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

A few things

1 - So I started using plays.tv - I think Dan put me onto it awhile back.  Its basically a client that will record your lol videos (not replays, but the actual gamepaly from your POV).  Anyway, it shines with its integration and ease of use.  When you finish a game, it quickly parses the video (instant like) and gives you a simple timeline that you can filter.  You want to see all of your kills, deaths, or assists - you toggle the filter and you see a precise timeline of exactly where that event occurred.  You click on it and you can watch the scene.  Super nice for making highlights (you literally click on that death, etc, and hit highlight and it will upload a clip if you want - AND it will tag folks if they have a plays.tv account OR if they were simply in the clip.  It automatically grabs all that info.  So, even if you are in a game with karl but he wasn't in the clip, it wouldn't tag him unless he was involved.  Its pretty slick.  Took a couple minutes to setup properly (had some static on my mic going through on 1st fun).

Here's what the reply interface looks like - you can filter at the bottom for the event you want to see:

You can also specify how much space you want to allocate for recordings etc. Its pretty much fire and forget.  I will add that one thing that does blow is that it not only will try to make vids of lol, it also does it for other games and I don't think you can disable it on a per game basis yet anyway.

Here's a link to the download:  http://plays.tv/download

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.  

Posted some vids from today:  http://plays.tv/u/pacov

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). 

You guys have any thoughts about having a slot that's reserved for pink wards and only pink wards?  I never really dug the penalty for not being able to get one.  Would make games longer though - but there would probably be bigger fights late/mid for ward control

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?  

nami and janna both have pretty good win rates now.  Both at 54% win rates

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.

It's not just people getting ganked by the enemy jungler and not getting ganks from  their Morde Jungler and lose their lane that will tilt.  There are those who will tilt if they go even or even win their lane but perceive that they could have stomped it if they had gotten some ganks since their opponent was pushing their lane too often.  Bot lane is especially prone to getting frustrated by an AFK Farm Jungler when they're constantly pushed... even if they're keeping up in farm pretty well.  I have a friend who would give  you constant updates on the lane to let you know how much he would love a gank.  "Vayne's Condemn is down..." and stuff like that.

I also have a friend that plays Rene top and would highly prefer that a friendly jungler focus on ganking his lane and secure him Rift Heralds, not farm the jungle and focus on Dragon.  I have a feeling that he would really despise someone who plays Morde Jungle so if this experiment continues I think we should be careful to make sure you two never play together.

Happy New Year!

Spreading cheer in the new year.  Hi.  

So... I was putzing around and tried out cull again.  

Help me out here - mathematically its a nearly useless, bad in pretty much all cases item, right?

Price 450 gold

passive - 1 gold for every minion killed - max 100 (so you can get 100 gold total as a bonus there).  Once you get 100 CS, you immediately get 300 gold.

So, the price is 450 gold.  You earn, after 100 creeps, 400 gold.  So, you are actually in the hole 50 gold.

That said, you get +5 dmg and +3 life on hit for that 50 gold.  

+5 damage is valued at 35 gold per 1 damage for a total of 175.  The +3 life on hit is much more difficult to calculate as its unique, but we'll go with 1% of lifesteal = 37.5 x 3 = for 112.5.  Total stat value then is 112.5+175 = 287.5.  

Conversely, you can sell the item for 180 gold.  So, 180-50 initial gold investment = a whopping 90 gold profit.  It's fair to keep in mind that you wouldn't sell this item until you are getting close to full build though, so you would get the stat benefit throughout.  

So, recapping all the math...

450 gold investment.  You make 400 gold once you use all stacks, offsetting the cost to 50 gold.  So, its like you spent 50 gold for 287.50 gold worth of stats. Which is actually somewhat efficient.. kind of...

The major offsetting point here is that even if you go this route, you lack the benefits that you'd get from other starting items.  And picking it up on 1st back isn't all that great either.  It's really not a viable option bot lane, but could be viable in top lane with ranged champs.   You'd still have the same issue, though - no bonus from a dorans, etc, which means as a 1st item you are probably boned.  As a second item, maybe, but still smeh.  

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.

Anyone else a nerd about champion mastery?

Kind of OCD playing folks at this point... anyway, share if you care to.  I don't think we can see anything other than your top 3 outside of a copy/paste

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.