Sylas already looks like a balancing nightmare

Don't get me wrong, they've done an amazing job with him. His kit looks like it'll be really fun to play. His design, and voice lines are superb too.

This topic also isn't about his current numbers. He is currently in the PBE, and while I know he's going to be a bit strong side on release(at minimum), it is what it is. This is how it goes these days, and I'm more focused on what's going to become of him after the dust settles.

His ultimate really, really niche. Not that it'll make him a niche pick, but it's usage is niche. Some champions don't really have ultimates(Jayce, Elise, Nidalee), while some ultimates will require knowledge on how to use said ultimate properly. Then there's the fact that you have to encounter the champion you want to steal a specific ultimate from and land your ability on them. There's also a cooldown on individual champions that you've stolen from, meaning that you can't steal their ultimates nonstop.

Again, this is after his release, after the dust has settled and he's in a somewhat more balanced state than his current PBE state. He's likely to be strong in 5's and LCS due to team fights giving him the best opportunities to pick and steal from potentially 5 different ultimates as well as use those ultimates in said fights. Depending on how it's balanced out, his ultimate might instead wind up being nerfed however, and his other 3 skills buffed in compensation. From there it'd be back and forth.

There's also the issue that if any champions with a strong ultimate become meta, specifically mid or top where he's most likely to be played, then he could thrive off of that as well.

Again, he's a beautiful work of art, well designed character both graphically, story wise, and so forth. Pleasedon'thatemeforsayingthis.