Understanding the Crown of the Shattered Queen in League of Legends
The Crown of the Shattered Queen was a Mythic item in League of Legends designed primarily for mages. Its core function revolved around providing a layer of protection and survivability, allowing mages to survive burst damage and remain effective in team fights. The item granted ability power, health, mana, and ability haste, but its defining feature was its unique passive, Safeguard. When active, Safeguard reduced incoming champion damage, essentially acting as a temporary shield. If a spell shield was active while Safeguard was about to be applied, the spell shield was consumed, and Safeguard would start its cooldown. The Safeguard passive had a cooldown of 40 seconds, which would reset upon taking champion damage.
Delving Deeper into Safeguard
The Safeguard passive was the centerpiece of the Crown of the Shattered Queen. When the passive was not on cooldown, the champion equipped with the item would be “Safeguarded,” greatly reducing the amount of damage they took from enemy champions. More specifically, the damage reduction was 75% and lasted for 1.5 seconds after taking damage from a champion.
The strategic importance of this effect was immense. Mages, typically vulnerable to assassins and burst damage dealers, could now enter team fights with a higher degree of confidence. The Safeguard allowed them to survive initial engagements and dish out sustained damage. The 40-second cooldown (resetting upon taking champion damage) forced players to make tactical decisions about when to engage and how to position themselves.
Mythic Passive Synergy
As a Mythic item, the Crown of the Shattered Queen also had a Mythic passive. This passive empowered the champion’s other Legendary items. In this case, each other Legendary item granted 1% bonus movement speed and 8 ability power. This meant that with a full build, the Crown of the Shattered Queen could potentially provide an additional 40 ability power and 5% bonus movement speed. This passive further enhanced the item’s appeal to mages, providing substantial scaling as the game progressed.
Why It Was Removed
Despite its popularity, Riot Games removed Mythic items, including the Crown of the Shattered Queen, in Season 2024. The primary reason was to provide more build diversity and reduce the feeling of being “locked” into specific items based on the Mythic passive. The goal was to allow players to customize their builds more freely and adapt to different game situations. You can learn more about the thought process from game designers and educators at the GamesLearningSociety.org.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What exactly did the Safeguard passive do?
The Safeguard passive provided a 75% damage reduction against incoming champion damage for 1.5 seconds after taking damage, effectively mitigating burst damage and improving survivability.
2. How long was the cooldown on Safeguard?
The cooldown for Safeguard was 40 seconds, and it reset whenever the champion took damage from another champion.
3. What stats did the Crown of the Shattered Queen provide?
The Crown of the Shattered Queen granted 70 Ability Power, 250 Health, 600 Mana, and 20 Ability Haste. The cost of the crown was 2800 gold.
4. Who was the Crown of the Shattered Queen intended for?
The item was primarily intended for mages who needed additional survivability against burst damage.
5. How did the Mythic passive of the Crown of the Shattered Queen work?
Each Legendary item granted 1% bonus movement speed and 8 ability power.
6. Why was the Crown of the Shattered Queen (and Mythic items in general) removed?
Mythic items were removed to increase build diversity and reduce the feeling of being locked into specific item choices.
7. Did spell shields interact with Safeguard?
If a champion had an active spell shield when Safeguard was triggered, the spell shield would be consumed, and the Safeguard cooldown would reset.
8. Did the cooldown of Safeguard reset even if the damage was insignificant?
Yes, any amount of champion damage would reset the Safeguard cooldown.
9. Could Safeguard prevent crowd control effects?
No, Safeguard only reduced incoming champion damage; it did not block crowd control effects.
10. Did Safeguard work against true damage?
Safeguard reduced true damage by 75% like any other type of damage.
11. How could you play against someone who built Crown of the Shattered Queen?
Players could play around the item by baiting out Safeguard’s cooldown with low-damage abilities and then engaging with high-damage combos.
12. Were there any champions who were particularly strong with the Crown of the Shattered Queen?
Champions like Viktor, Orianna, and Azir benefited greatly from the item due to their positioning and the need for survivability in team fights.
13. Could Safeguard be broken by damage over time (DoT) effects?
Damage over time effects would trigger Safeguard and keep it on cooldown as long as damage was being dealt.
14. What replaced the Crown of the Shattered Queen in Season 2024?
While there was no direct replacement, mages now have access to a wider range of items that provide survivability, such as reworked defensive items and more diverse AP item options.
15. Where can I learn more about League of Legends item changes and strategy?
You can find valuable information and resources on websites like the Games Learning Society [https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/], which focuses on understanding game design and learning principles in gaming. This is a great place to learn more about strategy, game design, and theory.