Do you mind elaborating on what feels bad exactly? Is it that the items' patterns feel bad, that you think they are undertuned or something else? Also if you could describe your ideal state for the item's balance (eg. do you expect AP bruisers to have choice on their second item, or do you think a better state is for them to always buy demonic embrace second?)

Zhonyas, Banshees, Demonic, Cosmic, Rylais, Morello, Lich, etc. are all meant to be purchasable on AP Bruisers depending on the game state and champion.

ExtraSluttyOliveOil

Demonic

Demonic was the item I was most hyped for when you guys were showcasing the preseason items. AP Bruiser Sylas was by far my favorite thing to ever play in League, and I was still making it work after the removal of the shield with the ROA + Nashor's Tooth build (admittedly not the best, but it worked for me in low diamond and normals).

Demonic was great for all of like two weeks, and then people figured out that you could double-down with an overtuned Liandry's burn and build both items on literally every mage to turn everyone into an artillery Brand.

IMO, Demonic feels like a joke at this point, the resistance gain is pitiful, and the item just feels weak in comparison to any other non-troll option for a 2nd or 3rd slot. I'd much rather give up some of the upfront damage/AP for more resistances, or a ramp-up to the burn, or some CDR/Ability Haste. In Demonic's current state, it feels like it's doomed to be a weak item or it'll be abused by other AP champions opposed to the intended users.

Ever since Season 11 started, I've kind of just dropped playing Sylas, and he was my second most played since his release. Bruiser Sylas just feels inferior to full AP 1shot builds. Everfrost and Cosmic changes kind of brought it back a little, but Demonic still feels like crap.

So your objection is mainly that you feel it's underpowered or bound to non-bruiser champs, not that you're unsatisfied with the mechanics/pattern for AP bruisers.

Yvil1905

Hey! You are the guy responsible for Sylas right? First of all thanks for caring about and engaging with the community.

Im not OP but there are a lot of reasons. Imo they dont feel strong at all, when AP Bruisers like Sylas, Diana or whoever else dont buy these items, then maybe there is a problem.

I think the way to go is to make the existing AP bruiser items not a choice, I know the goal of the Item Update was to make the champs not reliant on just one Mythic, but when there arent a lot of options for a class and the existing ones arent even bought, thats a problem IMO

Right now Demonic Embrace feels like an item for DOT champs instead of AP Bruisers, imo changing the percent health damage it does to something like the Deaths Dance passive but for every damage instance would greatly improve the satisfaction and feel of this item

I did his mini-rework, yep. Thanks for the perspective.