Is it just me, or does build diversity suck?

puśsý·9/15/2019, 5:12:14 PM·68 votes·17,267 views

AD assassins pretty much build the same thing every game. Most mages go ludens, zhonyas, morellos, void, and deathcap. Ocassionally you'll see a GLP, protobelt or liandries on specific champs. Jax's first 4 items are always the same (tri,spear,titanic,steraks). Then he chooses either wits/randiuns/ga last, depending on the sitaution. Darius and garen really only choose between building triforce or black cleaver.

I just feel like the game doesn't give you much room to be experimental with your builds.

88 Comments

Emperor Talquin9/15/2019, 5:17:22 PM30 votes

True.

There are some champs like Riven and kai'sa etc who have too much diversity. But the majority of champs build the same items every game.

Saezio9/15/2019, 5:16:44 PM17 votes

You can be experimental. But it will not be as effective as the meta build.

boricCentaur19/15/2019, 5:20:28 PM6 votes

Assassins have limited items and mages have good items that over shadow over others.

Bruisers are different in builds but jax builds close to the same every game and irelia builds different then jax but builds similar items every game.

I want more items that do less general we need more stuff like item 3152 and nerfs to general items.

The23rdGamer9/15/2019, 7:41:29 PM5 votes

Some champions have multiple build paths enabled by their kit, but people also complain about said champs because when they get out of check having multiple different ways they can build can be even more frustrating because it makes champions feel like good picks into even more game situations than normal.

Examples (I'll try to list them in relatively decreasing popularity): Ahri Full AP / Glacial / AD Alistar Utility Tank / Full AP Amumu Tank / AP Ashe AD (with multiple meta AD builds) / Full AP R Spam Blitzcrank Utility Tank / Full AP / Full AD Chogath Tank / Full AP / Glacial Diana Burst Glass-Cannon Assassin / Tanky AP Bruiser Ezreal Full AD / Full AP (not to mention single handedly breaking tear itemization) Galio Tank / AP Gragas Tank / AP Janna Shield Utility / Full AP JarvanIV Full AD / Full Tank / AP "Support" Kaisa Basically the current definition of abusing hybrid scaling and build paths Karma Shield-Bot / Full AP / Tank (not to mention she is partially responsible for breaking Spellthief's gold generation passive) Kayn Bruiser / Lethality-Assassin (By Design of Blue vs Red Kayn) Kennen AP Kennen / AD Kennen KogMaw AD Kog'Maw / AP Kog'Maw Malphite Full Tank / Full AP Maokai Full Tank / Full AP (frequently goes somewhere in the middle though cause he's in an awful spot atm) MissFortune Crit / Lethality / Full AP Nasus Tank / Full AP / Full AD Nautilus Tank / Full AP Neeko Full AP / Glacial / On-Hit Pantheon Lethality / Crit / AP Pyke Lethality / Tank Qiyana Lethality / Bruiser Quinn Lethality / Crit Rakan Utility-Tank / AP Shaco AP / Lethality Shen Full Tank / Bruiser Shyvana Full Tank / Full AP / Full AD Sion Full Tank / Lethality Skarner Tank / Brusier Sona Shield Utility / Full AP Soraka Shield Utility / Full AP Sylas Full AP / AP Bruiser TahmKench Utility-Tank / Bruiser Taric Utility-Tank / AD Thresh Utility-Tank / Crit (with oneshot and DPS alternatives) / AP TwistedFate Full AP / Full AD Varus Full AD / Full Lethality Veigar Full AP / Glacial / Tank (via Passive Scaling for all necessary AP) Velkoz Full AP / Glacial Viktor Full AP / Tank Warwick AD / Tank / AP MonkeyKing Lethality / Brusier Xerath Full AP / Glacial Zac Tank / AP

And I'm sure there's some I missed (for example, I didn't count starting with a support item different than starting with doran's ring or corrupting pot)

Now I know that's only 48 Champions out of the 145 currently in the game, but that's still a third of all champions where I could quickly come up with multiple significantly different builds for them.

I agree some champions going for the same core items every game is dull (for example nearly every AP threat rushes Lost Chapter instead of Morellonomicon like they used to before the work in Season 8) but at least there's a substantial subsection of champions that can adapt their build and runes to multiple game situations, even if they'll likely be following the "core items" mentality once they've decided what playstyle they're going to go for that game (for example AP Malphite is almost certainly going to rush Luden's Echo or Runic Echos every time, despite that build differing from his normal Full Tank build).

Power Cosmic9/15/2019, 7:58:47 PM5 votes

Build diversity sucks because champs are mostly pingeon-holed.

Udyr Ekko Skarner RekSai can be built different ways

GigglesO9/15/2019, 8:16:29 PM3 votes

Riot wanted to lower the skill of the game.

They did that with builds.

Illabethe9/15/2019, 5:19:00 PM3 votes

It's generally true that Assassins have been modeled to only build one way. Mages however almost never build the exact same way, unless they are some meta chum who generally doesn't adapt game to game. If you attempt the Luden's path every game, you will lose more than your champion's average, because many games are simply about surviving and adapting. (This is why a lot of Zyra's complain about her being weak, even though if they would just adapt their builds, they'd discover she can kite very well and do more than just attempt a 1 shot suicide). Fighters do adapt, although they do have 2 item cores.

King Braum9/15/2019, 7:19:50 PM3 votes

I feel like mages have it the worst, the majority simply builds the same items and uses the same runes with only minor difference.

Thunderneedle9/15/2019, 8:48:50 PM3 votes

Yes and they actively removed it from champs who had options.

Malix Farwin9/18/2019, 4:53:18 AM2 votes

Yea but i am too afraid for riot to change things, they usually make things worse.

2kewl4life9/16/2019, 1:46:09 AM2 votes

Shaco

sp4419/16/2019, 7:52:28 PM1 votes

Because there's no real alternatives to the established big daddy items.

You're a Marksman and want to deal tons of damage? Buy an Infinity Edge. You're a Mage who wants to deal tons of damage? Buy a Rabbadon.

Funnily enough, despite everybody complaining about how high damage is, defensive items are a lot better in terms of diversity, because there's a lot more of them with perfectly viable use cases.

Y'now what I miss? Black Market Brawlers. Not because of the gimmicky minions, but because of all the new items that all had their own cool, unique effects that all opened up all sorts of cool build possibilities. Defensive Support who wants to take it to the limit? Martyr's Gambit. Wanna roam like a motherfucker? Staff of Flowing Water. Wanna really piss off an enemy Katarina? Use Puppeteer.

I'm still frustrated to this day that the only item that got fully implemented from them was Dead Man's Plate. Aside from Lost Chapter and Globe of Trust's icon, I guess, which got used for a much more underwhelming item because it was made to compete with a item with a much more wide use case basis.

OgSc9/16/2019, 8:12:43 PM1 votes

A Jax would only go 4 HP and AD items if he was uber fed. No way in this world would a Jax build that if he was behind or even.

XenuOne9/16/2019, 10:12:23 PM1 votes

You techinically can build almost any item you want on your champion. They might not be optimal though.

The DrBonjigollo9/16/2019, 10:26:48 PM1 votes

I feel like the main concern with giving assassins variety in their builds is that non-assassins can also build and abuse their items, which causes the non-assassin champions to get nerfed for months of outrage until the items themselves get nerfed and become useless and then we're back to the basic build.

For example when Duskblade first came out and lethality was introduced everybody used it and could do well, Jhin MissFortune Varus and even some ap champs if i recall correctly Fizz . This still stands though and is still a problem, albeit less of one. Miss Fortune can still do very well running full lethality up until late game and some Jhin players still take Ghostblade first/second item whenever double Infinity Edge falls out of meta.

The same threat goes for AP champs as well, AP fighters/Juggernauts Mordekaiser Sylas want healthier items but assassins Ekko Fizz and mages Lux could abuse them (and you thought aftershock Lissandra was BS before). There were even some ideations for some AP juggernaut items but they were never carried out.

Verxint9/17/2019, 2:15:55 AM1 votes

League's stat system makes build diversity impossible.

AlienPrimate9/17/2019, 3:36:18 AM1 votes

Items I build on Taric:

item 3001 item 3194 item 3504 item 1416 item 1401 item 3508 item 3110 item 3025 item 3109 item 3190 item 3139 item 3222 item 3042 item 3056 item 3143 item 3069 item 3401 item 3800 item 3027 item 3040 item 3065 item 3053 item 3068 item 3075 item 3748 item 3091 item 3050

ZaFishbone9/17/2019, 7:54:30 AM1 votes

Build diversity was only ever a thing because, a few seasons ago, ppl didn't understand the game as well as they do now. Even if you take out duskblade, shojin, etc. and other "problematic" items from the game, there would be 2 possibilities. You either add or tweak some items to take their place, or the champs/classes that relied on them become underpowered. It's because most ppl understand the game so well, that no one can afford to screw around with alternative builds. When an opponent close in skill is tryharding, you either do the same or loose.

WAZZZUP5009/17/2019, 1:03:50 PM1 votes

Tanks have build diversity, unless you want magic resist :^)

Keiaga9/15/2019, 7:28:40 PM1 votes

The majority of champs have a lot of different builds but there can always be one single META build that everyone is going to copy.