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Why did Azir and Kalista fall under Riot Games shitlist?

ryona··4 votes·1,057 views

Serious question this time around for what it is worth, lol.

I play League of Legends under a relatively tame impression Riot Games has an agenda based entirely on money and E-Sports. I am aware of what champions are deemed acceptable to them and what aren't: The acceptable ones are the champions with allegedly high skill caps, flashy plays, and general flexibility. What I believe is unacceptable to them are simplistic champions or ones with playstyles that are border far too off the norm (i.e Heimerdinger )

So to this day, I am still bewildered by their obvious and admitted negligence of Azir and Kalista. Both champions perfectly fit Riot Games agenda with the hype and cash they generated with E-Sports, their general dominance, and absurd flexibility to do anything and everything for their respective roles at their peak.

They've both since been gutted and abandoned for the time being. Why I care about this is because it agitates me to assume what I think of Riot and their balancing philosophy might not be true, which I adamantly refuse to believe.

16 Comments

Ralanr6 votes

It's their absurd flexibility that is why they were put in the trash.

They basically lacked a weakness when in the hands of the best players

ryona4 votes

{quoted}

It's their absurd flexibility that is why they were put in the trash.

They basically lacked a weakness when in the hands of the best players

That makes absolutely no fucking sense when Lee Sin is allowed as he is and hasn't incurred Riot's wrath, ever. Among other reasons why I am confused as to just what their champion agenda really is.

Ralanr1 votes

Idk about Lee. Maybe he's just easier to balance with Riot. Maybe it's because he actually does fall off and can't carry on his own in pro play.

Idk, but I don't think that justifies keeping Azir or Kalista out of the garbage.

Anidan1 votes

I... actually agree. I think people would permit Lee every day rather than be reminded why Azir and Kalista are in the dumpster. I remember them being complained about en masse while Azir and Kalista were strong, and those complaints weren't limited to eSports either. They're suffocating picks when they're allowed to be strong.

Ahristocats1 votes

Kalista IS NOT GARBAGE

wtf is wrong with you people? 50% win rate champ is garbage now?

Geauxx1 votes

That's because it's more or less a Kit situation.

Azir and Kalista have complex kits compared to Lee sins, but at the same time Lee sin's kit, even with multiple nerfs fits almost every jungle meta and is a far more flexible champ( use and build wise)

ModKnightsKemplar1 votes

If you look at stats, though, Lee is not out of line. He's very popular, and I think there are VERY frustrating things about his kit (that's important and I don't want to minimize that), but he's not OP.

Azir and Kalista didn't just FEEL unfair, they WERE unfair. When played perfectly, there was almost nothing you could do to counter them. The counterplay was "wait for the person playing them to mess up, then make sure you can take advantage of that."

I started seeing Kalista just last patch again because of how strong Bork was. My experience was very similar to the horror I used to experience with her; as soon as she gets ahead, you are just screwed for the rest of the game.

I don't agree that Lee Sin has that problem, and in my opinion, the stats support that. Is he annoying? Yes. Are there ways to improve his kit that would be healthy for the game? Absolutely. Is he OP? Nope.

Rock MD1 votes

Because Azir didn't have any real/significant counters on top of scaling up to be one of the strongest late-game mids. He had everything in his kit a mage could want including poke/siege as well as a capability to initiate and make plays. Seriously the dude was broken on all accounts.

Kalista is somewhere in the same vein. Especially against melees. Holy shit don't ever pick a melee into Kalista or you autolose.

0ny1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Cuck My Wife,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=8cWE6xmP,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2017-06-08T19:18:02.348+0000)

Because Azir didn't have any real/significant counters on top of scaling up to be one of the strongest late-game mids. He had everything in his kit a mage could want including poke/siege as well as a capability to initiate and make plays. Seriously the dude was broken on all accounts.

Kalista is somewhere in the same vein. Especially against melees. Holy shit don't ever pick a melee into Kalista or you autolose.

Kassadin boom, done

Finn Teh Human1 votes

I main ADC and I've picked up Kalista about a month ago. I actually think she's in a good spot right now but most people don't know how to play her. And when you think about it Challenger players can play most champions at their strongest, and Azir is still good but you have to be good at him. I've seen some Azirs that clearly main him but others who just play him every so often. Even though I do think Azir needs a bit of a buff.Same with Kalista. The reason they're changing Heimer is because he was really oppressive to a lot of top laners and could just sit there and shove. I mean if you've watched E-sports when Kalista and Azir were picked a lot it's because they were really strong in the hands of people who knew how to use them to their fullest.

Ahristocats1 votes

wait, kalista is in the gutter?

she's played a decent time in high elo has 50% win rate is played in lcs/lck/pro

dafuq is wrong with kalista?

Ralanr2 votes

People still think she is.

Personally? I don't know and I don't care.

IronwallJackson1 votes

Azir had so many different strengths and such wide utility that he made other mage picks irrelevant. Similarly, Kalista'w passive made facing her as a melee champ an exercise in futility, as well as letting her avoid skillshots with laughable ease, while her stacking spears gave her team a second smite, and her ult have hard engage to champions who ought to lack such a thing.

In short, they were too good.

Glory971 votes

They lacked counterplay. They are both hypercarries with insane selfpeel/kite potential, that completly denies any attempt to get close to them and kill them. For the fun of the game its better that both of them are gutted. (And I'm a former azir main)

Muzét1 votes

We have "Too much water" for ROSA. We've got "Too much power" for Kalista and Azir. They were jack of all trades on steroids. That's why they're on the shitlist.

MoldyCheese11 votes

azir and kalista/ banned after their strengths were shown in proplay and if they were left at their current state the champions would be too strong.

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