fun fact - pete's skype works because he uses it on his cell. Anything he tries to do on pc doesn't work because his pc is fugged. says windows 10 is a pisser

Other stuff - so, I think I pinpointed my biggest weakness in lol and its something I want to improve on.  I have very retarded decision making in 2 specific scenarios.  

1 - proper rotation after death.  This is my absolute #1.  I'll die, for whatever reason (lets say I magically did something super well, but died as a result).  Anyway, a prolonged fight is still going on.  I have to run all the way from our base on respawn somewher.  My options are to clear a wave, get vision somewhere, or run all the way acrros the map in case for some reason the fight continues and now requires the guy that died to provide back up.  

Now, that #1 only happens outside of our base and it only happens when there is a long drawn out fight and I've either respawned our had to recall due to dangerously low health, etc.  The math in my mind is almost always that the guys still deep fighting know I had to b and know I don't have tp or something, so I instantly reassess and decide to do anything other than run all the way across the map to group.  I do this very consistently.  I might just be like fuck it and decide to completely override my instincts and run to the team in every situation to resolve.   Maybe I'll give that a go.

2 - this ones actually on par with #1.  Last night we had a game where we could get drake 5.  I have a scenario in mind where we 100% get drake, but that requires everyone to rotate.  If everyone rotates, then I can also get vision on baron.  I actually didn't need to get baron.  So, I roam off to do the baron crap, hunny stays mid instead of heading to drake and we don't have the dps to burst it down.  Even if we actually needed baron warded, I still acted as if my scenario would be executed in a very precise way.  Which is really, really stupid to assume.  Anyway, error on my part.  The decision should probably be to sacrifice any other perceived objective at that time and secure the drake... which would have been super easy to do if I just want there and left hunny at mid or w/e.  

So, another thing I did recently.  I started canvasing several high elo, non streaming support players (D2 and above) from all over the world.  I noticed something interesting on several players accounts. Supports rushing into dark seal.  For those that don't know, dark seal is the 1st component on meiji's soulstealer.  Its 400 gold, gives you 100 mana, 15 AP, 25% increased healing from pots (eg a 150 hp restore red now gives you 37.5 more HP).  You get "glory" stacks for champ kills/assists up to 10 stacks (1 glory = 3AP = 30AP max bonus + the 15 you get for the item = 45AP total). I generally find it to be quite cost effective and it provides you with added sustain.

I've seen it most commonly on zyra and janna. You should probably get it on brand as well.  Worth considering on any AP support imo, though.  It's also something I think might be worth considering on several mids.  You sink 400 gold for some ok stats and added mana.  You can sell it later if need be. If you are doing well, you can upgrade it to meiji for 1k.  

Anyway, the zyra build I'm using is derived from a few higher elo support mains.  The pages are labeled zyra for runes/masteries on my super king pacov account.  Its 12/18/0 mastery.  Runes I think are mpen red, then defensive for the rest (can't remember off the top of my head).

Skills = E, W,Q, max r, max e, max q, w.  

Itemization.  

• spell thief/consumable pot.  
• You want 900 gold for 1st back.  Get frost fang (good for added dmg/gold gen at his stage) and dark seal.
• Next is really situational.  Rush sightstone if its VERY clearly needed immediately.  If its not, you want to start building towards frost queens tribute.  
• End game mpen boots, rylai, meiji (don't even upgrade dark seal into this if things are not going well - instead sell dark and build something else), frost queens tribute, whatever else is needed (team item, defensive/offensive item, etc).  

early game zyra tips - be smart with your e.  Folks aren't as used to zyra as she's not exactly commonly played.  Early levels you should absolutely treat a missed E the same way you would if you miss a blitzcrank hook.  Good players will get very aggressive as its a clear opening if you miss that E.  Unlike blitz, zyra doesn't become completely useless levels 3-5 if you miss an E, but again - good players can take control of the lane if you flub an E early, so use it when you are very confident or use it ONLY for peel so you have a constant CC threat (just use q for poke in this case). 

I'm forming a super team.  Bobby Big Wheels and PDT.  Bobby Big Wheels is pretty awesome.  That name alone.

http://plays.tv/s/Kc7BJ4jKB4w0

The play is a thing that happened, but seriously though - doesn't that name sound like they were childhood friends?  

Well then - random recap of recent happenings.

1st - happy new year, folks!  Hope 2015 treated you well, but its time to kick it to the curb.  Anyone remember our new years eve Demigod games?  

Anyway, we learned the karl thinks support poppy is really strong and some high elo players are loving it.  We learned lower elo players are shite with her though and get stomped into the ground.  And I maintain that POOpy is and always should be a pick only in certain comps... particularly ones where her w provides ANY team utility.  Up against a zac?  Consider poopy. Lee singa, poopy.  ezreal/zed - nopes.

So, I spent some time toying around with garbage junglers recently.  I'll talk a little about them

1 - morde.  Some putz (guy that spams his twitch before and after games and asks folks for plane ticket donations, etc) made a few posts on reddit recently talking about his morde jungle setup.  Well, shite if it doesn't work for what its designed to do.  And actually work pretty well. It's flexible enough that you can take any quints you want.  Very high, safe sustain.  And, amazing objective control.  Emphasis on that last one.  Particularly with what you get from those objectives (drake to seige out a turret instantly and push the game forward).  

You've got niche junglers that can solo a drake all sneaky like at early levels.  Always nice to get a drake like that, but always some crappy trade off due to the types of junglers that can do that.  Well, here getting a drake also means you very likely get mid or bottom turret.  And every drake you get means that additional power spike from having drake.

Did I mention good ol morde is getting a buff that's live on PBE as well.  A buff that makes this style of play stronger.  Also, the keystone mastery I'm currently taking on him is getting a buff as well (the one that gives you HP per large monster killed - that also will give you 100 hp heal once you max it out an any large monster... which puts his sustain completely through the roof).  

Anyway, his clear strength is in how his heal works.  His heal in lane works on his w.  Whenever it detonates, he gets a static amount of health back.  In lane, this is completely gimped and only returns 25% of its value on creeps.  In the jungle, you get 100% of the heal.  In the jungle, this translates into about a 150 HP heal every 11 seconds with 2 points in heal.  You also can heal a your teammate with this if they stand next to you.  

Anyway, the clear is good and safe.  Not exactly super fast, but you generally don't gank (which is, ofc, a huge downside to this crap).  You rush relai components and then steraks.  He's best as an objective controlling, counter ganker.  Counter ganks are exceptionally strong.  

So, here's the why you don't do this.  1 - while being invaded isn't much of a risk (you'd be surprised I think - but its true...), you put out low zero gank pressure and that's predictable at least on your 1st clear.  You are most effective than say a pre 6 WW and your W does give you an ok gap closer, but its not exactly strong.  This means an enemy jungler can snowball lanes while you are doing jack.  This also means that if that jungler does that, the goofs that got caught will lean heavily towards tilt because they have a shitty mord jungle.  If the enemy jungler is successful, he can start the snowball going before you begin to come on line.  2 - better junglers.  Objective control is swell.  You can make this work and true, the drake buffs do provide a nice team advantage including extra gold from getting an extra tower mostly on demand, but that's probably not worth it.  

All said and done, it is a fun thing to try out and it does work ok.  Get 2 points in w if you aren't double jungling asap then max q (w,q,w,e). DO NOT upgrade the jungle item.  Just start with the 1st component and keep that.  Jungle until you have at least 1250 gold for NLR.  Rush relai unless you fugged up.  Core is relai/steraks/boots (cdr or mpen or w/e you need is fine).  

Other crap I did recently - AD malz jungle. Works the same as it always has.  Nice objective control (you can drake solo at level 4). You get destroyed if you haven't practiced it and you suck on your 1st clear (you blow the 1st clear, you are kind of out of the game for a long time).  Incredibly strong ganks/dps with his ult.  Its fun to try out, but it requires practice to not blow your 1st clear.  Not something I'd advise, but try it sometime if you want.

I also tried lissandra jungle for shites and giggles.  It went about how you'd think - poorly.  Mana sustain is no where near good enough (its like 90 mana to Q).  The next update for the mana regen jungle item is going to increase the sustain which might open up some more jungle options, but its way too expensive to spam things on liss.  Could be an interesting jungler though.

Spreading cheer in the new year.  Hi.  

It's a barrier to snowballing or avoiding the enemy snowballing.  It's like taking a support item to get some extra money instead of your normal adc item, you'd probably get more out of having the execute heal or getting money from the minions you missed.

No interest in Champion Mastery for me.  My issues:

1.  Not enough levels/time to get one of the two mastery levels.  I'd be more interested if there were many more and much higher reward levels to differentiate between those who specialize in certain champions and those that dabble.  And rewards!  You should be able to only buy an icon for your champ after reaching a certain champion level.  Now that would be pretty cool and worth dedicating some time to.

2.  I'd worry about them scrapping the system to do something different, something that more related to how well you did with the champion in Ranked rather than how much time you put into playing them in non-Ranked game modes.   Cow should be able to emote a beautiful Diamond Champion mastery icon over his head when playing Brand, while I should only be able to put a sorry, pitiful ass Plat mastery emote over my head when I play Kalista.  That seems fair.  And remember the player behavior reward system?  Not many of us have ribbons anymore.  If they institute a new system then all of that time spent playing champions you'll never play again on Teambuilder might be for naught.

I think if you have a <48% win rate with a champ you should get a poop mastery icon that you can show in game or it shows up whenever you die.  

I think we all agree its really just a grinding system in its current iteration and is really in no way a reflection of skill.  I also agree the way points are handed out is a little silly ("If you win you get a lot, if you lose you don't regardless of how well you preform as an individual in that game" - cow).  

But - currently we get those lovely in game mastery things and god help me anyway, but it is nice to toss that shite up from time to time.  

I do like that in the load screen we get to see our teammates mastery level.  That makes one feel a little better when you see a niche or FOTM pick.  So, that's one thing it has going for it (even if its total games played, you know this isn't some pooper trying a champ out).  That's actually probably the best feature of things as they stand.

On Riots side, it accomplishes a goal and that's why I don't think we'll ever see it removed even if its dumb as a box of rocks - it gives folks another reason to keep playing games, which leads to skin sales on individual champs, etc. 

For me, it recently led me to spam a lot of zyra games and she will likely be my newest go to in ranked as a result.  As spammed games with a champ make a difference in win rate and actual champ mastery, its good for that anyway.

Hoping they develop it more.  I don't think we'll see mastery skins (think of the background work to do that for every champ).  I'm guessing we could get a mastery icon though, but even then not sure if its something rito would pursue.   Really curious what they actually might do next

And after watching quite a few high elo people play wu top and then trying it a few times, it appears as if I understand wukong jungle well and not so much top wukong.  I'm continually mismanaging mana - most because I'm including my w in the combos to avoid retaliation.  Which isn't so smart, so I'm losing the blue bar war.  Which means i can't do much when my jungler shows.... expecting me to do things... when i dont have the mana to.  Lots to work on... makes me miss renekton where its much more simplified.  

I figured if you were wanting to play a top lane you would try trundle. He is really good at split pushing and can even play from behind fairly easily, just seemed like a champ you would like.

Become a Zyra OTP?  She has a very high win rate in mid lane as well as Support.  You could stay practiced with her mechanics when playing both roles.

She's got glaring weaknesses as an AP Mid but they're much the same as when playing her Support, but without the team-comp issues you cause for your team when you take her bot lane.

If you want to be able to 'carry' games, she's an excellent choice.

Oh - and if you'd care to learn how to work with her better, I can provide you with some feedback.  And that's not to say I'm a zyra expert and you are a pooper or anything - or that zyra/kali is the most ideal combo, but I really don't think its subpar.

When you played kalista you weren't really utilizing your ult in a way that had much synergy with zyra.  We had a few instances where I was setup to land an ultimate while tanking damage.  I cast my ultimate which provides me with a window of protection and a short window of time to re-position, cast ignite or spells, etc.  The typical response for both the adc and support when they see my ult cast is to try to reposition briefly and focus completely on that.  And if its a good ult, they can't really do that.  So that opens up a window.  When you ult at the same time as my ult, that loses the advantage gained and more or less offsets my ult and the potential damage.

A better combo would be to let me soak any damage if I 'appear' caught and you know my ultimate is up and try to reserve your ult until is absolutely necessary.  That enables me to tank the most, while dealing damage and frees you up to focus on the enemy while they are dpsing me.  It's a balancing act and when done properly, zyra/kali can work quite well.  When done poorly, its a waste of 2 ults. 

You also don't generally opt for an aggressive use of your ult (ult me, let me toss in, lead with my ult after using the cc for yours, toss down plants and spam spells - I probably do 80-90% damage that way to 1 target with like 20 AP at level 6).  That's fine and all a matter of your personal preference as to whether or not you want to go heavy.

Anyway, I saw you jump to ezreal which I recollect being your safety I'm stuck playing adc with GDM.  That's also fine and up to you, but I think you are missing out if you are being dismissive.   I don't mind skipping on dark seal (to be fair, if I get dark seal, I upgrade it to meija about once in 25 games) - but that is 400 gold I could put elsewhere (though it gives 100 mana and 15 AP for 400 gold). 

All said and done, if you've decided that you can't lane with a zyra or that this is somehow GDM, we can just not play bot together or skip games together.  All ok with me anyway.  I like being gimped into roles and champs I don't want to play about as much as anyone and I'd generally just prefer to play solo if it means I can work on what I want to. Not always, but generally.