Is LCS boring due to limited champion pool?

stowed4sea·Jul 10, 2016·3 votes·1,326 views

I don't play LOL that much any more, but like many others, I still love watching LCS. Rather, I used to. I'm tired of watching the same champions get picked week after week. Just watching a game or two per week, I never got fatigued, however this season, I've seen nearly every single NA LCS game.

Has Riot thought about any other ideas for limiting this? Am I the only one who cares?

Just spit-balling ideas:

Remove champions with a pick+ban % from selection during a given week. This would force a few other champions into the mix.
In each series, if a champion was picked/banned by either team in the previous match, it is removed from selection for the rest of the series.
Have a snake format draft at the beginning of the year. Each team takes turns drafting two exclusive champions to be used on their team for the rest of the season. This is the most limiting form, as it would mess up worlds, or else every league would have to compete in the same initial draft at the beginning of the year. You could even expand this to drafting the entire champion pool spread out between the pro teams of the world in something like reverse order of previous year standing, but that seems doubtful.

Anyway, those are just a few ideas off the top of my head. Each probably has several reasons why it wouldn't work or be good for LOL eSports. I'm sure there are better options. If I'm the only one who cares, then that's fine, but I'm just wondering if Riot has talked about this at all or if others are as tired as me of watching LOL eSports. If I'm the only one then that's fine, I'll just watch less often.

I searched for similar threads but couldn't find any, sorry if already asked and answered.

24 Comments

Miror BJul 10, 20163 votes

Doublelift actually did a "chat" about the new LCS and its massive loss of viewership recently, will try to share a snippit of it. Sum of it though: LCS is far more "forced" now as people are having to watch their favorite teams instead of all the teams (unless they want to spend 20 hours a week watching videos), because of this it's causing a bit of a split where the newer/"neutral" audience probably won't watch much of it or won't get to see all the teams while the devoted audience (fanboys) will still only watch their favorite teams, causing little exposure for the other ones.

stowed4seaJul 11, 20161 votes

I'd love to see that. Fortunately, I have a job with a bit of freedom during the night shift when nothing is going on. If I cannot catch the games live, I always go back and watch the VOD. It was exciting up until this week. I guess I hit my threshold of seeing basically the same champions every week.

This is why I was so curious as to what other people thought. People that don't have the free time I do may feel differently.

TBakesJul 11, 20161 votes

He also was talking about how best of 3s are more stale because there is literally less diverse team match-ups. In best of 1s you would see each team match up against two other teams each day, which is literally more dynamic than each team only playing two other teams 2-3 times in two days.

For example, you would see Immortals play TSM and P1 one day and then nV and NRG the next day. That is a lot more dynamic to watch than Immortals playing P1 2-3 times one day and then TSM 2-3 times the next day. It is a trade-off in quality of each viewing session. Some probably prefer one over the other. I think the best of 3s make more sense to filter the better teams into the top. Playoffs each split, each invitational, and each Worlds have best of 3 or best of 5 formats, so it doesn't make much sense to send someone who is best at playing one game at a time to face other teams who play multiple games against each other.

ShadowatomJul 11, 20161 votes

That is not how the Bo1 format used to be. IMT would face TSM in a single game one day and P1 in a single game the next day. They faced 2 teams per week (just like it is now), not 4 per week.

TBakesJul 11, 20161 votes

Lol you are right! Why did I think that? Maybe I was confusing it with Worlds or something. Why am I thinking there were 10 matches per day?

ShadowatomJul 10, 20162 votes

I feel like this split is much better than last split imo. Granted I haven't been able to see as many games this split, but Top and Support have been seeing some good diversity compared to the previous split and the other roles except maybe Jungle have had a decent amount of variance (not a huge amount, but a little more).

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

I agree season 5 was really pick Sion or Gnar top over and over but now I'v seen Rumble-Riven-Jax-Shen. Its not a huge change but its much better than season 5 variance of champions.

MarshbouyJul 10, 20161 votes

it is subjectively more boring without champion diversity. generally people want more diversity.

FillyPhlyerzJul 11, 20161 votes

I would like more diversity, but I don't think creating obligatory rules just to force diversity is the way to go. The best way to go, and I know this is much much much much easier said than done and realistically is impossible, is to balance the game out where all champions are strategically viable.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

Yeah I see what you mean kinda like if all the champions abilities did the same amount of Damage viable but if that is the case for 1 of the many options it will be less fun to watch and less " OH WOW " moments that you didn't expect would happen.

The issue is diversity among the pro scene but the other option is just watching videos of youtube or watch a ex pro QT-Voy-Dyrus etc etc play in Solo Q sure its less competitive but I'v yet to see them play the same champions over and over.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

I don't mind it to be honest. I mean does it bother me some yeah a little bit but its not just the champions that matters but the players who play them. Doublelift could play Lucain and go ham 24/7 , while Sneaky picks Lucian and plays passive so you will always get multiple sides of the same coin in some ways.
I also know that its a business and they want to win. The pros will not play champions that suck just so fans can love them for it, no they want to win. The fans will come around when the Wins pile up.

Its also the meta each year it changes, however season 6 was the biggest one.

Season 4 I think the year SSW won Worlds, players could sustain and pick any champion they want and fight around the 30-35 mins after lane phase. Most games lasted around 40-50 min mark. So any champion will do for example Alistar top-Support.

Season 5 Saw less lane phase and more fights but the games still lasted around the 35-40 min mark but the sustain was still there with flask etc. So picking champions that had great team fighting potential was needed.

Season 6 its really just play champions that don't need sustain as most of the sustain items and masteries are now gone and its fight fight fight with shot calling on the side.
This season is also the most snowballing season to date so picking champions that can snowball easily without too many items is what it calls for.

I don't know if my post makes sense but hope it helps, just wanted to get my opinion and thoughts on the matter. Thank you and Have a Good One !

CrazedPorcupineJul 11, 20161 votes

The meta shifts on a patch by patch basis. However, seeing Azir a staple pick in the LCS since his release? That's boring, that's annoying, and should be changed.

Other than that, The season has had some interesting picks. Ashe and Sivir's resurgance, alongside the fairly diverse picks of Tristana, Kalista, Lucian, Ezreal, and Corki (Albeit, kalista and corki falling out of favor with itemization changes and direct nerfs) and Cait, means that ADC has been fairly diverse. The rise of poke/mage supports as well as passive sustain supports is fantastic after 3 seasons of non-stop tanks and Morgana. Overall, While the mid lane is fairly stale, diversity among other roles is at an all time high imo.

I mean, Pro-play will never be as diverse as Dota 2s, but that comes from how the ban/select phase plays out, with it constantly swapping between picks/bans throughout the entirety of select, resulting in more counterpicks, counter bans for specific teamcomps, and more Niche champions being able to shine by ensuring that a champion select or banning phase/pick phase does not shut them down.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

Indeed. Some teams and players don't play some of their cards(champions) under their sleeves in the regular split. Like Last split with Bjergsen with Zed pulled it out of nowhere.

stowed4seaJul 11, 20162 votes

This is a good point. It also really makes me wonder just how many champions are actually viable in the current meta, but teams are just scared to try anything new. I remember the commentators talking this week about how Taliyah is so versatile, she is picked blind into any matchup as mid over in China (LPL I think that is?). It wasn't until really this week that I saw it in NA, and only twice I think on Sunday.

Once may be able to make the point that other champions are more than viable, but NA is just slow to adapt and try new things. Since I only really watch NA, maybe I should look at other leagues to see if the picks are as stale there first.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

" NA is just slow to adapt and try new things" I agree NA will never beat Korea or any other teams from different regions if they don't do their own "Meta" a Meta inside a "meta" you know.

What is it "Often imitated never duplicated" can't beat someone who wrote the book on how to do it.

Look at CLG before MSI they were being put behind Wolves-G2 and to finally finish 5-6th out of 6 teams, but they did their own meta and picks and play style and they were the runner up to SKT( NOT BAD in my BOOKS)

Nice Comment and Have a Good One

stowed4seaJul 11, 20161 votes

Yeah, diversity, for the most part, isn't a problem season to season because the meta seems to change enough. However, within a season, game to game is the problem I have.

I've heard several people mention the DOTA pick/banning now, looked it up for myself. I wonder how it would change up the LCS if it was done in a similar fashion. Here is wishing for something like that in the future. It may not make a huge impact, but any variety added would be a huge bonus.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

IDK what dota does in their pick/ban hopefully you can help me understand it.

Yeah the thing about that is that is DOTA not LEAGUE if either one sees that the other are doing what their doing they will be called out for it and then fans/players/employees will get in a huge argument over who copied whom etc etc.

For example ever heard a song on the radio and it sound kinda "Kinda" KINDA similar to another song from the 1970's and next thing you notice on the news the 1970's song writer sues the newly song writer because it "KINDA" sounds similar, same thing here.

Thank you for commenting means a great deal. and Have a Good One !

stowed4seaJul 11, 20161 votes

I may have it wrong since I just picked it up by watching a couple games from their Manila Tourney.

Each team gets 5 bans, so that helps a bit more with eliminating certain champions.

However, I believe it is the way they implement bans that allow more versatile champion picking. Each team starts off with 2 bans, then it follows with two picks from each team in snake order, then another round of bans come out, with to more bans for each team. Then more picking and one final ban for each team before the 5th champion is selected.

This method seems to allow more variation because instead of just blind banning, you get a chance to react to a team build all through the draft. At least that seems to be the consensus from what I've found.

I don't think changing something as simple as a pick/ban method could result in a lawsuit. I believe US courts have already determined in many cases, with all types of media, that you can protect the title/name of something, but you cannot patent an idea or concept in a board game, music, or video game. I don't see any problem with copying ideas that work. All of league of legends, or any MOBA for that matter is really a near clone of DOTA. I say use it if it works, and let the people who want to keep arguing about DOTA vs League of legends keep arguing.

III BAKURYU III Jul 11, 20161 votes

I thought about something like that once and it does- it makes sense and helps with eliminating random champions that the enemy team could have just played once or twice in a scrim to just play it and not to play it in the LCS.

XD I didn't mean lawsuit or anything legal but it could never know, I meant just the fans reactions that League copied of Dota or vice versa but I see the points and it does make sense as far as the pick bans.

Nice comment and Have a Good One

TBakesJul 11, 20161 votes

I think the main issue with champion viability is the mid lane. We're all tired of seeing Azir Vladimir Viktor Ryze . At this point I would love to see more assassin viability in pro play other than Leblanc . I was so excited when Quas pulled out Illaoi and whenever Huni tries to play Riven . Lately we have seen some niche picks like Ahri JarvanIV Nunu . I really enjoyed All-Stars last year simply because you get to see rarely played champions in the hands of the pros.

However, there are not any realistic, fair options to expand champion diversity beyond Riot having better balance. But then again, there will always be a bias towards champions that work best with clear communication and team organization because that is the nature of pro play.

LuggJul 11, 20161 votes

It really does get boring watching the same champs picked over and over. Riot desprately needs to increase the bans to 5 per team. This would really open the amount of champs played and tons of new combos and strategies.

ShadowatomJul 11, 20161 votes

I doubt that'd do much. If they were to ban the top 2 champions from each role, they'd just shift everything to the 3rd/4th best champions for each role. Maybe a few exceptions, but probably not much from what it is now.

LuggJul 11, 20161 votes

There are rarely more than 10 OP champs at any one time. After those, the field evens out quite nicely.

DingleNutsMcGeeJul 11, 20161 votes

Yes, plain and simple. Its always been this way. They have a total champion pool of about 20-25. And every single year its the same ones over & over, plus 1 or 2 surprise picks. This is 50% of the reason i dont ever watch the LCS anymore. The other 50% is this stupid meta for the past couple years where teams avoid any and all interaction with the enemy team for the first 25 min. Lane trading, double jungling, trading 2 top towers for 2 bottom towers....its all about avoiding confrontation at all costs. Makes it insanely boring and repetitive