User blog comment:Lukeatlook/Pyro's Item Overhaul 8 - The Support Project/@comment-5588011-20141223025201/@comment-5588011-20141223182211

If you add magic pen then you've side-shifted the focus onto psuedo supports like Morgana and Karma, giving actually more itemization towards certain supports over others, a nerf to pure supports. The supports who choose to get an Ancient Coin usually get it for the lane sustain since it benefits you over Spellthief's Edge since you're expecting a hard time or the active. If you choose Karma or Zyra in this situation then you're either,

1. Picking the wrong champion in ranked for that situation

2. Going to fail at your purpose because you can't poke.

If it's intended to help you poke them down then you've taken Spellthief's unique factor of being the poke-orientated item. It would be much more better getting an 'impactful' active since the Coin's stats are just so weak and you need to rush the 1st gold upgrade and then a Sightstone at least. The one redeeming trait of the coin line's weak in-battle stats is the incredibly strong active that comes along with it.

If you're getting Mikael's for the heal then you're better off getting the Locket of the Iron Solari since it's used for clutch situations. Obviously you're going to get Mikael's for the CC removal, if there is no CC then don't get it. What I'm talking about is when there 'is' CC, it's a nerf for ranged supports and a huge buff for melee supports like Leona since it's a way more rushable item, able to negate CC.

I really like the new Sightstone ideas since I never really got why they made supports have to get health. (Against healthpack.) The one Sightstone idea I don't really get is the Sapphire one, you always want health if you're tanky, AP for better heals and poke and the regen stats for better sustain against poke. Sapphire just doesn't have a clear reason for purchase because if you want mana sustain you get the Emerald Sightstone and mana regen is such an abundant stat on support items anyway that mana becomes a weak purchase because of how fast you restore it. If you want it for the passive, the other passives are so much more stronger that they overshadow it, warding distance, extra health on Vision wards (yus), and free wards when they're broken near you (Dragon and Baron contesting) and regenerating Vision wards and finally a huge Vision Ward buff make a Clairvoyance kind of weak in comparison.

I don't get why Twin Shadows has mana regen if it's intended as a mage Zephyrs since mana problems are non-existent late-game. Honestly just keep it pure AP.

I don't get why the Aether Wisp has mana regen when it's intended as a in-battle orientated item. (Lich Bane requires you to get close to them, Twin Shadow's active is great for initiations to start a battle, Ardent Censer's buff is only relevant when fighting against champions or rushing a Baron or Dragon.) It's fine as an item currently. (I personally want to see it as a replacement component for DFG since it's just a better fit in my opinion than a CDR reduction for bursters.)

I also don't get why you're trying to turn the Banner of Command into a mage item considering that it doesn't give the stats or an active you need as a mid-laner which is to deal a truckload of damage or CC. The Banner of Command was intended as a support item for mage supports, if anything you should be buffing the AP on the item instead of the health if you want it for mages.

Locket of the Iron Solari change is a nerf to mage supports who might want the item since you benefit so much more by MR stacking which is much more likely on full tanks, which I think is a problem considering that the item was taken if you were facing AOE comps that meant you took damage too. By changing it you made it weaker on tankier supports too since now they need gold to get the full strength of the shield, meaning you made supports even weaker in comparison to full tanks.

And I just realized the Mikael's Crucible change. RIP Zed, made redundant from double QSS's, one being from an item that can be rushed with no problems to damage output from ADCs or bruisers.