An Assassin Main's Lament - Patch 5.11

Before I start this post, I want it to be clear that I am NOT against the meta shifting. I am able to adjust and adapt my play (and am willing to put in the time and effort to learn new champions) in order to be relevant and effective in whatever meta I find myself in.

That being said, the current slew of nerfs to assassins make me scratch my head. I believed that the goal of gameplay changes were to increase champion diversity and to allow for a wide variety of playstyles to be effective. However, after reading the new patch notes, I'm almost - almost - convinced that currently, Riot really hates assassins (at least for the current season).

I'm well-aware that the season 4 assassin meta really made every marksman main scream in frustration (I'm pretty sure I would be doing that too if I had 2-3 super bursty champions jumped me to delete me from the game every fight), and I'm also well-aware that changes are made to keep things interesting. However, the current slew of nerfs to assassins really make me scratch my head. How is it that someone like the reworked Ryze is somehow okay (look at the above video and tell me to my face that Ryze is balanced), but LeBlanc, whose champion design is to be an assassin who can burst down a squishy (one squishy. ONE) is just utterly ridiculous?

Or how about this one: Katarina's Shunpo is doing too much midgame damaged, so thus we'll nerf the base damage on it from early ranks AND the scaling. So basically, you're telling me that since Kat was doing too much midgame damage from an ability that is just meant to be a means of blinking, you made her early game even worse than it is. Kat isn't even known for being an early game champion. If this truly was a problem, why not nerf the scaling on her Shunpo and then move some of the damage onto either her Q or W?

I really don't have a problem with the current meta. I don't mind learning new champions (and am actually in the process of learning carry mids). I understand that these champs are better in the current competitive environment. What I'm wondering is why everyone is being forced to embrace it by making champions who don't fit the meta worse. Doesn't that just decrease champion diversity, the very thing that you, Riot, say that you're trying to promote? Doesn't it decrease the number of viable team playstyles and team comps?

I state my case and am willing to listen to reasons why Riot feels these changes are necessary. Because currently, it appears that we all are being forced into a meta, rather than giving us to choice to either adapt or stubbornly stick to our old ways, even though it might not be as effective.

TL;DR, Assassin nerfs aren't necessary given that the meta shifted away from them anyhow. They should just let them alone.