Talk:Ardent Censer/@comment-24693081-20140618135314/@comment-6281696-20140620161249

The issue is that it isn't just 1 utility item like censer, this goes for virtually all utility items. Alistair arguably has the least issue with it in this specific case. Also, the bonus defensivly for Alistair is minimal, I don't know his ratio's by head but if this increases the heal by more than 20 I'd be amazed. And 20 extra health isn't exactly impressive. Unless he gets the heal off at least 8 times or so even the cheapest health item does more. Look, it isn't an awefull item, it just isn't anything that should become actually popular on Alistair outside of very specific situations where he can forgo greater defenses in favor of this, or as say a 5th or 6th item. E.g. it'd make sense if say the opposing team counter jungles and alistair somehow ends up making a pentakill or something and he takes this as his first item (yes it's a silly example, but you get the point). Otherwise it's just not much of a good item on him at most stages of the game. Early on you should rather want significant defenses, not to mention the gold items boots & sighstone you are forced to take anyway and from midgame onward the actual bonus is kind of meh.

But take for example Thresh, this item will also get popular because of the exact same reaons. However, it requires you to sacrifice the lantern in order to just get shields, ignoring its most impressive utility while providing basicly nothing Thresh wants that he can't get in better places. Yet people will use it, because it "adds utility" half the support builds, especially on tanky supports are based around the notion of handicapping yourself with borderline useless items just to get bits and pieces of (occasionally powerfull) utility. The entire design philosophy behind how support-itemization works in LoL is horrible. At least at the moment.