As one of the "older" players around, coming back after the newest patch feels... cold.

As a player who has seen this game through for the past five years, I think I can safely say I've seen a lot. I was there when Jax could dodge fountain shots. I was there when they had Force of Nature for the tanky junglers. (Anyone remember that kick ass item?) I remember the horrors of release date Darius. I remember when Zed ruled the mid lane not too long ago. The point is, I've had the very enjoyable experience of seeing this game grow from a small MOBA just getting by, to the enormous juggernaut it is today. And before you say anything, yes. Each season has had one or two patches that change a lot and make things harder or easier and people are never happy about it. I understand that this new wave of patch changes will eventually even out.

That being said, I do also have to say something. I sometimes take around half a month to full month long breaks from League due to various reasons. (This one happened to be a terrible disease called "Fallout 4-itis" that caused me to miss appointments I had planned with others.) And this most recent break happened to fall on the almost exact date the newest patch went live. Now, I keep up on the Boards to see new developments in this wonderful game of ours, and what I found I wasn't surprised by. People complaining about Yasuo this and critical chance that. And ADC's galore. They ALWAYS do that. But then I went ahead and read the patch notes myself, and decided that the new decisions couldn't have been THAT bad. But I finally played a few games recently, and coming back into the game felt... cold is really the only way to describe it.

This game has changed. New items, old but changed items, items I used to use now gone, all of that. I had to look up guides on how to reorder my mastery pages and how to build my old favorites. But that isn't that much of a hassle, so I just bought my new, fresh set of items and happily wandered into lane. What happened next is... well. Bad is the only way to describe it. Games were really dictated by this one factor: Which side gets first blood, and WHO gets it. Games are practically over in fifteen to eighteen minutes. And no, they don't ACTUALLY end in fifteen to eighteen minutes, usually they last twenty. Exactly the minimum time you have until you can surrender. If one team falls behind, there is almost no feasible way of a comeback. I either feel upset over how quickly the game was lost for me, or bad that I can't really do anything but stomp the enemy team so hard that we literally destroy the very matter that composes them. It was certainly a hard sight to see.

So, what do I mean about all this? Am I just some older player who over romanticizes the "good old days?" No. I can remember very clearly that there have never really been good old days. There has always just been League, just in different forms. And I have always loved it. I still do as a matter of fact. But that being said, I honestly feel that League is in the worst shape it has been in in a while. Something, I don't know what, needs to change. Maybe nothing too drastic, but something to maybe balance things out a bit more favorably for the losing side. Please. League, Riot, I love you. And I really think you all have the best of intentions at heart. But as it stands, things aren't doing so well right now. Am I saying I'll quit? No. That's a bit extreme for anyone really. League is the kind of creature that hooks itself into you and never lets go save for the strongest of people. I'll always play League. I'll always support Riot. I'll just... wait out the storm and hope it passes by. That's how I've survived for so many years with this game. Take care everyone, and have fun out there on the Fields of Justice.