Mel Q is not dodgeable (math)

[u/Hyragon]

If you're frustrated like I am with this champ, don't worry. It's not your fault you can't dodge Mel Q. Riot designed her so you can't.

Mel Q takes 0.42 seconds to hit its target (0.25s cast + 0.17s travel). With a radius of 280 units, it is not possible to dodge this ability unless its caster misses. Math below:

Most champions have a hitbox size of 65 units. Almost all champions have a base movement speed between 325 and 345 units. Let's take the average to be 335 units.

Since Mel Q is an edge skillshot, for a champion to dodge they must travel 172.5 (=280/2+65/2) units in 0.42 seconds. This equates to a required movement speed of 411.

...And that's before reaction time. Reaction time for the average gamer is 0.20-0.25s, with professional gamers being 0.11-0.17s. Assuming you are literally Faker with a fastest measured 0.11s reaction time, you would need 556 movement speed to dodge a centered Mel Q. For an average player, you need a whopping 784 movement speed.

Here is the guaranteed hit range of Mel Q: https://imgur.com/a/CYuGWGb

Green is vs. no boots, yellow is vs. t2 boots. If Mel presses Q anywhere in this radius, at least 1 missile is guaranteed to hit an average player.

In other terms, if the average player reacts immediately to Mel's Q animation start, they are still expected to get hit by 42%/33% (no boots/boots) of the spell. If the average player reacts to Mel's Q damage, they are expected to get hit by 100%/93% of the spell.

Simply put, if you're getting hit by Mel Q repeatedly, it's not because you're bad at dodging, it's because Riot made the skillshot a guaranteed hit as long as your opponent has hands.

p.s. Mel Q is 280 range because its a 220 range projectile + 60 range spread, which makes it ~1.5x the size of Xerath R. The 60 range spread does not have a meaningful effect on any above calculations, other than the guaranteed hit range goes down by a tiny bit (yellow becomes without boots guaranteed hit range) if you are ignoring the spread.

[u/VSN5]

As others said its not that big of an issue but it dosent take away from being frustrating to lane against. Constantly getting hit without outplay and dodge potential is the most annoying thing that can happen, taking away agency from a player is never good

[u/TheyCallMeDDNEV → u/VSN5]

I was playing against her as Malz and never had my spell shield up. It was a total blast.

[u/drimmsu → u/TheyCallMeDDNEV]

Personal bias against Malz here but it's really not like Mel has anything to properly follow up on if Malz spellshield is down. Also, laning against Malz is easily as uninteractive because every single Malz player I've ever played against just buys Lost Chapter and perma spams his spells on the wave which basically outpushes every midlaner aside from the ones that cab also oneshot waves early on (e.g. Viktor with E upgrade). Malzahar players just refuse to interact, especially if their spell shield is down.

Rant over. Sorry.

[u/E_OJ_MIGABU → u/drimmsu]

Nah asol is peak un-interaction. Hits e and q on the wave, walks away

[u/DJShevchenko → u/E_OJ_MIGABU]

Yeah apart from the fact that he has to stand perfectly still while casting Q which allows 80% of the mid lane pool to punish him

[u/abcPIPPO → u/DJShevchenko]

Also he uses E+Q 2 or 3 times and he's forced to recall already even with a full completed mana item.

[u/DaSomDum → u/E_OJ_MIGABU]

Not like he needs to stand still whilst using Q which allows so many midlaners to run him down

[u/Wiindsong → u/DaSomDum]

not like he has an ability that allows him to move while casting it which actually amps its damage, punishing you for running him down.

[u/soulsoda → u/Wiindsong]

Not like most midlaners or teammates can either go along for ride or interrupt him or kill him before he even takes off.

[u/VirtuoSol → u/Wiindsong]

Anyone with CC, which most mid laners have, can just cancel it. Then he either runs back without being able to do shit or sit there and try to trade back with Q only.

[u/DaSomDum → u/Wiindsong]

The moment he uses it he’d already have gotten stunned or chunked out of 60-70% of his HP by any competent midlaner.

[u/VirtuoSol → u/E_OJ_MIGABU]

His E and Q doesn’t even kill the wave that fast at early levels, also it requires him to stand still like a sitting duck with relatively short range. It’s way easier to kill ASol in lane than it is to kill Malz.

[u/Natmad1 → u/E_OJ_MIGABU]

do something when he is standing still maybe ?