Does it feel like the game gets thrown off balance by Class Updates...

DrCyanide·Feb 23, 2017·2 votes·661 views

... then we have to wait until almost the next class update for things to settle down to a mostly balanced state, only for the new class update to upset balance yet again?

Juggernaut update took months to straighten out.
Marksmen update resulted in the first Champion update to be so broken it was reverted months later.
Mage update gave League of Rylai's for months.
Assassin update created a starker difference between strong and weak assassins, plus gave us our beloved Lethality problem.

I'm not saying that some good things haven't come from these updates, but I just wish things felt more consistently balanced. I think this constant turmoil is why a lot of people look at Season 5 before the Juggernaut update as the most balanced state of the game up to now.

7 Comments

Big LincolnFeb 23, 20171 votes

juggernauts were sorted out fairly quickly, it was other fighters going insane with titanic bruiser builds

class updates would be better if they didn't force gimmicks into champ kits and just focused on making them mechanically sound and fair for enemies

RalanrFeb 23, 20171 votes

[{quoted}](name=Big Lincoln,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=EKQiypE2,comment-id=0000,timestamp=2017-02-23T14:40:49.573+0000)

juggernauts were sorted out fairly quickly, it was other fighters going insane with titanic bruiser builds

class updates would be better if they didn't force gimmicks into champ kits and just focused on making them mechanically sound and fair for enemies

The problem is that that's the intended goal, but it doesn't always work out.

Granted at first it felt like a gimmick thing with the juggernaut update. Everyone except Darius was kinda given a new gimmick that didn't really give clear counterplay (Garen's villain mechanic is a primary example here. Even Skarner's spires had some wonky counterplay).

Big LincolnFeb 23, 20171 votes

I think we're still getting bad gimmicks. Annie and her stupid ass bear, Kat daggers, jet plane Quinn

just kind of a mess at this point

RalanrFeb 23, 20171 votes

I wouldn't argue that Katarina's daggers are a bad gimmick. It allows for more mobility and removed ward hopping.

Big LincolnFeb 23, 20171 votes

It's far too generous on Katarinas part for 4 second zoning tools that reset her blinks. After a point she becomes even stickier than Akali, who needs her ultimate for it and still has a resource to manage.

If she needed to actually damage you with the knife pickup then the counterplay might be more significant.

RalanrFeb 23, 20171 votes

Idk. Personally I feel she came out well and unique (not without balance difficulties, but her kit will always have that).

DrCyanideFeb 23, 20171 votes

Part of the perception of the Juggernauts taking forever may be that they weren't balanced for Worlds (where they were pick/ban) and how some of them still feel unresolved. I'm pretty positive I've seen less of Skarner on Summoners Rift in the last year after his update than I did before his update, and... well, I'll let any of the Morde mains on the boards spin you his tale of woe.