Worlds Balance

I think they balance champions for worlds (in part) because of the champion pools that most pros play. For example at the start of the year Gragas, Rek Sai and Nidalee were almost never played because of jungle changes and other factors such as nerfs. Over the rest of the year they made changes to bring those champions back into the meta (in part) because all of the pros play (and know how to play) those champions.

Now we see a Rioter post about buffing Ryze so that he might see spot play at worlds. Ryze being a champion that many of the pros have experience on from past seasons. There are a ton of champions that could use a small buff and see spot play at worlds but since most of the pros don't have experience on these champions they don't really want to see those champions at all.

It just seems to me after a season of changes and a year later not very many of the champions that got played last year at worlds are totally out of the meta this year and not very many of the champions that were unplayable last year are playable this year. It's like everything changes but the champion pools of the pro teams at worlds remains the same.

I guess the question is do the pro teams fail to expand their champion pools because a.) the kits those champions provide can't be found in other champions so even through nerfs and changes in organized play those champions have no replacement b.) riot intentionally keeps certain champions in the meta so that professional teams will not be as heavily impacted by each incoming patch of changes c.) some other reason