Items Aren't The Problem

Cats Are Food·Dec 11, 2018·2 votes·1,329 views

Want an unpopular opinion?:

items aren't the problem with LoL.

Since the "New Team," which I only call them because they aren't the original - they've been around longer than the original team had been - took over the design department the consistent answer they've given for a progressively worsening Meta is Items.

They've removed items, reworked items, and changed item mechanics. They've added more than a dozen items, reworked those items, nerfed or buffed those items. They've installed entirely new mechanics for items to work around.

It's never helped. It never will. The problem is Champion Design Philosophy, and it will never change. You can see it in the credits, the pet champions of various designers. Items? Just have a bland team credit.

4 Comments

Rax ReformedDec 11, 20182 votes

Define the "problem".

I'm seeing a ton of power creep in the game. There's way way too much damage in the game right now, and a lot of it comes for free via runes. Then you have these items with an entire paragraph of passives that just add more free damage onto your free damage, and you get what we have currently. People dying in less than 1 second, and tanks being functionally useless.

Cats Are FoodDec 11, 20181 votes

The problem, like I said, is design philosophy. Assassins, bursters, and most new champions do both. Who was the last ACTUAL tank released? How long ago was that? Sustain ADC or mage? Bruiser?

The philosophy they are using is what looks flashy, makes big plays, and nets stream viewers... not what is functionally needed for game balance in the champion pool.

Of course, as the game has progressed towards faster damage, and more violent fights, you increase the overall complexity of play. When doing this, the old lumbering champions don't look as "fun." In order for a game of assassins to work, they have to out damage each other so it doesn't become a pitched battle. One has to get the drop on the other, and delete them.

Therefore...

Rax ReformedDec 11, 20182 votes

I think the last tank we got was Ornn, and that was last year. And the only reason he even saw much play back then was because he could shield himself and do % health damage. He fit very well into the tank meta. Now, however, I feel like assassins and one-shot champs just run circles around tanks, and kill the backline no matter how well you play the role.

I'm agreeing with you on this. It seems like every new champion they come out with has to one-up the last one on bullshit factor. It's like they can't just release a champ that shoots a ranged weapon, or swings a melee weapon. Every new champ that releases has abilities that take 5 minutes to read over. And they're all like that so that they can overload the kit and give them more than 4 abilities, but squeeze them into 4 ability slots.

Having said that, I still don't think items and runes are off the hook on this. There is certainly too much free damage granted by items and runes. Imagine trying to play the champions with base stats right now. Only items, no runes. It'd feel like a new game. It needs to be addressed one way or another. I remember complaining about tank meta, but the current state of the game is much less enjoyable.

I enjoy trying new things with champs, but with how things are currently, it's not worth it. I'm going to get blown up instantly if I make any mistakes, so I might as well just play what I know I'm good at. Which gets really old.

Cats Are FoodDec 11, 20181 votes

The basis of my idea is that Items arent a foundational problem, but a symptom of the underlying issue. The items have had to be reworked so much to try to artificially control the out of control champion design.