Part I — Analysis of the existing Wisp mechanic
Rules and categories
This report examines the Set 18 Wisp mechanic. Wisps are options purchased during a round and resolved according to their effects. Most combat effects are temporary, but changes to gold, experience, or units can produce lasting benefits.
| Basic rule | What it means for the player |
|---|---|
| Appearance and purchase | Usually appears in every other shop, in the rightmost slot. The base limit is one purchase per round, during the planning phase only. |
| Stages and rounds | Stronger effects become available as the game progresses, with different prices. PvE offers no Wisps; later stages add a combat-category guarantee. |
| Shop restoration | When the planning phase ends, the Wisp slot reveals the unit originally hidden behind it, reducing its continued occupation of a unit slot. |
| Exceptions and scope | These are the basic rules. Special traits can change effects and purchase cadence; the base purchase limit should not be described as an absolute limit for every composition. |
The official system divides Wisps into seven categories, with colors and icons to aid recognition. The original categories are retained below; the right column analyzes their role in player decisions.
| Category | Main question |
|---|---|
| Champion | Does it help complete the composition, and is the change in units worth giving up current combat strength? |
| Combat | Can it address a shortage of damage, survivability, or matchup strength this round? |
| Misc | Its purpose depends on the specific effect; effects cannot be compared using a single combat-strength value. |
| Shop | Can it improve rolling efficiency, and does it suit the current level and target units? |
| Gold/XP | When does the benefit arrive, and will it arrive in time for an interest or leveling breakpoint? |
| Risky | What is the cost, and is the worst possible outcome still affordable? |
| Item | Can the current units, items, and Artifacts fully convert the benefit into combat strength? |
Rules and categories refer to Riot’s Set 18 overview and Patch 18.1 notes; their decision implications are the analysis in this report.
Resource loops and in-game decisions
A Wisp decision includes both “whether to buy” and “whether to keep searching.” Rerolling finds units as well as Wisps, so its cost cannot be attributed entirely to Wisps. Extra rolls made specifically to find a Wisp do, however, reduce the budget for leveling, upgrading units, and saving for interest.
Economic pressure and the timing of level 9
Consider a hypothetical Wisp costing 3 gold: buying it at 54 gold leaves 51 and does not lower the interest tier; buying it at 50 leaves 47 and may cost 1 gold in interest, assuming no other gold changes. Even without crossing an interest threshold, purchases and extra rolls reduce the savings available for leveling.
For example, a player running a level-8 composition built around 4-cost units may want to keep winning through Stage 4 to preserve enough health to absorb later losses. If the board is not strong enough, the player may need to roll further for a Wisp and then pay to buy it. Repeated spending over several rounds competes with the level-9 budget and pushes the intended leveling timing noticeably later. The choice is between spending to protect current health and risking health to save for level 9. The actual delay depends on cumulative spending and income; it cannot be fixed to a particular round.
| Typical situation | The player’s actual trade-off |
|---|---|
| On a win streak, with opponents close in strength | Is the temporary strength enough to improve the chance of winning and preserve health and streak income? |
| Preparing to stabilize after a loss streak | Can the Wisp work with rolling, leveling, and completing items to stabilize the board? A single effect may not repair a composition’s weaknesses. |
| Low health or the final matchup | The current opponent and immediate effect matter more. Continuing to search for the best Wisp may consume time needed for positioning, item adjustments, and rolling for units. |
A purchase also uses the round’s limited purchase opportunity. A cheap Wisp is not necessarily an immediate buy: waiting may reveal a better fit, but searching further may produce nothing except additional spending.
Design benefits and possible improvements
What the current mechanic already solves
Reassessing needs each round gives even a completed composition room for local adjustments. Seven category colors and icons reduce recognition effort, while purchase icons give opponents information to observe. The later combat-category guarantee reduces cases where a player urgently needs strength but cannot roll it, although effects within the same category are not equally suitable.
Interactions between Wisps, traits, units, and items deepen team building. Blossom, for example, can enhance Wisps, showing that the same effect changes in value with the composition. Evaluation should consider cast frequency, survival time, target coverage, and Artifact interactions rather than comparing only listed bonuses.
What balance patches can test
Patch 18.2 lowered the prices of several Wisps and reduced some leveling costs. In a later update, Riot noted that these economic changes, together with unit buffs, had accelerated leveling to 9, and reversed some experience-cost reductions. This shows that lowering Wisp costs can change an entire economic plan; its impact cannot be judged only by whether players buy more Wisps.
Riot Patch 18.2 notes and September 14 update
Patch 18.3 nerfed several Wisps when enhanced by Blossom. Riot noted excessive returns from a small number of traits combined with strong units. Wisp balance therefore requires checking ordinary effects, trait enhancements, and composition interactions together, rather than pricing each effect in isolation.
Riot Patch 18.3 notes: trait and Wisp changes
The different problems addressed by five alternatives
| Unresolved trade-off | Proposed intervention |
|---|---|
| Spending to preserve health and spending to level draw on the same gold | Option 1 separates the purchase budget while still allowing gold to be spent on searching. |
| Repeated purchases and searches compete with the level-9 budget | Option 2 adds ordinary gold income and leaves allocation to the player. |
| Finding a suitable Wisp also costs money | Option 3 provides limited free refreshes, with further searches paid for. |
| Random options may not address the current problem | Option 4 changes the emphasis of loss-side options; the general pool retains immediate combat strength. |
| Maintaining an advantage also requires situational judgment | Option 5 offers ways to consolidate an advantage while retaining general choices. |
The five alternatives address different problems: Options 1, 2, and 3 adjust the purchase budget, gold supply, and search cost respectively; Options 4 and 5 adjust option distribution. The current priority is Options 4 and 5, making it easier to choose according to need while preserving room for players to explore their own strategies. The specific trade-offs are discussed in the next section.
Rationale and scope of the proposals
The current goal is to make Wisps easier to understand and choose while preserving economic trade-offs and adding as few rules as possible. Options 4 and 5 take priority: purchases still use gold, the system organizes candidates, and players decide whether to buy and which one. Options 1 and 3 remain long-term alternatives; Option 2 is not currently prioritized.
| Option | Rationale and scope | Current assessment and conditions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Separate resource | Wisp purchases compete with the gold budget; adds rules for acquiring, storing, spending, and displaying another resource. | Long-term alternative. Separating resources is worth testing only if players already understand Wisps and budget conflicts remain severe. |
| 2 — Additional gold | Repeated purchases and searches compress the economic budget; injects income into the ordinary gold loop. | Not currently prioritized. Consider it only if the overall economy is insufficient and leveling and composition patterns can be evaluated. |
| 3 — Free refreshes | Finding a suitable Wisp also costs gold; adds free uses, paid continuation, and use tracking. | Long-term alternative. Consider it if search cost is the main problem and the extra rules can be justified. |
| 4 — Loss-side options | After a loss, players may need to adjust or accumulate opportunities; changes candidate distribution without adding currency. | Current priority. Creates routes to correction, compensation, or continued loss-streak play while retaining general combat choices. |
| 5 — Win-side options | An advantage must respond to the next round’s threats; changes candidate distribution without adding currency. | Current priority. Offers scouting, targeting, and adjustment tools without directly exchanging victory for higher-tier effects. |
Why adding resources is not the current priority
Options 1 and 3 are possible, but their benefits must justify the added complexity. Option 1 requires players to learn how to accumulate and use another resource. Option 3 is not a new currency, but players must still track free uses, pay for further refreshes, and decide when to stop. For now, the aim is to keep attention on what Wisps do and what the situation needs.
Option 2’s gold can be freely spent on leveling, creating a risk that play converges on level-9 compositions built around 5-cost units. In particular, testing should examine whether newer players become more dependent on a single leveling route. This is a hypothesis to test. If it occurs, gold supply and leveling pace should be checked before deciding whether 5-cost unit strength is involved; directly nerfing 5-costs is not an automatic remedy.
Options 4 and 5 suggest a direction without prescribing an optimal answer
The system organizes options that are easier to understand. Players can correct resources and consolidate advantages as intended by the design, or develop strategies of their own. The win/loss tag is a cue, not a required answer: a losing player can select general combat strength, and a winning player can choose item adjustments.
Options 4 and 5 still require development of tags, candidate filtering, and presentation; they simply add no new currency. They do not directly change base income, interest, or experience rules, but option returns can still affect the economy. Testing should measure selection time, extra refresh spending, the timing of level 9, and composition diversity. Zero cognitive cost or zero balance impact cannot be claimed in advance.
Part II — Wisp improvement proposals
The rules of all five proposals are retained below for comparison. Options 4 and 5 are the current priority; Options 1 and 3 are long-term alternatives, and Option 2 is not currently prioritized. Wisp categories, effects, original prices, and stage rules change only where explicitly stated.
1 — Purchase Wisps with a separate resource
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Resource income | Starts at 0. Gain 1 point after each combat resolution, in both PvP and PvE; the amount does not depend on winning or losing. |
| Cost and cap | Each Wisp costs 2 points; at most one purchase per round. Store up to 5 points, with no overload and no conversion to gold. |
| Display and refresh | Wisps appear and refresh automatically in PvP. At the resource cap, the shop guarantees a Wisp. If it is unsuitable, spend 4 gold on two shop rerolls to obtain a new option. PvE offers no Wisps. |
| Relationship to gold | Gold cannot buy the separate resource, but can pay for rerolling to find Wisps. Purchasing the Wisp itself does not cost gold. |
| Stage progression | Uses the existing Set 18 Wisp stage progression. The separate-resource price remains 2 points. |
Players can use the resource to preserve a win streak, stabilize health, or improve a composition, or they can keep waiting. The purchase budget is separated from gold, but paid Wisp searches still reduce the principal held for interest. Combat results and the original Wisp effects can also affect later income.
2 — Keep gold purchases, but add gold income
Not currently prioritized. Ordinary gold eases budget pressure while Wisps retain their original prices. Players can use the subsidy for Wisps, rolling, leveling, or interest savings, so it may significantly change overall leveling pace.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Base distribution | Give all surviving players the same amount of ordinary gold at fixed stages, regardless of wins or losses. |
| Optional subsidy | After choosing the relevant Star God-style mechanic, receive 1–2 gold at carousel checkpoints according to current health rank. Rank calculations and subsidy tiers follow the referenced Star God rules; no separate fixed health threshold is added. |
| Gold use | Both income sources enter the ordinary gold wallet. Spending is not restricted to Wisps, and no separate discount allowance is created. |
| Parameters to determine | The stages and amounts of the base gold distribution. |
The subsidy uses health rank at the carousel, not the outcome of the last round. A low-health player who just won may still qualify; it is not paid repeatedly after every loss.
This option eases budget pressure but does not guarantee more spending on Wisps. Saving the money remains a valid choice, and the trade-off between buying Wisps and preserving interest remains. Rank-based subsidies may also influence choices about taking damage; they cannot be treated as removing every incentive to lose health deliberately.
3 — Free refreshes followed by paid refreshes
Long-term alternative. Periodically provide a limited number of free Wisp refreshes; players can pay to keep searching after using them. Although this adds no purchase currency, it still adds use tracking and the judgment of whether to keep searching for a better option.
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Free refresh | Each refresh consumes one free use. The cap applies only to free refreshes, not to paid refreshes. |
| Paid refresh | After free uses are exhausted, spend 4 gold on two shop rerolls to reveal a new Wisp. That gold also purchases two unit-shop refreshes. |
| Probability and purchase | Free and paid refreshes use the same candidate pool and probabilities, with no diminishing probability. Wisps retain their original prices, with at most one purchase per round. |
| Parameters to determine | How often free uses are granted, their cap, and whether they carry over between rounds. |
Free refreshes provide a baseline opportunity to choose. Wealthier players can keep paying, weighing a better-fitting Wisp against remaining gold. That spending may narrow the gold gap next round, but it may also buy combat strength and wins; it is not equivalent to reducing the overall advantage.
4 — Offer compensatory options after a loss
After the previous PvP loss, offer two general options plus one loss-side option. The loss-side pool emphasizes item adjustment, composition correction, and economic compensation, including benefits from continued losses. Players can choose to stabilize immediately or accept health risk to keep accumulating resources.
Examples from existing Wisps
| Wisp and original effect | Distribution intent and player judgment |
|---|---|
| Early Fix Gain one Reforger. | Offers a chance to correct items without guaranteeing a better result. Question: am I losing because of mismatched items, or because of the composition itself? |
| Salvager When a unit returns to the bench, remove and split its items. | Recombines existing resources to support changing the carry or composition. Question: should I keep the current carry or reallocate the items? |
| Take One With Ya After losing and killing at least one enemy, gain 4 experience. | Supports loss-streak accumulation while retaining the kill requirement and health cost. Question: can my remaining health be exchanged for resources, and how do I meet the kill condition? |
Item removal, splitting, and reforging remain in the general pool; they are not exclusive to the loss side. A loss streak adds neither options nor effect strength. Returns from continued losses are resolved only under the original conditions of the selected Wisp, avoiding a further bonus from the tag itself.
Example effects refer to the tactics.tools Set 18 Wisps data. Assigning them to win/loss directions is this report’s proposal; prices and stage restrictions follow the corresponding version.
5 — Offer consolidating options after a win
After the previous PvP win, offer two general options plus one win-side option. The win-side pool emphasizes scouting opponents, adjusting positioning, and responding to specific threats, helping players extend an advantage with the current composition without raising effect tiers simply because they won.
Examples from existing Wisps
| Wisp and original effect | Distribution intent and player judgment |
|---|---|
| Crystal Ball Reveal the next opponent and provide an attack-speed bonus. | Use information to adjust positioning and matchups. Question: can knowing the opponent in advance protect my carry or avoid a threat? |
| Counterspell Increase enemies’ maximum mana before their next cast. | Targets opponents that depend on a key spell to begin functioning. Question: can delaying the first cast let me secure a kill first? |
| Flow Provide Unstoppable and attack speed for an opening period. | Responds to opening crowd control and protects the current damage rhythm. Question: does the next fight require control resistance or more direct damage? |
These effects can still appear in the general pool. Including numerical bonuses does not mean rewarding victory with raw numbers: this proposal only changes functional emphasis and does not further strengthen the original Wisps. Winning players can also select item adjustment or other general effects; they are not required to follow a preset purchase route.
Example effects refer to the tactics.tools Set 18 Wisps data: https://tactics.tools/info/set-update . Official categories, numbers, and availability conditions follow the corresponding version.