Rune keystones are too class specific and it removes all choice from the process

i cant move wtf··2 votes·316 views

Unsealed Spellbook is a great rune that doesn't feel class specific at all and can change the way you interact with your champion but gets very little play because there's so many mundane, class specific keystones that you're forced to take instead because they were made for your class.

Press The Attack and Fleet Footwork are not good keystones. They're not dramatic, they're mandatory on any auto attacker and they don't change in any way what an auto attacker is already doing. "Oh, you like to auto attack a lot? Let me give you this keystone that lets you auto attack better while you auto attack."

The concept of Lethal Tempo is kind of cool but again it's implemented in a way that requires no change in how the player will approach their engagements. The player that takes Lethal Tempo doesn't need to manage when the keystone will activate because they're already going to try to get more auto attacks after 1.5 seconds of damaging an enemy. They're again just getting rewarded for what they're already going to do.

The only keystones I think were successes are Unsealed Spellbook, Predator, Dark Harvest and Kleptomancy (except on Ezreal and Gp). I'm not saying they're perfect but they all cause the player that has them to change their mindset with how they're going to play that champion. And isn't that the reason the rune system was reworked in the first place?

8 Comments

Kazekiba3 votes

No. Masteries were reworked to enable more game-to-game decision making, and not just "take these runes all the time every time on every champ." Of course they're class-specific, that's why runes are in the 5 categories. There's more thought to which one you take and when beyond "what is the most powerful keystone right now?" and that's what Riot was aiming for (as well as removing the IP sink so newbies could get into the game easier.)

Selegun1 votes

I feel that's the general attitude to runes despite players only willing to test those runes in a handful of games. If you only run what feels good immediately on a champion then you miss out on the flexibility of the other runes you could have taken.

i cant move wtf1 votes

{quoted}

I feel that's the general attitude to runes despite players only willing to test those runes in a handful of games. If you only run what feels good immediately on a champion then you miss out on the flexibility of the other runes you could have taken.

Honestly you could be right about that. But does that really change the fact that enhancing something you'll already be doing doesn't make for an interesting choice? (not to mention it will be useless on champions outside that class)

Selegun1 votes

By all means it can be interesting, I simply think that we as players are still latched on to the simplicity of take X rune to get more damage. This isn't entirely bad but it does misinform players as to what they should or should not take from game to game.

In the end this is still preseason and balance still has plenty of time to make things more enticing for players if something isn't discovered in the coming months to shake things up.

i cant move wtf1 votes

Sure, but does that change the fact that "take X for more damage" is a weak design for a rune to begin with, especially for a keystone?

Selegun1 votes

I don't think weak is the correct word for it. More along the lines of 'to easy a choise' even if it might not be optimal for the situation.

Julius Evola1 votes

This current season is the epitome of Riot not understanding the game balance

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