Haven't thought of Swain for a long time, but would DFG > E or E > DFG be better? Last I knew, E actually made DFG stronger as well. I'm thinking E into DFG would be better since DFG also does the % damage, so that would be amplified by the E as well? (I think that's how it works) Not sure though, haven't touched Swain in months. Too early and too many numbers so I can't think. I'm sure Fawe or someone will come in here and tell me what's better.
Maxing a high CD CC ability is awesome when you never miss. I don't think it's practical since you're pretty much screwed if it's missed.
Augmenting W does enable some great plays but it's a question of opportunity cost. It allows you to place the gravity field more safely and from some rather clutch locations, like say on top of the dragon from behind the wall, or smack in the middle of the top tower in dominion from behind the lower wall. However, of all the augments going W leaves you the most vulnerable as you lose the escaping speed boost from Q, and the finishing/burst power from E. The ONLY time I'll go Augment W is if my team is filled with melees that can create an effective front line to protect my ass, and can totally capitalize on the added CC. Say for instance a team like Riven, Jax, Jinx, and Talon. Most of the time in Dominion though (which I play the most) it's a team like Nid, Fizz, Talon, Xin, and Sona and going Augment Q for the crazy mobility is clutch--you need to be able to keep your distance from Fizz/Talon or you get 'gibbed. The rest of the time for your average comp or one with a lot of squishies, I'll go Augment E as late game you can two shot squishies from a mile away.
Which is probably why people don't use him at all. Annie's is instant and so much easier to hit and control. Annie is so much better in almost every regard. The only thing Viktor has over annie is his long distance poke with his E. It's extended ranged is like 1k+ or something.
The examples are all as equally valid in SR as well--he's considered a worse pick in Dominion than he is in SR. You still choose his augment (and hence his playstyle) based on enemy comp. Personally I think his CC is better than Annie's-- hits more people more often, forces them to move/flee or else get stunned (and a lot of the time they get stunned anyways-- effectively double cc), and is available whenever it's on cooldown unlike Annie where you have to keep track of spell count. Vik's W FORCES flashes and dashes. What makes Annie a "generally" better choice is that she's faceroll easy to play and you don't have to worry about a skillshot laser-- it's very difficult to whiff her combo, while whiffing Vik's ULT because Ezreal just blinked a split second before makes Baby Jesus sad.
Just give him a try a few times with Aug Q and see what you think.. I thought he was trash when I first picked him up but now I consistently place first place across both teams in damage dealt to champs by FAR. A few other things too that I forgot-- his laser grants vision at insane ranges which is great utility and his ULT is perfect at shitting on channeled ULT's like Kat and Nunu. He's got a lot of subtle interactions and plays that aren't immediately apparent, like dropping his W into the center of Pantheons ULT
Because that 3s 30% speed boost combined with the fact that he can use E while moving is godly.. Nobody can catch you,nobody can escape you, and while they are trying you are melting them, all while moving.. You can even use your Q against minions to help close the gap with fleeing champs to mow them down with your laser..
This. Build furor boots, morelliminicon/chalice, rylais, Liandry's, and Spellblade and you're the troll king. 30% movement from Q, 12%(working from memory) from furor boots, plus the slow from Rylais and nothing can catch you, yet they have to otherwise you'll melt their whole team from the back lines.
I have had vik in aram a bit lately and once you get him going he can be a real monster damage wise. His death ray hits hard and given you can use it on the run if you get good at targeting it it has some pretty seriously nice range and hits like nidalees spear. If you go for his augmented slow field his death ray still hits really hard and he can now do some hilarious support of stunning/slowing enemy teams. The extra range turns this from a pretty defensive power to a very effective offensive one where you can start dropping it right on peoples heads for a near guaranteed stun.
One very interesting thing concerning E for anybody that cares-- the instinct when you start playing Vik is to use his laser in a straight line parallel with the direction you are facing. In other words if you are mid you cast it in a straight line down the middle of the lane at your target, and this is what your opponent naturally expects as well--its the max range scenario. However, you can cast it in any direction you want from its starting point, which means you can shoot diagonally at your opponent, or even from his side. Learning to do this makes it FAR harder for them to dodge it.