PBE Balance changes to champions are NOT based on optimal runes as RIOT said they would be.

First, I am a diamond jungle main so please understand that to some degree I know what I'm talking about.

I'm really disappointed in the lack of diversity possible with the new runes system.

HEAR ME OUT.

Back when meddler, phreak, and wrekz had that livestream unveiling new runes, they said that they'd make stat changes to champions based on the optimal rune page setup.

Unfortunately, that is not what happened. For reference, these are the current balance changes on the PBE:

http://www.surrenderat20.net/p/current-pbe-balance-changes.html#balance

Let me provide you with 3 examples to make my point.

**Example 1 ** First, let's look at blitzcrank. On the PBE, his base armor has been buffed by +20. This is nice.

Now let's look at the runes that blitzcrank players use. Again, optimal rune setup is not the same as most common. If I go to http://na.op.gg/champion/blitzcrank/statistics/support, click on runes, and then order by winrate, we see a highly customized, special rune page for blitz players. 9 flat armor, 3 move speed quints, 9 flat mana, 8 ad and one crit chance.

Now I know crit chance is going away. Instead of +20 armor on blitz, why not do +8.5 ad, + 9 armor, +101.3 mana, +14.625 move speed (4.5/100 * 325 = 14.625, 4.5% is the runes, 325 is his base movespeed) . I apologize if I'm sounding ridiculous here, but this is an honest and serious question. Blitz players (like me!) will use a page like that specifically because:

• the move speed helps get in range for hooks quicker, allowing you to get that first blood more reliably in jungle invades
• the +100 mana gives you an extra hook that you can safely fire. Increasing the base mana makes him a much bigger threat in lane phase.
• the AD is for damage to help prep CS and trade, and the 9 Armor is again to help trading.

So my first question to you: how can I play blitzcrank the same way with runes reforged? Yes, I know that there are options like celerity (+4% movespeed), but the 6 runes we get to choose are ALSO replacing the 30 different mastery choices we have (in which I'd take +3% movespeed out of combat). So you could argue that the runes reforged make up for base stats that you're not giving blitz, but the argument that it's making up for the base stats you're not giving and that it's making up for the masteries which are going away seems like a bit of a stretch.

**Example #2. Shyvana. ** On the PBE, shyvana's armor has been buffed by +9 and her base ad has been buffed by 8.3 (less than 8.5 which is the standard 9 ad reds).

However, again, going to http://na.op.gg/champion/shyvana/statistics/jungle, and looking at the highest win rate rune page, we see a specialized rune page for shyvana: attack speed reds, attack speed quints, scaling resists for yellows and blues. How can you make the argument that the base stat changes you did for shyvana are "optimal." They are nowhere near optimal! Shyvana wants high attack speed (she goes devourer challenging smite) because she wants to autoattack to keep her burnout active for as long duration as possible. Shyvana wants high attack speed because of her AA> Q > titantic combo which does a high amount of burst damage late game. The scaling resists are there because shyvana is meant to scale like a monster into the late game.

Why can't you buff her attack speed by 0.189504 (28.8% of her base attack speed, 0.658), make that her new base attack speed, and then do some simple math so that the scaling % attack speed value per level is reduced such that her final attack speed at level 18 with the new base matches the final attack speed at level 18 with the old base (because buffing the base without nerfing the scaling would mean she gets even more attack speed per level and would be OP late game). Why can't you buff her armor and MR growth stats as well. Why is it that every champion is getting the same cookie cutter +9 armor and + 8ish attack damage buff (and yes, I'm aware on PBE the new machete gives attack speed, but then that leads to a whole other problem: what if someone wants to play shyvana top? Then the attack speed which has been transferred over to the machete is not even available to her!)

**Example #3: Scaling HP **

Nunu, Zac, J4, Maokai, Cho'Gath, Sejuani --especially when played as junglers--take scaling hp yellows (+216 HP at level 18) over flat armor. Low mmr players take flat armor because it helps them clear, but anyone at higher levels of play will take scaling hp because it is straight up better i.e. the optimal set up. But I look at these champions on the PBE, and again, their HP growth stat has been unadjusted, while they got the same cookie cutter + 9 armor buff. Why?

BONUS example

J4 jungle is my favorite role. I currently am running a HIGHLY specialized rune page: 5 ad reds, 2 attack speed reds, 2 lethality reds, 5 scaling hp yellows, 4 flat armor yellows, 9 attack speed blues, 2 attack damage quints, 1 attack speed quint. The stats are 3.2 lethality, 13.6% attack speed, 9.2 AD, 4 armor , and +120 HP at level 18.

NOW, I know riot has stated they want to get rid of this min/maxing that occurs with rune pages. I agree with you that it is unhealthy for the game in that it doesn't allow for true diversity, which runes reforged is attemptint to solve. That is not what I'm mad about.

This bonus example is meant to highlight a different issue I don't think riot has considered. By sacrificing the +12 MR from blues, and then doing min maxing, I have effectively decided to forgo defence in the favor of even more offense. When I currently run this page on live, my clear speed is totally bonkers and I come out of the jungle healthier than if I were to use a standard rune page (and I use this to snowball an advantage and eventually win the game).

I know what riot has done: they've removed the +12 MR and they've removed the + 8 magic pen in an effort to cancel each other out. However, this "cancellation" presupposes the fact that everyone would have taken +12 MR in the first place, and in this bonus example, that is not the case! So how can runes reforged address this issue? How can the new runes allow me to go "all in" on offense and take 0 defense?

I'm hoping someone can see this. I feel like no one sees what I post on the forums :(