Unpopular Opinion: I won't miss smite buffs

Dealth·Oct 17, 2016·27 votes·1,516 views

I'm a jungle main with 1000+ games this season. There was a time where every camp gave you a bit of health when you killed it, which was nice for sustaining through the jungle and I was fine with that.

Gromp and Krug buffs were hidden power that was unnecessary.

Wolf buff could be replaced with a ward-type scouting item. Raptors were a really strong buff but it might make scanner trinkets more popular without it.

Over all I think it makes the jungle more simple and cleaner. It would nice if Riot released a new set of jungle items, like spirit of the ancient golem or elder lizard along side the current ones to add more item diversity. Other than that, I didn't feel like smite buffs were necessary or added much strategy into the game.

23 Comments

MrBuffingtonOct 18, 20167 votes

Krug buff was pretty nice for taking Scuttle if you were playing a jungler without hard CC though. I agree it will probably be better to streamline jungle without the smite buffs (especially if they're adding complexity with the plants), but that's just one thing I'll miss

DracocrashOct 18, 20161 votes

omg, i never thought of that.

Agreed >.<

Commit SudokuOct 17, 20164 votes

Yah I agree I don't mind smite buffs being removed but I don't like Riot adding random plants in my jungle. I want to make more tactical decisions based on what I see going on through out the map not based on what randomly appears in the river. I'm not opposed to the existence of plants but I am very opposed to and RNG factors that may come with them. If lets say 1 of each type of plant spawns in specific parts of each jungle but in a random order but that order stays the same through out the game I'd be fine with that.

DealthOct 18, 20169 votes

It's always kind of strange how people say they don't want RNG in the game, but everything about League is random. The champions your allies play, the enemies play, the random dragon spawns, critical strike, enemy skill shots, everything about the game is about reactions. The plants wouldn't be much different.

PartholonianOct 18, 20161 votes

Champion select isn't truly random (and isn't random at all in competitive) and dragons and crit are already the top of the complaint list for randomness haters.

Personally I've long been on the side of "if you want a game without randomness you know where to find one", but RNG hating has been around for a while.

DealthOct 18, 20161 votes

Well every enemy action is random and that's what makes the game what it is. Some of them are calculatable (e.g. the enemy goes for a cs) but you never know exactly what they will do.

DracocrashOct 18, 20162 votes

Here is the thing : at some point everyone has called out the RNG in critical strikes and dragon spawns.

The only RNG that should be in the game is what the enemy does, (ex. what champion he picks, what path he takes, what plays he makes, because he as a human is making this decision and I as a human have to deal with )

But thats just my opinion. I find it very frustrating when My team picks a late game comp, and have to give up a few drags and they all end up being fire, while we end up with 1 air dragon later into the game, it is also equally frustrating when we are ahead but get air drake, when a mountain drake would have been leaps and bounds better.

Or when I'm playing a poke champ and the enemy manages to get 3 spawns of ocean drakes, thats no fun either.

I see the plants in the same light as dragons, bad rng.

<AGAIN, this is MY opinion. You can feel free to disagree and argue back with it but if you're going to insult me over it , I'm not interested in your input.>

LankPantsOct 18, 20163 votes

The champions your allies play, the enemies play, the random dragon spawns, critical strike, enemy skill shots, everything about the game is about reactions. The plants wouldn't be much different.

A good chunk of this isn't RNG. Human decision making isn't RNG, it's a decisions. This is the same as AI reactions are not RNG because they follow a logical path. Most players will perform actions within a range, for example the majority of players will shoot any given skillshot VS a single target within about a 30 degree arc. That's not random, it's an active decision, just not one you have control over.

Same goes for picks, they're not random at all. You can often predict certain picks based off of the draft that's happened. If I see Zed and J4 already I expect a Rumble or a Kenen top. Obviously this isn't an assurance but the chance becomes inflated based off of what I can already see.

MarshbouyOct 18, 20164 votes

I dislike smite buffs because post 2nd clear they begin to no longer matter and its only down to wolves and raptors at that point. I'd rather have them be uniform and replaced by something more interesting.

ArakadiaOct 18, 20163 votes

I can do with replaced. Removed is upsetting, but replaced it much better.

RewtOct 18, 20163 votes

I honestly am going to miss them a little unless they replace them with something else because as a jungle main playing the try hard champs in every game gets a little boring. i have a good time playing the occasional talon jungle and if they dont give me something in return for those smite buffs, first clear will be impossible. also what do you think about the plants idea, i think its ridiculous to get rid of the skill portion of smite management. it feels like they are dumbing down the role for bad players

DealthOct 18, 20162 votes

The plants can be good setups for making plays but I don't consider them contestable objectives. The idea might not be bad but they need work from what I can see.

The Yetii RiderOct 18, 20163 votes

That's exactly what they are doing. They are dumbing down the role for bad players. Who are the overwhelming majority of the player base.

Jungle monsters' health/armor will be lowered to compensate for no more Heavy Hands/Gift of the Toadstool and smiting any monster now heals you.

So play your Twitch Karma Annie jungle. No ones stopping you now.

AldapsayarOct 18, 20162 votes

As a person who plays Shaco jungle in Bronze a lot, I will miss wolves and chicken buff AF. Goodbye last hope for map vision. If they don't bring something in return I'll go back to support. Can you imagine going back to support from playing Shaco? Its Thresh Bard , but still, playing Shaco without chickens and wolves is gonna be headache when your average Bronze support places 15 wards per game.

SlythionOct 18, 20162 votes

My only concern is that champions that rely on Krug/Gromp buff for that first clear will be destroyed by early-aggro junglers. Not having that buff to get you through the first clear is going to heart a lot of junglers

DealthOct 18, 20161 votes

They are changing the camps to make them a bit easier

ReZisT LustOct 18, 20162 votes

krug buff made it easier for me to clear jungle as teemo and rengar since i dont use popular opinion runes

ArakadiaOct 18, 20162 votes

But they were cool... lol.

The DeckownerOct 18, 20162 votes

Krug buff is very important for taking less damage from the jungle and taking scuttle crab efficiently. Gromp buff used to be visibally danaging craps until they gutted it to the point where having it or not majes barely any difference.

raptor buff is fine.

wolve spirit might need a nerf imo.