Athena's Shield

Athena's Shield protects Akai against heavy burst mages who attempt to obliterate him upon initiation. Its unique passive grants substantial Magic Damage Reduction instantly upon taking magic damage. When Akai charges into the enemy backline using Headbutt to start Heavy Spin, this damage reduction prevents him from being melted by high burst magic skills before he can finish isolating high-priority enemy targets.

Enemy mages often try to burst Atlas down while he channels Fatal Links. Athena's Shield provides crucial Magic Damage Reduction upon taking magic damage, preventing high-burst mages from wiping his health bar during initiation. This allows Atlas to comfortably dive into heavy magic compositions with Perfect Match, survive the initial retaliation, and execute his full crowd control combo reliably.

Athena's Shield protects Barats from heavy burst Mages who attempt to burn down his massive health pool before he achieves full stacks of Big Guy. The instant Magic Damage Reduction triggers upon taking magic damage, mitigating high upfront burst. This protective buffer allows Barats to survive long magic skill combos, close the gap using Missile Expert, and suppress enemy threats with Detona's Welcome without risking sudden elimination.

Athena's Shield covers Baxia's vulnerability to burst Magic Damage. When initiating with Tortoise's Puissance, enemy mages often try to burst him down before his damage reduction ramps up. The instant Magic Damage Reduction shield mitigates burst combos, allowing Baxia to survive the initial clash. Once finished, Baxia can freely leap into enemy backlines with Baxia-Shield Unity without fearing immediate elimination by high-burst magic abilities.

Athena's Shield grants Carmilla massive magic damage reduction, protecting her against burst mages who attempt to delete her before she can close the distance with Bloodbath. This damage mitigation allows her to safely walk into enemy spell rotations, absorb critical skill shots, and successfully cast Curse of Blood during tight jungle choke points.

High magic damage can quickly burst Chip down before he can utilize his full kit. Athena's Shield solves this problem through its Shield passive, granting immediate magic damage reduction upon taking magic damage. This enables Chip to survive dangerous magic burst when dropping Shortcut in the middle of enemy formations. The inherited magic durability also ensures allies teleporting to the Main Portal arrive at a protected location.

Athena's Shield provides necessary magic damage reduction upon taking magic damage, protecting Estes from explosive magic burst champions. Because enemies often target Estes first to cut off his healing supply, gaining instant damage reduction keeps him alive through high initial spell damage. This survivability ensures Estes can pop Blessing of Moon Goddess in time, surviving the initial ambush and quickly restoring his own health alongside his teammates.

Athena's Shield offers protection against high magic burst damage through Shield, granting immediate magic damage reduction upon taking magic damage from enemy mages. Since Faramis needs to stay close to enemy formations to split damage using Ghost Bursters, he often takes collateral magic fire. Athena's Shield gives him the necessary durability to survive initial spell rotations without immediately popping his ultimate, allowing for better strategic timing.

Athena's Shield solves Grock's main defensive gap against burst magic damage. While Earthen Force grants massive physical defense near walls, it leaves Grock exposed to burst mages. The Shield passive provides instant magic damage reduction upon taking magic hits, allowing Grock to survive high-damage spell combinations when initiating with Wild Charge or blocking choke points with Guardian's Barrier. This enables safe, aggressive dives against magic-heavy lineups.

High health pools without magic defense leave Hylos vulnerable to burst mages. Athena's Shield provides immediate magic damage reduction via its Shield passive upon taking magic damage. This stops heavy burst spells from carving through the HP gained from Thickened Blood. With this protection, Hylos can safely lead the charge on Glorious Pathway, ignoring initial mage burst to lock down key targets with Law and Order and maintain his Ring of Punishment.

Because Johnson's kit incentivizes building physical defense, strong magic damage dealers can pose a major threat. Buying this item grants instant magic damage reduction upon taking spell damage, shielding Johnson from high magic burst when diving enemy backlines with Full Throttle. This allows him to safely survive initial mage spells, enabling him to stick to targets and slow them with Electromagnetic Waves.

Protects Lolita against burst magic damage dealers who bypass Guardian's Reflection. By gaining magic damage reduction upon taking magic hits, she can absorb heavy spells while channeling Noumenon Blast or stepping forward to trigger Power Charge against enemy backlines.