League Analysis: Mana Regen Option(s) for Tanks

Over time, new items have been added to the games while others have changed. Itemization holes have been closed left and right, though not every single one has. One avenue of concern was mana regeneration, especially with the increasing amount of manaless champions coming out that mana using champions had to compete with. Fortunately, AP casters and AD champions of all sorts have decent options for mana regeneration and methods to increase their mana buffer. Even Support champions have fantastic options.

However, tanks, meaning either tanky top laners or junglers, don't exactly have a lot of high tier items that give them sufficient mana regeneration. While they at least have Spirit of the Ancient Golem, 7 mana per 5 seconds isn't exactly going to do a lot in terms of helping tanky champions in any stage of the game. There's not exactly a lot of reason behind why tanky champions shouldn't at least be able to build some more mana sustain either. Infinite mana may be over the top, but running out of mana during clears during later stages of the game or over the period of an extended siege isn't exactly acceptable when all other champion classes don't suffer as badly due to available itemization.

The Resolution

The item Chalice of Harmony, which provides a decent amount of mana regeneration through both its base mana regeneration and its unique passive, can be upgraded into an AP caster-oriented item and a support item. It also grants some magic resistance. Because it provides defensive stats and doesn't have a lot of upgrade variance (both are oriented for champions that probably aren't tanks, let alone AD, etc), this item is a good candidate for a base item to upgrade from. Another potential mana regeneration item choice is Mana Manipulator because it only has one upgrade (oriented for supports).

Given the information above, a potential item that can provide mana regeneration for tanks can look something like this:

Goblet of the Protector (Legendary Item)
Cost: 2800 Gold (2690 Item Cost, 110 Combine Cost)
Built From: Chalice of Harmony, Mana Manipulator, Giant's Belt, Null-Magic Mantle
Stats: 400 Health, 50 Magic Resist, 12 Mana per 5
UNIQUE Passive - Mana Font: Increases Mana Regen by 1% per 1% of missing Mana.
UNIQUE Aura - Mana Warp: Grants nearby allied champions +5 Mana Regen per 5 seconds.
Active - Sacred Rejuvenation: Nearby allied champions have a 25% increase Mana and Health regeneration rate for 6 seconds. 60 second cooldown.

I had to be pretty careful when making this item. While it seems awfully like a mana regen version of Banshee's Veil, I felt it was the only real choice that made use of the aforementioned items without severely altering stats, which has the potential to make the item imbalanced. For instance, I considered adding Mana to the item, but not only does the item feel bloated, it has the potential to make champions like Singed and Ryze, who already benefit from a Tear of the Goddess upgrade, access to a potentially dangerous combination of infinite mana, immense mana pool, and heavy durability.

Ultimately, I compromised with an active that may help during most situations, particularly during a siege or turtle, that played into the role of a tank, whether it is a supporty tank or a carry tank, without being too overpowered.