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CertainlyTs Champion design trend is becoming a rampant problem in this game, and it isn't his fault

Blindsorcerer·1/8/2020, 10:34:02 AM·6 votes·1,466 views

This guy is pushing out reworks and new champions that look very flashy and interesting to watch, but come at a cost. A lot of their kits are completely overloaded with power. In cases like Yasuo windwall is an ultimate level ability that completely shuts off certain heros/a ton of abilities on a low cd and his double crit chance completely negates the need for him to build certain items, giving him way more freedom in item builds than other champions. He has, for all intents and purposes, a pretty limitless number of dashes. And his ult can catch a whole team in a knock up while probably killing them. ??????????????????????????

And he is just one example. Morde rework, Akali rework, Zoe pre massive nerfs; she is still fundamentally toxic to play against when it comes to her overloaded kit but is just too weak now dmg wise to really warrant using, which isn't the solution. Aphelios; guy is not complicated to play but is complicated to play against and it really doesn't matter what order/combinations you use for your guns, you WILL do SHITLOADS of damage. It doesn't stop.

Thresh is an example of an older champion that toes the line. And that is where Riot needs to keep CertainlyT's creative focus. I think Thresh definitely pushes hard against the boundaries of what is acceptable and his kit is super loaded, just not on the seemingly ever increasing scale of these other designs. Basically, CertainlyT is talented and VERY creative but he doesn't seem to have ANYONE to check his impulse to continue power creeping his designs. He just pushes crazier shit out every time and no one wants to play against it.

He is also a symptom of League's even bigger problem where damage is too damn high but we've been saying that for ages. Tanks basically aren't a role anymore outside of a handful of supports(who still do a ton of damage), Bruisers are becoming less and less viable; people are just being on shotted like crazy. And to make it worse, it is ABSOLUTELY affecting PRO PLAY. Why do you think NOTHING happens in pro games? Maybe a couple deaths for the first 2/3-3/4 of the game, and then there is a decisive team fight and its over. Its because the game is snowbally as hell right now, and any mistake you make is punished with you being full to zero'd by one cycle of the enemy's spells. Maybe watching people just explode is funny and entertaining to Riot but it isn't entertaining to play against and isn't entertaining to watch in the pro scene if the cost is going to be all the potential action in a game.

But going back to the original topic, CertainlyT needs oversight, as do all other champion designers for that matter. You can't give them complete freedom when they are doing a lot more than art here, they are affecting the balance of the entire game. Their designs are important and they should feel inspired and not constrained, but they also need to be checked now and then. You can make sure people aren't doing crazy things and pushing fundamentally toxic/bad gameplay for the sake of kit power without completely suffocating their inspiration. The man is capable of making a balanced hero who people don't want to rip their hair out to play against. But you need to reign him back in to get there. If a champion needs a UNIQUE HUD to be in the game for it, you've probably pushed the boundaries a little far past acceptable, to be honest. Also just comes off as trying way too hard. Especially when he isn't even hard to play, he basically just does a ton of damage and if they can't just cc and kill you then you will definitely kill them. The only thing difficult about his is understanding wtf he is doing to you that is making you go from 100-0 in two seconds, when the guy playing him probably swapped a gun or two and right clicked on you.

Just PLEASE reign in this design trend, it isn't his fault if you're not going to do your damn job and set certain standards on acceptable designs/kit bloat. it can be done, he can still have freedom just not limitless freedom. Game has enough balance issues as it is with runes/itemization right now without this guy's reworks and new champions completely shaking things up whenever they are released.

PS please revert Akali and make this new kit of hers it's own hero. It isn't her, and it feels like shit when a champion you loved to play gets straight up deleted in the name of a "rework". That wasn't a rework that was a full on replacement without even trying to fix the old kit. Happened with Leblanc so I have hope it'll happen with Akali too, especially with how imbalanced and problematic her kit seems to be. Don't think you can do anything but the Zoe treatment to her current kit.

10 Comments

Darkdemon6531/8/2020, 11:11:02 AM3 votes

{quoted}

This guy is pushing out reworks and new champions that look very flashy and interesting to watch, but come at a cost. A lot of their kits are completely overloaded with power.

He's not responsible for the power level of his designs.

Salty Mc Feed1/8/2020, 11:23:38 AM2 votes

Creative champions are not hard to balance because they are creative but because everything else is also not balanced well. They are in a shitty envrionment of unbalanced healing, defense, runes, items. For example Yasuo would be less of an issue, if damage in late game would go less off the charts and tanks would tank longer, if not all healing would be shut down by Grievous Wounds, basically if offensive builds wouldn't always outscale everything else. But that's just my opinion.

I just don't think that 2 or 3 % of all champion are the issue and I doubt that doctoring around there will make the game better overall.

Riot needs to overhaul balance where it actually impacts everything. It's not gonna happen, so no money from me.

GreenKnight1/8/2020, 10:55:05 AM1 votes

Finally someone understands that reworks should be their own champions, and not a garbage excuse to sell more skins for old champs.

Although, in Aphelios case, you are sorta wrong. He deals way too much damage, sure, but you do need to know what weapons to use, and constantly keep your ammo and rotation in check, as to not get surprised in a teamfight. When you get a hang of it, you are destroying everything, but not everyone is able to keep track of his particularities. That, and his lack of escapes, allows many champions to pretty much remove him from the game.

Most of his champions DO have weaknesses, but they are not so apparent. Yeah, he fucks up sometimes (release Zoe, DEAR GOD WHAT THE F...), but players just have a harder time learning how to beat their asses.

And his reworks suck, but that's the case for every redesign, so he's not the only one to blame.

Xiao Suan Nai A1/8/2020, 11:06:01 AM1 votes

Remember Darius, Yasuo, Caitlyn and Kalista too.

Darius has like 45% ban rate for 5 years now.

Yasuo is Yasuo.

Caitlyn is busted right now.

And Kalista is one of the biggest problematic champions in the game same for Azir. One slight buff to this champion can immediately turn her back into pick and ban status immediately.

Hazardus ducees1/8/2020, 11:16:22 AM1 votes

I think CertainlyT should have stuck to designing supports purely to aid the marksmen. This "colorful character" designing anything else has quite literally ran a muck in our roster of champion picks and in every sense of the way has ruined the majority of the same champions because they were made in mind of only being played- which is always an unhealthy perspective for league of legends because the perspective knowing what it is like to play against it is almost never considered. Just imagine having to go up against a champion that is quite literally every single champion ever made and then tell me that's not exactly what these champions felt like that.

I mean seriously, just look at his work and then tell me that they aren't the exact epitome of problems plaguing league on a constant basis. Darius Never a bad pick. Zyra Never a bad pick Thresh Made it into plenty of championships and is the only one that actually fits the role properly once appropriately nerfed. Yasuo Too many unfair advantages Zoe Got gutted pretty hard many times and yet still pretty damn powerful but super boring to play if your all in 1 ability cast is ruined by a simple dodge. Aphelios Too damn powerful to play against and yet too damn weak if nerfed by a smidge. Mordekaiser No one ever wins a 1v1 against this brute and absolutely everything about him is to blame. Graves Sucks way more now compared to when he actually had his cigar. Caitlyn Never a bad pick. Warwick Too many nerfs, yet still dominates in only the jungle. Akali Later ended up getting too many alterations/nerfs. Do you know what they all have in common? They typically take away or are given a core element within the game and that is just unhealthy for absolutely everyone except for those who actually get to do this.

Oleandervine1/8/2020, 8:58:12 PM1 votes

It's a double edged sword to a degree. I agree he DOES need oversight to reign in his insane designs before they're even remotely allowed to hit the players' hands, but he's been designing for almost 7 years now, so he's not entirely free from blame since he should know damn well what his designs will do in the scope of the game. His designs show a complete lack of oversight and refinement from all kinds of people in charge, including himself.

I'm not in the boat of these people in blinders who constantly want a witch hunt to burn him at the stake, but I'm not going to be so naïve as to believe he's innocent here either. His designs can be fun. They just need to be completed like 3 months prior to their release so that more people can trim and cull parts of his designs that make them unhealthy.