A Case for Tanks to be the Next Class Update

http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Nautilus_0.jpg

With the assassin update now in play, Riot's got leeway to work on the next class update as early as mid-season. With Divers, Fighters, Tanks, Supports and possibly junglers still on the table, I want to make a strong case for tanks because out of all other classes I feel they have the most apparent problem.

#The Goal of Class Updates vs. Tanks http://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/img/champion/splash/Malphite_0.jpg

Riot's proposed goal, whether you agree or not, is to diversify characters and give them each a unique reason to be picked. Caitlyn is the zoning ADC. Graves is the manly ADC/jungler/toplaner/whatever. Jhin is the long-range artillary. Ezreal is the slippery poke champ. Corki is the mixed damage dealer, etc. Riot wants to make these characters each have a reason to be picked.

Currently, there are two reasons to pick a tank:

• Peel
• Engage

That's really it. A special note should be made of Poppy, however, as I feel she's the most unique when it comes to tanks. She's the "Disengage" tank, the tank that can throw away the frontline and prevent people from coming in. Whereas other tanks peel during fights, she actively stops them. That said, almost every other tank is all about going in or having so much CC that the weak characters are protected. Sometimes both. Tanks have no discerning features right now.

#Diversity of Kits vs. Tanks http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/3/3e/Leona_OriginalSkin.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160519200849

In terms of tanks, here are champions I consider tanks. Some supports might be thrown in here but you can make cases for or against them. As follows: (Mega)

(Fringe cases IMO are: but you can make cases for a handful of others as well)

Now, some commonality you'll find between ALL of these characters makes you realize just how bland tank kits often are. These common traits include:

• Massive AoE initiation (Sejuani, Amumu, Gnar, Galio, Zac, etc)
• A large self-steroid for defense. (Braum, Alistar, Galio, Leona, etc)
• Semi-spammable AoE damage (Amumu, Naut, Zac, etc.)
• A metric shitton of CC (Naut, Zac, Sion, Thresh, etc.)

It's at this point you'll probably say "Hold on cap, you got some unique champs in there, not all tanks are bland!" Yes, we do. That's why those champs get picked. Tahm's self-peel is unrivaled. Taric's invulnerability has very few comparisons on decidedly not-tank champions. Poppy is Poppy, etc. Yet despite all that, the champions who are so similar end up being a pissing contest about who is strongest.

Most of the time, it falls down to supports because characters like Alistar get a STUPIDLY huge defense buff so his gold deficiency isn't accounted for. Alternatively, their worth is in their kit and not in their scaling. (I could rant for days about Alistar but I'll spare everyone.) Bottom line, tanks are one of the most egregious cases of kit similarity.

#Fixing This in a Tank Update http://stickskills.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/league-of-legends-zac-the-secret-weapon.jpg

I'll be blunt: The tank update would probably be Riot's most challenging work. Not just because of how tough reworks can be but because of the scale of how many tanks need a large change. This isn't as fixable as, say, the ADC update where only a few had super overlap. A metric TON of tanks have massive overlap and need far more than number tweaks.

I won't say that I have a solution either. I'm as much in the dark as others are. What I do want to do is make a strong case for why this class needs so much work. As it is now, tanks are one of the most obvious cases of "Whoever has the best kit wins". It's why Alistar is picked over Malphite. It's why Gnar is taken top over any AoE initiation champion. It's why Zac gets star billing over Sejuani, Amumu and Nautilus.

I sincerely hope Riot has a strong case for tanks in the mid season or season 8. As it is now: They need help. And a lot of it.