Season 3: Seraph's Embrace

Today's item is an upgrade to Archangel's Staff: Seraph's Embrace.

Seraph's Embrace: (Transforms from Archangel's Staff)
1000 Mana
60 Ability Power
10 Mana Regen per 5 seconds
Passive: UNIQUE - Insight: Gain Ability Power equal to 3% of your Maximum Mana.
Active: UNIQUE - Mana Shield: Drains 25% of your current mana to shield yourself for an equal amount for 3 seconds - 120 second cooldown.

Item transformation isn't entirely new to League of Legends. Rengar's Bonetooth Necklace upgrades itself based on a stacked buff, and even changes into Kha'zix' head if you murder the void horror in the right circumstances. This item simply extends the core concept.

Fully stacking the bonus Mana on Archangel's Staff will cause it to transform into Seraph's Embrace. The stats on the two items are nearly identical, save for an additional 10 AP and the active ability. The passive Maximum Mana to Ability Power is unique for both items, so enjoy stacking Archangel's Staves while you still can.

Building Archangel's Staff has long been an indicator of a player's inexperience. The time require for stacking its Mana combined with Tear of the Goddess' complete lack of offensive or defensive potential made it a weak choice. You had to rush Tear to be sure of stacking it, but rushing Tear put you at a severe disadvantage in lane. Even though Archangel's Staff could easily provide in excess of 135 AP late-game, the cost, effort, and ultimate lack of defense were not worth the risk.

Some of these problems have been addressed in Season 3. It is now only necessary to stack 750 Mana, rather than 1000, and the upgrade to Seraph's Embrace provides a very significant defensive shield. Even with half of one's mana spent, Mana Shield can potentially provide a 300 damage shield, almost as good as Barrier

Still, it will take a significant portion of the game to stack the mana. You can't count on the transformation until well into the mid-game, even if you rush Tear. However, at that point it offers a great combination of offense, defense, and mana sustain. Who wouldn't want more AP on a single item than even Deathcap, practically unlimited mana, and a potent shield?

While Singed and Ryze are the obvious champions for this item, I expect many champions for whom Archangel's was previously a mistake will find this a useful item when aiming for a strong mid or late-game.