Fiora's Ultimate: An Utter Disgrace?
The forums have talked about general Fiora Art/Gameplay problems (which are all problems indeed) alas yet to have a debate over her skills: Especially the new ultimate.
ultimate was one of the best, if not the best, visually impressive ultimate's on the game: The ability to dance around the battlefield hitting targets was visually beautiful. And if you ever tried combo-ing Fiora's Ultimate with someone who has a dodge, especially a vertical one like 
Rocket Jump skill, you could get some rather impressive dances over the length of the map. Now it is just a glorified boosted AA that has a splash behind it (ooo so shiny!), is boring, and doesn't feel good visually or mechanically.
Lets address Riot's post on the matter and counter it factually:
Last but not least, let’s talk about her ultimate! Blade Waltz was a hugely impactful ability that dealt a crap load of damage
No it didn't. Did Riot forget it does 40% dmg reduction on single target? And good luck using it vs tanks. The only way it can do any dmg at all to anyone that is "crap load like" is if she has massive lvl/gold advantage over opponents... which is true with every champion. If Fiora isn't ahead this claim is false beyond measure. Riot even admits to this:
That was her single gear, really, and because Fiora was only good at killing, when she didn't have the damage to do her single job, she couldn’t do much of anything.
Again thank you for proving the above that her ultimate wasn't "always a crap load of DPS"...
...and while it showcased Fiora’s fantasy of a nimble-footed sword-wielding killer, all you had to do to pull the move off was headbutt your R key. In other words, the mechanics didn't match the fantasy of a skill-based and nimble duelist.
I know RIOT appears to be blind in their analysis but Fiora's ultimate was not unlike other timing based ultimates such as 
: They required timing. Just because all you had to do was press R didn't mean it lacked nimble-ness. You had to time your ultimate to
- Not use too soon
- Not use too late
- Have a plan when Fiora reappears
Also the fact that enemy could not predict where you ended up clearly gives you more nimbleness then a buffed up AA that is the new Ultimate. If Riot doesn't understand the intricacies and nuances of her former ultimate they are simply blind to the truth.
Grand Challenge is obviously totally different, and is designed to give Fiora players - and her target - this genuine sense of a real time duel, with Fiora moving around looking to destroy the four weak spots, and her opponent looking to defend them. The rewards, if she pulls them off, are impressive. Aside from the increasing amounts of true damage she deals, the heal will often give Fiora and her team the sustain they need to overpower their enemies and win the fight.
So giving a 100% counterable ultimate that is solely AA (no speed buffs, no cc immunity, no mobility) somehow fixes this? Dont forget to mention RIOT the gameplay conterplays (any mobility champion, Crowd Control or 
) that makes Fiora Ulitmate useless. This game took from having no skillshots to having 4 effective skill shots (and especially the ultimate) that are all more underpowered then before. Unless Fiora is versus a immobile, no crowd control, and squishy champion such as some ADC... again RIOT is blind.
With the update, Fiora’s trading raw damage for extra survivability and utility, making her more of a skirmishing duelist and less of an assassin.
Uhm... you mean a boring duelist now.
Sometimes I wonder why one asks RIOT to do anything: Their track record has been to take something that is "ok but needs fixing" () to completely destroying it; both gameplay and visually. I know that RIOT complained her ultimate was "too easy" (disregarding the minimal single target damage it provides) but making her ultimate a boring AA buffed single target ability is...
Alas for this (as top 2 characters of mine being ) and the travesty that is this game's "retcon'ed lore"'; Season 5 "Strategic Diversity/Jungle Improvements/MMR System", and a laundry list of other reasons: I think it is finally time to call it quits for this game alas. Nice knowing you all on forums alas take care.
Indeed it is so...
