Release notes 4.5
Miscellaneous
All Items, God Abilities, and Relics should now properly follow Slow stacking rules.
Item Slow effects are all strongest wins. This means the strongest Slow applied by an Item is the only Slow that will affect a God.
Items can stack with Relic and God Ability Slows.
This was apparently how item slows were always supposed to be working, but through some bug, they were stacking anyways. I was oblivious and just trying things when I made a monster of unintended game mechanics, that worked against how both developers and informed players, believed the game functioned.
Ode to Double Slow Belona
While trying to find my groove with Belona, I eventually found a build I loved more than any other. The Double Slow build. This character is primarily a basic attacker, so buffing that attack with effects is only natural. I just tried double slow to see what it would do. It requires building crit, so it's not normally a good fit on a warrior due to the power and durability compromises, but on Belona it works.
You use Reinforced Boots and Winged Blade for your durability. These boots combine with her passive, providing additional protections as she takes damage. The blade gives you a good chunk of health, movement, a bit of attack speed and immunity to slows. The two combined cap you out on Crowd Control Reduction, reducing the duration of any crowd control effect (slows, stuns, roots, silences) by 40%. These effects will help you both get on top of your target and get out after doing your dirty business, even when the enemy team would rather you get wrecked.
Her abilities are also handy. The sword and shield give you a small lunge, and basics with them give you stacks of Block, which can completely negate an auto attack as well as reflect some of the damage. Lead with this in team fights. The over head hammer, in addition to being great ability and auto attack lane clear, is a great finisher when you group dive. Also a great poke when you wanna just see who you can weaken first. The Scourge is great for either leading or defending with the disarm. It can pass through obstacles, so you can also do this with it:
Her ult gives you a lot of utility as well. In team fights you can initiate with it, stunning the group to get on top of your target. With double slow, once you are on them, body blocking will not save their teammate. The ult can also stop a likely get away or give you an escape.
When playing like this, you get on them and then lock them down. Unless you were chasing a weakened target, they will fight you. If you approached with your passive up, the fight will start to go your way and then they will try to withdraw. It's only at this point that they realize just how screwed they are as they feel the effect of a 50% reduction on their movement. If your target has an escape, you will want to have your ult ready, to maintain pursuit and stun. This isn't a very durable build, or a very high output one. By the end of the game though, I've run at the enemy team and seen them all disperse just because of how terrifying that double slow is. Even if I don't get the kill, my teammates usually realize just how useful it is to have someone pinning our enemies down.
Judging by those patch notes however, these sort of shenanigans are frowned upon in civilized society. A shame. Double Slow Belona, you will be missed.
