Black Cleaver is a versatile item specifically designed for the physical Fighter class, providing everything this character type needs, from Attack Damage, health, and especially a 20% cooldown reduction. Along with this are two passives for movement speed when attacking, both with auto-attacks and skills, as well as armor reduction. At 3000 gold, these stats are fantastic for Fighters.
However, that was a thing of the past; the meta is always changing, and it has inadvertently pushed Black Cleaver aside for Trinity Force in the item builds of Fighters, even though this item is 733 gold more expensive. Even champions who traditionally use Black Cleaver like Garen and Darius are gradually switching to Trinity Force.
The first reason for this change lies in the fact that armor reduction is no longer as crucial for Fighters. Previously, besides fighting in the top lane, you could roam to other areas and threaten multiple opponents, at which point Black Cleaver maximized its utility by significantly reducing the armor of the entire enemy team.
However, in this season 10, you must stay in the top lane for most of the time, and the fact that armor reduction applies to only one target – the opponent in the lane – no longer provides much value. This task is now assigned to junglers like Lee Sin or Olaf, while top lane Fighters focus on farming and scaling up their power, something Black Cleaver does not provide. Not to mention that currently, there is only one tank in the meta, Ornn, which significantly reduces the value of Black Cleaver.
Meanwhile, Trinity Force is a much more “carry” type of item. Champions that use this item often tend to become the main damage dealers of the team in the later stages, such as Fiora, Camille, and to some extent Garen, rather than just providing effects like Black Cleaver. The damage potential of Trinity Force also proves to be far superior to Black Cleaver, even though it theoretically offers less Attack Damage; the Spellblade effect and attack speed it provides are vastly superior.
Even the component items of Trinity Force are much better than those of Black Cleaver. Remember that you must complete Black Cleaver to gain the 20% cooldown reduction. In contrast, with Trinity Force, the two components, Sheen and Phage, already provide 20% cooldown reduction, not to mention the damage, energy, and attack speed they grant. With so many advantages, Trinity Force is gradually replacing Black Cleaver as the first item choice for players.
Because of this neglect, some players have suggested that Black Cleaver should be buffed, at least to add more versatility so that players feel satisfied using this item. A post on Reddit discussed this issue, pointing out three ways to buff Black Cleaver.
Here are three ways that international players hope Riot will implement to buff Black Cleaver:
1. Add a Longsword to the component items, the formula would be: Wooden Hammer + Longsword + Fiery Gem + 600 gold; the price will remain unchanged but provide significantly more Attack Damage to strengthen Fighters.
2. Increase the armor reduction ability to 30% against melee champions, which will basically help Fighters become stronger when facing Tanks, especially when Conqueror loses its true damage.
3. Make the armor reduction effect apply to structures, which will enhance the split-pushing ability of top lane champions, especially in terms of tower demolition. Trinity Force excels at this as the passive of Phage also affects structures, while Black Cleaver does not, which is a significant disadvantage.
It seems that at this point in time, Black Cleaver is at a significant disadvantage compared to Trinity Force in every aspect, from damage output and tower pushing to the number of champions prioritizing its use. The reason players buy Black Cleaver more often may lie in the lower ranks, where gamers only purchase items suggested in the shop without actually understanding the power of that item. Is it time for Riot Games to buff this item?