Riot, about Leblanc.

It takes effort to write these posts. It really does. It's all emotion. And I'm drained of it.

Riot, I've been a Leblanc main for years.

Leblanc is not fun to play anymore. Therefore, League is not fun to play anymore.

Leblanc used to be menacing and fast. Her burst combo used to prompt flashes when enemies saw her. Now she's about as scary as fed ADC Soraka with a dash.

In order for Leblanc to deceive her opponents, her opponents need to be pressured. You can allow Leblanc to pressure opponents fairly by designing for scenarios (not kits). If you do this, even "instaburst" Leblanc can be fair.

Example -Scenario where old Leblanc is in brush forces a split second (not 1.5 seconds, but ~0.4 seconds) reaction or response from the player else they're burst down instantly.

You removed the above scenario because it was unfair and made her burst delayed. Then you slapped a gimmick onto her RR and called it a day.

Instead, you really should have celebrated old Leblanc's strengths. You should have created another scenario where Leblanc would win and instaburst her opponent without doing QREW. Instaburst is fun because it activates an enemy's fight or flight response. If opponents learn over time that fight is the better choice for example, Leblanc can deceive them because they've come to expect something.

Meaning, instead of just giving old Leblanc one burst combo, QREW, you could have mixed it up and given her another burst combo. How you would do that, up to you. Then, you could place conditions for burst combo #1 and burst combo #2. Just an example,

Burst Combo #1 > Enemy moves away from Leblanc > Enemy dies. Burst Combo #1 > Enemy doesn't move away from Leblanc > Enemy lives and gets 2 seconds to fight back.

Or,

Burst Combo #2 > Enemy moves away from Leblanc > Enemies escapes successfully. Burst Combo #2 > Enemy doesn't move away from Leblanc > Instantly dies.

The forced decision (and reward for Leblanc for having successfully ambushed her enemy) would then be a free choice on her enemy's part, with the obvious favorite choice for the Leblanc player being Burst Combo #1 because most players instinctively move away from danger. The pressure her opponents would feel would be the persistent compulsion to make a choice (fight or flight).

That creates space for deception. There is an optimal choice, most of the time. But versus savvy opponents, there is no optimal choice. Just an endless mindgame between Leblanc and the savvy opponent - a guessing game and a game of deception.

Sincerely, Leblanc Player