LeBlanc is officially classified as a burst mage

Bunnymap·5/24/2017, 7:56:26 PM·41 votes·4,497 views

I really hope the LeBlanc changes Riot is coming up with include gameplay changes and not just numbers. Riot completely alienated LeBlanc mains and players with the rework, which made her more based around kiting and waveclear, and then the huge W nerfs that encouraged using Distortion as a tool to stay out of range and run away. I usually don't like to make rant-style posts, but I find the huge changes in gameplay styles unacceptable. LeBlanc has always been played as mobile assassin with a bit more range on her abilities, but now she plays like a kiting burst mage with mobility for staying out of range and a 1.5 second hard delay. I really hope she can go back to being an assassin soon.

NOTE: I am NOT asking for a revert of the rework. While some parts of the rework felt bad for the champ, I understand why they were necessary (ex: New passive). I actually prefer new Heimer/Karma way of casting ult, and the double R clone is cool, if not a bit useless.

62 Comments

Azureee5/24/2017, 8:11:56 PM12 votes

She is literally the same as before but 10 times more safer due to Riot encouraging not using W aggressively. You just kite with chains and kill with a point and click Q now. She even has waveclear. This rework just made her stronger and encouraged a playstyle where u don't need to go aggro. I still instakill with Q > R (Q>RQ) and use W safely. She has alot less "counterplay" now.

Catastrop5/24/2017, 10:20:08 PM11 votes

Literally all they had to do was nerf the waveclear and tweak chain length. Instead, they nerf the waveclear but gut our Distortion, solidifying us as average discount burst mages.

EDIT: I found myself using W as a damage source the other day and went into a 3 second depression spiral afterwards.

Cloud2735/24/2017, 8:34:51 PM10 votes

Assassin Leblanc was, and still is complete cancer. I hope it never comes back.

WitchQueen Annie5/24/2017, 11:54:24 PM8 votes

Next thing you know Leblanc will also be armed with a Viktor style Death Ray coming out of her staff.

She'll also be throwing out Clones that duplicate her abilities and a Chameleon style ultimate that allows her to look like an enemy champion for X seconds (in game and on mini map).

...

20 minutes into the game... You walk up to river where you see a "friendly" Ezreal. Suddenly, another Ezreal pops out and then both of them fire a Viktor laser at you.

"You have been slain"

Turns into Leblanc. "HAHAHA"

The Blue Man5/24/2017, 7:58:43 PM7 votes

I loved playing the old LeBlanc, but even I can admit that the rework was necessary. Her W was way too strong and it was too easy to pull off a quick Q/W combo before your enemy even had time to react (no counterplay). It was oppressive as fuck

NineTailedMystic5/25/2017, 2:39:50 AM4 votes

"Ahri and LeBlanc are too similar"

Ahri gets changed in 5.2, having a nice difference between the two

LeBlanc gets reworked in Assassin Update.

And now Ahri and LeBlanc are too similar again.

CrazFight 5/25/2017, 2:55:16 AM2 votes

I personally played the old lb ALOT, and the new one as well. I personally like the new version better, but i guess thats a unpopular opinion according to the upvotes. I think the new lb offers more counter play but at the same time lb is still able to cheese people with her damage, does she do as much dmg as before, no , but I don't think she needs to . I also agree with the changes to her W, I don't think it was very fun to get Q - W - Ult Q and insta killed by a lb, but now the w is used to apply passive, run or chase so its still very effective tool .

At the same time I can understand the frustration that lb players have, they have become used to and know lb as a assassin so its heartbreaking for her to be moved away from that position. I personally am still butt hurt when they made gragas from a burst mage into a tank (That will never be balanced).

CppL5/25/2017, 6:19:20 AM2 votes

She cant be burst mage.Burst mages doesnt have insane mobility...wtf?

JRobin315/25/2017, 7:18:20 AM1 votes

LeBlanc was always called an assassin and RIOT wasted a lot of time and effort trying to design LeBlanc around the concept of her being an assassin. But the cold, hard reality is that LeBlanc was never really an assassin.

"But her mobility" Guess what? Mobility does not an assassin make.

But the deeper issue with champion classifications is that there are only a handful of champion classifications and over 130 champions. So if you design to classifications, then you can really stifle the game.

Spice POWAH5/25/2017, 7:29:09 AM1 votes

What if LB's passive had it's ratio reduced but had a 1 sec arm time and didn't have a cd on some target? that way she has an incentive to use w/RW aggressively and can still burst people, just needs to burst twice over like 2 seconds? just a thought

Melledoneus5/25/2017, 9:10:53 AM1 votes

Nerf the range on E. Up its damage.

That's a start to get her off the bullshit playstyle train.

Tw1nz10/9/2017, 11:49:38 AM1 votes

Leblanc IS an assasin. If you like it or not, she has the high mobility, her burst damage isnt ALL that high, but still with the same amount of items / ap she has some burst to it. I see some people here ''she is a burst mage'' what is a assasin to you? someone whos only mobile and deals no damage? or someone who isnt mobile and deals alot of damage? Her chain gives her CC which means that she isnt a assasin <--, think about it. Assasins should restrict other players of doing what they should do in order to execute them. LB cant engage with her W into their enemies unless your oponent is bad. Lets face it. As LB if you jump into a syndra with your W youll most likely will EAT her entire combo without doing anything to her. In teamfights, can you engage with your W? There is a way, Oracle sweep their vision and youre good to go, or initiate with W+RW+W(back) look if the area is good to go so you can use your passive and then Q. Im a lb onetrick currently at plat 3, im not that good but atleast I have some kind of understanding how she's played. In my opinion she is a assasin, and if you think her wave clear is still good, its honestly not, many champions have better waveclear than she has atm. Oh i forgot the mention most of them are mages too.

Imainleblancguys10/13/2017, 5:18:41 PM1 votes

Well what I'm about to say is just my opinion (and in no way a request for changes, buffs or nerfs) that's mostly generated from me being a Leblanc main since forever (no surprise there from my name) .. First of all I'd like to point out that I've been maining her long long before her rework, which I'm not really inclined to say it's great nor bad for a couple of reasons:

1: I like the new ultimate idea they gave her, yet it's pretty much horribly executed, I like the concept of choosing which ability to use instead of the old one where it only mimics the last ability used, what I don't like is the mirror that she can now "cast" ... Compared to her old passive's mirror, the lack of control on her ultimate's clone is pretty poor and unfitting for a so called "deceiving mage" ... I would have expected at least a degree of controlling it, yet it's controlled by a very poor AI that has a very poor judgment, topped off with a high cooldown for a mirror that can't survive one basic attack hit and disappear the second it casts an ability so hastily, meanwhile other deceiving champions get a clone that's more fun to play with being more useful and has the actual potential to fool enemies a great deal (cough shaco cough)

2: Her passive, yes... The passive is something no doubt fair for her targets (IN LOW LEVELS) to escape in time, BUT in most cases (at late levels) burst her down first, in this situation I cant help but to feel that it's very unfair to LB specially in teamfights, that 1.5 seconds proc is a HUGE disadvantage against most champions to which during that time she is pretty much only able to deal damage with her very low basic attack damage, a champion's passive should be made to their advantage when it's done properly, not disadvantage, we don't see ahri's passive dealing a DoT to her if she misses a Q, or a HoT instead of proc heal simply cause it makes no sense, and ahri is classified closely to LB (kiting mage) a passive that takes 1.5 to work is a very long time and makes no sense for a champion's advantage from that champion's point of view

3: Whether you agree on this with me or not, LB is a very squishy champion, the whole "low risk high reward" thing is not true, LB risks a great chunk of her health in a trade, specially with that W recast timer

Overall LB (in my honest unbiased opinion) needs a rework to a couple of her kit not all of it, something that allows her to be fun to play with again and fair to both the enemy and LB herself, since the rework, I can't help shake the feeling that LB became clunky and weird to outplay with, the many nerfs on her (sadly) now main damaging ability E's missile speed made her easier to furthermore counterplay, and W's extremely low damage is something that I might come to understand eventually since it's now a positioning ability rather than a main damage source

Sorry for the long post, just my thoughts are passionate about LB, she always fascinated me :) Truly hope they make a fair rework this time