to pick. In both cases, you're still having the players build as you intend (most of the time), but on one hand players have the freedom to find out their champion's optimal build, and on the other players are ushered towards a pre-selected item set and are given a lot less agency.

The issue of AP Tryndamere, as with any other champion, can and needs to be solved on the champion itself, rather than have the problems carry over to itemization. Nearly all Tryndamere players don't build any AP, but even if they did you could compensate for the removal with greater bases or better existing scalings, for example. If you were to take every toxic playstyle and try to solve it by modifying the items they'd be using, you'd end up with champions who would still be just as broken, except your itemization system would be a mess, with zero clarity or reliability between champions or roles.

In the end, part of your reasons for all of these needlessly complicated changes is that you want some champions to do things they're not meant to do: you want tanks with enough damage to out-duel bruisers, and supports who'd focus on self-centered stats. It's perfectly possible to do this in the current itemization system, except you yourself don't want to deal with the associated tradeoffs: if you swap out a tanky item for a damage item on a tank, you'll be less tanky. If you want personal power on a support, you can build AP and still do really well with your utility scalings, but you'd have less actives to play with in teamfights. You basically want to have your cake and eat it too, which in a system where each role serves a specific function is not a good thing. Give tanks extra damage in addition to their existing crowd control and tankiness, and tanks would supplant bruisers as they'd bring more to the table. Give supports personal stats on items that are meant to be altruistic, and you end up with supports who'd overwhelm everyone else with their excessive utility. In the current system, to achieve what you'd want you would have to cut down on the features that make these roles strong, which is the last thing you'd want to do. Even if you were to assume that tanks did need more damage, or that supports did need more selfish stats, then you could simply change the tanks and supports themselves to deal more damage and/or have more personal power (or scale better with AP). All of this boils down to a champion issue, not an itemization issue.

More realistically, your opinion is not representative of that of the majority of gamers. Despite your claim that Leona is inferior to support, the former is a far more prominent lane pick than the latter. While tanks are being outshined by bruisers, the opinion is that bruisers are too strong (which is true), not that tanks are too weak. Despite their lack of personal stats, supports are still key team members in the current system, and the support role has seen a lot more play since Season 4.