User blog comment:Lukeatlook/Pyro's Item Overhaul 5 - Supports and the CDR Overload/@comment-1330314-20140719221207

I agree that supports are constrained to one out of many potentially interesting build path, and I think the line needs a redo, what with it being a mandatory item that offers nothing interesting in terms of itemization or build choice. I also completely agree that certain items need a redo:, in particular, could fit the niche of the "support armor" item you're looking for, and needs a complete remake. I also think we need viable AP support itemization (as in, able to compete with the current build path for caster supports), with more offensively oriented AP/CDR/utility items in the same vein as.

What I don't agree with, however, is the issue of CDR overload. CDR is a mandatory stat on supports, and reducing the amount of CDR support items would just restrict them to a smaller pool of items to rush for their core. The other advantage to having lots of CDR around is that it discourages supports from overfilling on utility items: supports are already expected to forgo meaningful power growth (other than through CDR) in favor of team utility, and if you make it viable to stack every utility item out there without wasting stats, that's going to be the mandatory build for every support. That was one of the problems with pre-change : not only was it insanely cheap, it also didn't interfere with the CDR cap, meaning that literally every support was expected to build it just for the ultra-powerful active.

Root of the Mountain is, stat and effect-wise, pretty good. I think the toggle might be a problem, as the martyr component means that it simultaneously does really well and really terribly against AoE (you block more damage for your team, but you also die a lot faster). The effect itself is also a better, more generalized Legion aura with the minor self-damage caveat, and so treads on its toes.

Shurelya's Source has a few issues: the item builds from a line intended for squishy casters, or at least that gives squishy caster-oriented stats, plus a pure mana item, and turns into an item that potentially gives you a big chunk of tankiness. The Tear brings no significant impact upon being fully charged beyond the health gain (it's meant to delay your early game power a bit in return for a power spike later on), and the toggle offers no real gameplay, other than softening the mana problems of everyone else on your team. It would be better to change the toggle to a big, impactful active, or an effect that offers new gameplay, rather than have a v2.

The MR reduction on Shard of True Ice's toggle doesn't really have good synergy with supports beyond some special cases, as they themselves don't deal too much damage whereas their marksman is going to be primarily focused on physical damage. An armor reduction effect would work better, but in general I think the toggle on this would just end up being permanently turned on just for the resistance reduction. Again, an active here would provide a clear high moment with this item.

While I definitely think there need to be multiple Sightstone options, I think the passives you gave the two other options outclass by far. Giving each top-tier option some kind of a unique bonus is definitely a nice idea, and somehow tying that bonus to vision would also be good. I think one of the limiting factors on the Sightstone line is the health stat, which only really benefits one class of supports: have you considered having multiple Sightstones build from different items? For example, on the advanced tier you could have one build from health, another from mana and another from regen, and then upgrade those into the options you laid out. Alternatively, you could have Sightstone build from a dedicated component, and then have it branch out. It would make itemization slightly more complicated, but would grant more options from the start.

I'm not a fan of raising the CDR cap: not only would this effect on Soul Shroud make it a mandatory item for supports, as CDR is the stat they're expected to max out on as soon as possible, it would also force a rebalancing of nearly every ability in the game, including those on non-supports. Every ability in the game is balanced around a cap of 40% CDR, to the point where some effects would overlap with themselves with a bit more cooldown reduction ('s shield, 's Tibbers, ...), and implementing a greater cap would not only change these abilities, but also limit the minimum cooldowns and/or maximum duration of effects on all spells.

is an item designed for towerdiving, but none of the stats you gave it interact with turrets in any significant manner. It would be better to turn this into a support armor item instead.

I feel would be better suited as a pet mage item, rather than a support item (the movespeed aura could be done by reworking the nearly-unseen  enchantment). I think the stats on the current item are fine as they are, but the minion buff active should be applicable in some way to champion pets, since it's currently not as useful as it could be (even if it looks awesome).

The problem with is that its stats are best suited for bruisers, who are all about selfish power, but has a team-oriented aura, which is only something you'd get on a support or a tank. It's not as good a bruiser item as it could be, and it's not a great support item either. Its aura is also not good, as it applies to the whole team but only really benefits one or two champions on average. Your version keeps all of these issues: you need to turn it into either a dedicated bruiser item (with similar stats but no aura) or a dedicated support item (with an ally-buffing effect but with different stats), but not one that covers both roles.

Giving an item every defensive stat is not a good thing: health is meant to be the counter-everything stat, so it makes little sense to put both armor and MR on top of that at the same time (that's why the armor was removed from / in the first place). The active you gave both treads on Locket's active (instant team-wide defense) and allows it to heavily mitigate both physical and magic damage at the same time, with the armor scaling with the MR: effectively, with just one dedicated resistance you end up with some of the other. This is not healthy to itemization, as you should be specializing through direct armor/MR purchases rather than stacking one stat and using an item effect to turn it into the other.