Patch 3.04 Jungle Implications: Runic Bulwark and Locket of the Iron Solari Analysis

This article goes through the changes in patch 3.04 with emphasis on the implications it has on jungling. There is specific emphasis on the comparison on the changes of Runic Bulwark and Locket of the Iron Solari. Will the changes in the 3.04 patch de-throne the jungle core items of Runic Bulwark and Locket of the Iron Solari? Should you still be building these items? Will we see different item choices in the LCS? Find out after the jump.

Although I would like to go over some of the minor changes, I am going to focus this article on the specific changes to Runic Bulwark (Bulwark) and Locket of the Iron Solari (Locket). Sorry, my dear Jarvan IV, but as Bulwark and Locket are being rampantly being built on Summoner's Rift, changes to these items should be seriously considered. 

First off, let's look at the changes to Bulwark and, to a lesser extent, Aegis of The Legion (Aegis).

Runic Bulwark
Combine cost reduced to 400 gold from 650 (total cost reduced to 2950 gold from 3200)
Health reduced to 300 from 400
Magic Resist aura reduced to 25 from 30
Aura grants an additional 50% Health Regen, Armor and Magic Resist for minions *Similar to Aegis*

At first glance, the aura change is almost negligible; which leaves the health, resist, and cost reductions to be the most important aspects of the change. Let's consider a more mathematical side to item efficiency on Runic Bulwark and then go towards a more practical approach to the change. 

Runic Bulwark previous item efficiency 


400 health = 1056g
10 health regeneration= 360g
30 armor = 600g
60 magic resist = 1200g
Total Gold Value = 3216g
Aura Value per Ally Champion
10 health regeneration = 360g
10 armor = 200g
30 magic resist = 600g
Total Gold Value = 1160g 

Maximum Potential Gold Value 
3216g + (1160g x 4) = 7856g 

7856g (gold value) / 3200g (item cost) = 2.45g 

Runic Bulwark current item efficiency 


300 health = 792g
10 health regeneration= 360g
30 armor = 600g
55 magic resist = 1100g
Total Gold Value = 2852g

Aura Value per Ally Champion
10 health regeneration = 360g
10 armor = 200g
25 magic resist = 500g
Total Gold Value = 1060g

Maximum Potential Gold Value
2862g + (1060g x 4) = 7102g 

7102g (gold value) / 2950g (item cost) = 2.41g

Essentially, every 1g you put into a completed Bulwark used to grant you, at a maximum, 2.45g worth of stats; now, it will only grant you 2.41g worth of stats. There is only a 0.015% of reduction in maximum item efficiency on Bulwark. Bulwark is still one of the most cost efficient items in the game. Similarly, let us analyze the changes to Locket. 

Locket of the Iron Solari

Combine cost reduced to 520 gold from 670 (total cost reduced to 1850 gold from 2000)
Health reduced to 300 from 400

Locket of the Iron Solari exhibits the same changes where there seems to be a balanced reduction of cost and stats it gives as seen with Bulwark.

Locket of the Iron Solari previous item efficiency


400 health = 1056g
35 armor = 700g
10% cooldown reduction = 322g
10 health regeneration = 360g
Total Gold Value = 2438g

2438g (gold value) / 2000g (item cost) = 1.22g

Locket of the Iron Solari current item efficiency


300 health = 792g
35 armor = 700g
10% cooldown reduction = 322g
10 health regeneration = 360g
Total Gold Value = 2174g

2174g (gold value) / 1850g (item cost) = 1.18g

Similarly to Bulwark, every 1g you put into a completed Locket used to grant you 1.22g worth of stats; now, it will only grant you 1.18g worth of stats. This statistic is greatly influenced by the lack of calculation done on the active. But the point remains that the changes to locket has only 0.033% change in item efficiency on stats it gives. Of course, the actual item efficiency of Locket is much higher due to the shield it gives from it's active ability; which explains why it is being picked up in every single LCS game.

With the changes being mathematically proven to be similarly gold efficient, Locket and Bulwark are still very strong items statistically speaking. However, what about in practical application? The main concern the changes bring is how well these items will fair in the late game aspect. Originally, Aegis of the Legion was a very strong mid game item; however, when late game came along it became a weaker item that became a waste of an item slot. As champions can only have six items at any given time, when gold is negligible one would want to swap out the old aegis for an item that gave bigger stats. However, Bulwark was meant to be an 'update' for Aegis in the late-game where people could still keep the aegis and have it be an item of effect. But with the recent changes, Bulwark and Locket may begin to suffer from the 'mid-game item' issue that Spirit Visage and Aegis suffered from for so long. 

In conclusion, Bulwark and Locket are still very cost-efficient items that give a champion amazing stats for the gold they require. On a gold-starved role like Jungle or Support, these items are, and remain, essential to proper itemization.