In regards to Vel'Koz's update

I. Intro II. Riot's Position III. Vel'Koz mains' position IV. Unsuccessful reworks (Why this may be bad) V. Successful reworks (Why this may not be bad) VI. What I think would be cool to add/not add VII. Conclusion

I. I'm going to go out on a limb and say everyone knows he's one of the Big 6 getting updated. A lot of concern has been raised about his update and changing his identity to the point where mains don't like him anymore and he ceases to be Vel'Koz. I want to discuss this issue in detail and try to accurately portray both sides of this discussion as they deserve to be presented. Quick note: I am by no means a Vel'Koz main, but I do know the champion, his abilities, his lore, etc. I appreciate a good Vel'Koz game every now and again, and I don't mind playing with/against one.

II. I understand the Riot perspective on him in terms of "unique input =/= unique output" and "there's no real reason to pick him over other poke mages." A level of diversity before you even enter the game is invaluable as it gives you more ways to deal with certain aspects of the enemy team, in addition to giving mains a reason to love champions even more insofar as they are distinct from everyone else in an incredibly detailed and distinct manner. This concept in and of itself is not bad. It wouldn't be fun if every champion did the exact same thing and there was no variation whatsoever. We might as well play Rock, Paper, Scissors at that point, because the game is reduced to a game of nothing more than trying to think what your opponent is going to do and the result is a game of chance. Through variability, the uniqueness of every champion and every game is accentuated to the point where you may never play the same game twice, which is a really cool concept to think about and want to achieve. In this regard, I don't consider variability to be bad.

III. However, I also understand the community's suspicious attitude given some of the previous reworks that we have seen in recent months (Skarner, Morde, and maybe Kog'maw jump to mind immediately). All 3 of these can be debated as good or bad, but community concensus, along with some Rioter opinions, have shown them to be subpar to say the least. A distinct fear among the Vel'Koz mains has arisen that this will soon be the fate of the Eye of the Void. I will discuss these in detail below.

Another aspect that has been brought up is that Vek'Koz is in no manner unhealthy or unbalanced in the game. This claim may warrant some truth, especially considering he has not received one direct nerf (not counting the mana growth reduction) since his creation almost 2 years ago. He has been seen in the LCS and LCK, but not to the degree that people like Lee Sin or Thresh are. Champions like Lee are often hailed as harmful to the game or even game-breaking. Vel'Koz has not received that accusation as far as I know. Statistically, Vel'Koz has not performed at a point that warrants suspicion or immediate action. So the claim that Vel'Koz is balanced (at least to some degree) deserves some merit.

IV. In reference to previous reworks, I hesitate to lump Kog'maw in there simply because he's nowhere near as bad as people argue he is, and it's likely (key word, likely) his unfavorability is just a symptom of a meta that doesn't favor him right now, but rather favors early-mid game ADCs. Kog'maw is certainly not the ideal pick, but his late game potential is still present. A big problem is also the average game time going down, which prevents Kog'maw from reaching the late game hyper carry state that he is known for. Did his rework contribute to this? Sort of, but I don't think sole blame on that is warranted.

Skarner has never really been that popular due to obvious reasons, the most obvious is likely the lack of a flashy kit or skills, and his rework initially launched him into stardom due to the sheer overpowered nature of his kit at that time. He was unkillable in his Spires. However after balancing and experience set in, Skarner returned to the shadows. This response is two-fold: the Spire mini game and a collective of changes that followed. In regards to the Spires, Scruffy has stated that this can act as a burden on other players that forces them to participate in Skarner's mini-game. This has the potential to become detrimental to the game experience in respect to instilling hatred for champions in the minds of the players. That feeling of "UGH..._____. Fking hate this champion so much." is not something that ought to exist within the game. Except for Teemo. In regards to the issue of the changes that followed the initial juggernaut update, Skarner was nerfed to a less ideal place, but not one that could be called a Warwick-ing. However, Skarner is still a champion that is simply unable to draw a huge fan base just because it's not in his identity. Unless he's overpowered, he won't be played to the degree that his power level warrants.

Morde was essentially the same way, but was borderline game-breaking due to the nature of his new role in ADC and the Dragon passive coupled with his ability to shove lane relentlessly and become a late game monster. After a series of attempts at balancing, Morde has returned to his former pedestal as that one guy who is played by several dedicated mains, and that's about it. Morde reached a point where he became unhealthy for the game after his rework, and it resulted in him often being banned just because people had no desire to play with or against him. At his current state, he is seldom seen at best, but still warrants some respect due to his potential to become a late game monster and Dragon Ghost Slaver.

So, with all of this in mind, Vel'Koz mains may indeed have a right to be suspicious. If this happened to him, it could ruin the champion for many of them, but probably not all. There are always those mains who never give up on their champion, no matter how things go (you know who you ;) ). It is possible that some form of tuned down mini game may arise along the lines of Poppy passive (if you would consider that a mini game). However, Scruffy has stated the team wants less of these. It is also possible that Vel'Koz appears with new abilities or overtuned ratios that warrant immediate action right off the bat. All of these are perfectly possible, but these should not be mistaken as Riot's intent. This is something no one wants, neither the Vel'Koz mains nor the Riot team.

V. Just as there are bad apples, there are also good ones in a bundle. Looking back on several of the champion updates, there are several that can be pointed to as successful. Some of the immediate ones could be Poppy, Miss Fortune, Graves (I'll explain), or Gangplank.

Poppy essentially went from a nobody to a champion taking the spotlight in a multitude of roles. It took a little while to get beyond the learning curve, but she quickly became a noteworthy pick once that had taken place. She went from an unbalanced ball of stats to a champion who now offered counterplay opportunities for both the Poppy and the opponent.

Miss Fortune, much like Poppy, was a red-headed stepchild who had been regarded as trash tier for a while. After her most recent update, she became much more noteworthy as a legitimate threat both in lane and in teamfights. There was a period where she was overplayed and really annoying, but she is currently a fairly solid ADC who offers good early damage along with unique wombo combo potential.

Concerning Graves. I know this has been a highly debated rework and has led to the rise of Graves as a dominant top laner and jungler, and arguably still a solid ADC. Now, a lot of that likely stems from simple overtuning, but consider this. Graves went from a semi-stale champion who focused on close range burst to an entirely unique ADC, one like we had never seen before. The ammo mechanic was one that became unique to Graves and no one else (except for Jhin now), and his Q was now a unique skill with specific interactions with terrain from what use to be just a simple cone of 3 shells. Is Graves strong now? Yes. Was his rework still a good thing? Yes. It's almost akin to Darius's scenario; Darius emerged from the PBE at the Juggernaut update an absolute monster, but was tuned back down accordingly. Now, he is a very pick worthy champion with specific strengths and weaknesses and the core identity of the Dunkmaster still very much present. Graves does deserve some tuning, but this does not mean his rework was a failure.

Gangplank is another that can became quite infamous. He quickly ascended the ranks to 100% pick or ban in the LCS and LCK faster than almost any champion in a very long time. But, considering where Gangplank came from, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Gangplank reached a point where he was the epitome of a troll pick and was infuriating to play with and against just because he was a walking ball of stats that did nothing but hyperscale. Gangplank was strong when he first emerged before Worlds, and, just like Darius, he recorded appropriate tuning to address this. Gangplank is nowhere near the monster he use to be, but he remains a constant threat in Solo Q and in professional play. This is a good thing considering he sat in the unwanted section of Toys R Us for like 2 years before the rework.

There are several other reworks and tweaks that can be addressed, but I hope the idea is understood. Not every rework ends in a broken champion or broken dreams. If Vel'Koz receives the same level of focus that these guys did, even if he emerges overpowered at first and has to be tuned accordingly, he has the potential to become one of the most noteworthy mid laners we've had to date.

Note: I do not discuss Fiora rework due to the level of debate that occurs over her; this has the potential to become highly debatable, moreso than the ones I've listed above. I do not discuss Shen because it hasn't been too long since his update and appropriate opinions need to be made before it can be rated as a success or a failure.

VI. A list below explains what I think would be cool to incorporate and things I don't want incorporated. These are my personal ideas and are not from an objective standpoint.

Cool to add:

An addition to the passive that gives permanent bonus damage against champions Vel'Koz has killed (possibly let it stack to degree) Why? Well, from what I know of Vel'Koz, he learns through disintegration. He uses disintegration to kill his foes, and learns more about them through this. The more you know about something, the more dangerous you are to it, and the more ways you know how to kill it. To me, it fits the character concept fairly well, similar to how his current passive does as well.

Let Q stop at first champion hit rather than at minions/monsters Why? It gives him a new method of wave clear that isn't dependant on the W charges. This also gives the potential for a new W ability, primarily because I don't like his W that much. It feels meh personally.

Larger sight range or some aspect related to vision Why? Well, he's a giant eye. It would make sense that his perception is at least a 10 or something. In addition, this could compensate for the distinction between Vel'Koz and other poke mages insofar as that he is able to see things coming faster than other mages, so he can take preemptive measures sooner. It also helps his survivability to a degree, but not to the point where it can become burdensome to kill him; he is still a highly immobile mage, and that much is expected to be maintained from the update.

Cool to not add:

Percent health true damage Why? This mechanic is one that is widely debated by the community as an unfair one that shouldn't be in the game. It causes unrest and argument and feelings of being cheated etc. and should just be avoided as possible. Plus, there's no need to use percent health anyway, since he already deals true damage anyway.

Ult changes Why? The ultimate is, what I consider, a very unique ability that isn't a core problem. Vel'Koz's ultimate function well, and his other abilities are what deserve more attention.

VII. Hope you guys enjoyed reading this. I just wanted to give an opportunity for discussion concerning one aspect of the Mage Update we will be seeing in the coming months. I also hope this offered a new perspective on the upcoming changes and alleviated at least some concern that may be eating at your souls. Have a good day and thanks for reading.