True, but since she's coming out later she shares a spot with Thresh.
At 3 mana and 2/4 the bonded is a 'flavor' mechanic. It's more important before she levels but is not as detrimental when she levels.
Also the bonded does NOT come back when it dies in either form. That's why she has the means to reforge bonds. If she dies, and revives, the bond remains. And more importantly the bonded gains a +1/+0 for her doing so. If the bonded dies first in a 5 death train, she gains +5/+0 after her level up.
Or until she dies and revives. Then she's back to 2/4 again.
You can use her first in a death train. She'd die, the bonded gains the +1/+0 for it. The next 4 gives both of them +1/+0. If the bonded lives, she gains the +4/+0 and the bonded gets +5/+0. If this was a defense round and nothing else happens. You can open attack with a 6/4 kalista and a +5/+0 bonded. That is burst and nasty.
It also can be stopped. Frostbite ensures she doesn't strike. Cutthroat can kill her outright. Vengeance, dravens ult (can't remember what the spell is called), quick attack, double mystic shot, thermo beam, etc. All still can kill her so she can be removed. There's endless ways to remove her like every other champion.
Adding her at 4 mana though puts her behind a bit and also overlaps other champions who are later. Now at 3, you could bond to an elise initially. At turn 4 you can block/attack with her. If she lives she has the revive remaining. Ancient Crocalith her and elise. Now you have a 7/7 croc and 2/4 kalista. Bonded to the croc (since both dies and she revives, the one ally bond is broken so she reverts to the summon portion).
Yeah I didn't want to add QA to her either. Since she was originally supposed to try to avoid damage by her bonded absorbing it for her, her kit's weak as is.
Personally I like the strike - Last breath type feel to her. She can now work with lucien, thresh, or even hecarim himself if you use Mark of the Isles on her or Stirred Spirits (never see it used actually).
The 2/4 is also a unique statline on her versus going 3/2. The only reason I add anything to her kit after the level up is her bonded can change. Versus having it bring it back to life. She can leave that type of thing to Thresh (maybe update him so he does it fully instead of just 1 champion pull/game.)
I should update that though so.
Kalista 3M
2/4 Fearsome
Attack or summoned: Bond to one ally. Grant them +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike - If I die, revive me.
Level up - I've seen three allies die.
Level up stats:
Kalista 3M
2/4 Fearsome, Overwhelm
Attack or summoned: Bond to one ally. Grant us +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike - If I die, revive me.
Changing of the wording for it. Having the game pause as you make a bonded if one, or both die could be stagnating. Now if she's summoned you make a bond initially. This stops recalls and detains from permanently removing her bond stats. If she revives the bond isn't broken nor can she make multiple bonded. If the bonded dies it's temporarily broken. To remake a bond she must attack (meaning you choose another to bond with her), thereby keeping her flavor alive.
She herself is weak at the start with few stats and summoned on turns where fearsome lose some of their ability to avoid damage. The level up is to give her an identity and make her actually strong later in the game. Switching it from "them" to "us" means she also gets the benefits but no inherent stat increases herself. You can either "store" some damage up on her later to use the overwhelm or use it each turn if you want to (ala undying). Yes if she dies she is reborn without the +1's she gained before. So no stacking an inhumane overwhelm that way. She can gain them after though.
Again she now has uses in every region but excels in a few. Overwhelm with Freyjord/Noxus. Rally with lucien. Hell create some insane Zeds.
Actually I'll revise that. Leglock might be on the right track.
3M - 2/4 Fearsome
When summoned bond to an ally. Grant it +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike: If I die this round, revive me.
Level Up - I've seen 3 allies die.
2/4 Fearsome, Overwhelm
When summoned bond to an ally. Grant us +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike: If I die this round, revive me.
Now kalista can still bond to an ally. Breaking a bond doesn't remove her kit entirely, just delays it. She thrives on units dying giving her use with regular, last breath, and ephemeral units. She can be killed with removal. She can be killed by quick attack units on defensive rounds. Strikes give her a way to revive for another round however it also removes all the buffs she was granted. All the animations for her are already in game (bond/haze effect when struck). She has a way to do damage late game. You can even remove overwhelm from Hecarim!
She is now a champion dependant on other units for full utility yet still has some utility herself.
It's interesting I suppose, however she'd still die. She doesn't have quick attack, unlike Katarina who is similar, to strike FIRST then remove herself. Turn 3+ people will be having 3+ units.
Also you're removing 3 points of offense off her as well for very little gain (2 from herself and 1 from the bonded.)
Wouldn't mind it if she had a good ability. She's now an Elise without any perks. I was thinking earlier it could be a problem because she has no units that synergize with her.
Hecarim wants ephemerals and buffs them.
Elise wants spiders and buffs them.
Thresh is happy if anything dies and pulls a champion (hopefully strong).
Kalista wants allies to die. I'm not sure what you can do since she's a 1M weaker Lucien.
Lucien wants allies to die. Yet he has quick attack upgraded to double attack, access to buffs in Demacia, and rallies.
That would gut her more than help her. She'd have no offensive ability in order to 'take a hit'.
That's a 3 drop 2/4. So instead of 6 offense stats you'd drop it to 4.
However an edit to the above comment. Make the bonding on summoned instead of play. Again, her bond is the core of the mechanic so if she's revived, there's no bonding.
What do you all think Riot will do to her in the next patch, since they mentioned her by name?
Right now her problems are: She's too reliant upon her bonded, she's a fearsome 3 drop when other 3 power cards are coming out, she can't be played alone (wants a bonded unit), her bonded can be recalled thereby making her the only champion that can be 'purified' denying her her full abilities alongside being very frail.
By most games I have used her in, almost never use her turn 3 unless there's a really good unit to play her on making her actually be a turn 4-5 unit.
The bonded issue could be solved by her wording changed to "I bond with the strongest unit. Bonded is granted +2/+0". Or making it so the bond persists even if the unit is recalled (pulling it from your hand in case of the level up).
As for the rest maybe a rule change on fearsome?
Fearsome could be changed from "Can't be blocked by a unit 2 power or less" to "Can't be blocked by a unit less than or equal to it's power."
Gives them a new thing to play around with and makes cards like Tryndamere, Legion General, Cithria the Bold, and Trifarion Shieldbreaker more interesting to play as well.
What do you all think? I enjoy reading these forums and they have been helping my own gameplay.
Maye you're reading it wrong. Cuts it in half rounded up could mean 0.5 -> 1, hence it does 1 damage.
You're right that at first you'd think it's meaning it rounds down to 0. I like the other way, so long as it remains in place.
After running it with coworkers came up with this (snowing we’re bored).
Kalista 3M
2/4 Fearsome
Play or attack: Grant an ally +1/+0
Strike: If I die revive me at end of round.
Level up - I’ve seen 3 allies die.
4/4 Fearsome
Play or attack: Grant an ally and I +1/+0
Stike: If I die revive me at end of round.
True, but since she's coming out later she shares a spot with Thresh.
At 3 mana and 2/4 the bonded is a 'flavor' mechanic. It's more important before she levels but is not as detrimental when she levels.
Also the bonded does NOT come back when it dies in either form. That's why she has the means to reforge bonds. If she dies, and revives, the bond remains. And more importantly the bonded gains a +1/+0 for her doing so. If the bonded dies first in a 5 death train, she gains +5/+0 after her level up.
Or until she dies and revives. Then she's back to 2/4 again.
You can use her first in a death train. She'd die, the bonded gains the +1/+0 for it. The next 4 gives both of them +1/+0. If the bonded lives, she gains the +4/+0 and the bonded gets +5/+0. If this was a defense round and nothing else happens. You can open attack with a 6/4 kalista and a +5/+0 bonded. That is burst and nasty.
It also can be stopped. Frostbite ensures she doesn't strike. Cutthroat can kill her outright. Vengeance, dravens ult (can't remember what the spell is called), quick attack, double mystic shot, thermo beam, etc. All still can kill her so she can be removed. There's endless ways to remove her like every other champion.
Adding her at 4 mana though puts her behind a bit and also overlaps other champions who are later. Now at 3, you could bond to an elise initially. At turn 4 you can block/attack with her. If she lives she has the revive remaining. Ancient Crocalith her and elise. Now you have a 7/7 croc and 2/4 kalista. Bonded to the croc (since both dies and she revives, the one ally bond is broken so she reverts to the summon portion).
Yeah I didn't want to add QA to her either. Since she was originally supposed to try to avoid damage by her bonded absorbing it for her, her kit's weak as is.
Personally I like the strike - Last breath type feel to her. She can now work with lucien, thresh, or even hecarim himself if you use Mark of the Isles on her or Stirred Spirits (never see it used actually).
The 2/4 is also a unique statline on her versus going 3/2. The only reason I add anything to her kit after the level up is her bonded can change. Versus having it bring it back to life. She can leave that type of thing to Thresh (maybe update him so he does it fully instead of just 1 champion pull/game.)
I should update that though so.
Kalista 3M
2/4 Fearsome
Attack or summoned: Bond to one ally. Grant them +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike - If I die, revive me.
Level up - I've seen three allies die.
Level up stats:
Kalista 3M
2/4 Fearsome, Overwhelm
Attack or summoned: Bond to one ally. Grant us +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike - If I die, revive me.
Changing of the wording for it. Having the game pause as you make a bonded if one, or both die could be stagnating. Now if she's summoned you make a bond initially. This stops recalls and detains from permanently removing her bond stats. If she revives the bond isn't broken nor can she make multiple bonded. If the bonded dies it's temporarily broken. To remake a bond she must attack (meaning you choose another to bond with her), thereby keeping her flavor alive.
She herself is weak at the start with few stats and summoned on turns where fearsome lose some of their ability to avoid damage. The level up is to give her an identity and make her actually strong later in the game. Switching it from "them" to "us" means she also gets the benefits but no inherent stat increases herself. You can either "store" some damage up on her later to use the overwhelm or use it each turn if you want to (ala undying). Yes if she dies she is reborn without the +1's she gained before. So no stacking an inhumane overwhelm that way. She can gain them after though.
Again she now has uses in every region but excels in a few. Overwhelm with Freyjord/Noxus. Rally with lucien. Hell create some insane Zeds.
Actually I'll revise that. Leglock might be on the right track.
3M - 2/4 Fearsome
When summoned bond to an ally. Grant it +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike: If I die this round, revive me.
Level Up - I've seen 3 allies die.
2/4 Fearsome, Overwhelm
When summoned bond to an ally. Grant us +1/+0 for every ally that dies.
Strike: If I die this round, revive me.
Now kalista can still bond to an ally. Breaking a bond doesn't remove her kit entirely, just delays it. She thrives on units dying giving her use with regular, last breath, and ephemeral units. She can be killed with removal. She can be killed by quick attack units on defensive rounds. Strikes give her a way to revive for another round however it also removes all the buffs she was granted. All the animations for her are already in game (bond/haze effect when struck). She has a way to do damage late game. You can even remove overwhelm from Hecarim!
She is now a champion dependant on other units for full utility yet still has some utility herself.
It's interesting I suppose, however she'd still die. She doesn't have quick attack, unlike Katarina who is similar, to strike FIRST then remove herself. Turn 3+ people will be having 3+ units.
Also you're removing 3 points of offense off her as well for very little gain (2 from herself and 1 from the bonded.)
Wouldn't mind it if she had a good ability. She's now an Elise without any perks. I was thinking earlier it could be a problem because she has no units that synergize with her.
Hecarim wants ephemerals and buffs them.
Elise wants spiders and buffs them.
Thresh is happy if anything dies and pulls a champion (hopefully strong).
Kalista wants allies to die. I'm not sure what you can do since she's a 1M weaker Lucien.
Lucien wants allies to die. Yet he has quick attack upgraded to double attack, access to buffs in Demacia, and rallies.
Between the two there's no contest.
The only issue I have with that is it makes her look and feel like Thresh.
Especially when both have similar level up mechanics.
Would be interesting if she could chuck her bonded at her target and do that then.
2/4 when summoned bond with a unit. Grant it +2/+0.
Attack: Bonded strikes the target.
Level up could leave her stats the same but bonded becomes +4/+0
Animmation can be her usual haze then spears the target. If it survives they fight like normal. Most of those animations are also in the game anyways.
That would gut her more than help her. She'd have no offensive ability in order to 'take a hit'.
That's a 3 drop 2/4. So instead of 6 offense stats you'd drop it to 4.
However an edit to the above comment. Make the bonding on summoned instead of play. Again, her bond is the core of the mechanic so if she's revived, there's no bonding.
Yea you're right above the fearsome in that way. I kinda did like the old way where her bonded did block for her making her more attack oriented.
What about Support then?
Bond to a unit, granting it +2/+0. Support: Supporting unit damage takes damage in place of Kalista.
Level up remains the same as it is now.
Mechanic change can be recalled units rebond when replayed. So it stays whether in grave or hand.
Defense turns means you can't chump block with it or you can shoot down the 'support' to get her.
What do you all think Riot will do to her in the next patch, since they mentioned her by name?
Right now her problems are: She's too reliant upon her bonded, she's a fearsome 3 drop when other 3 power cards are coming out, she can't be played alone (wants a bonded unit), her bonded can be recalled thereby making her the only champion that can be 'purified' denying her her full abilities alongside being very frail.
By most games I have used her in, almost never use her turn 3 unless there's a really good unit to play her on making her actually be a turn 4-5 unit.
The bonded issue could be solved by her wording changed to "I bond with the strongest unit. Bonded is granted +2/+0". Or making it so the bond persists even if the unit is recalled (pulling it from your hand in case of the level up).
As for the rest maybe a rule change on fearsome?
Fearsome could be changed from "Can't be blocked by a unit 2 power or less" to "Can't be blocked by a unit less than or equal to it's power."
Gives them a new thing to play around with and makes cards like Tryndamere, Legion General, Cithria the Bold, and Trifarion Shieldbreaker more interesting to play as well.
What do you all think? I enjoy reading these forums and they have been helping my own gameplay.