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I feel like this game doesn't have enough real tanks

Ar Arr Rrrr·10/18/2016, 11:19:34 AM·5 votes·971 views

Hey all,

this is my take on tanks in LoL. Of 133 champions this game has, these are the tanks:

  1. these are the real tanks, they usually only build defensive items, they soak damage, they initiate fights, they can peel and protect, they have CC or debuffs Amumu DrMundo Malphite Maokai Nasus Nautilus Nunu Rammus RekSai Sejuani Shen Sion Volibear Zac =14 of them

  2. these are tanky supports, yes they can initiate, soak dmg, peel, but they are played as supports, many of them can't jungle or play solo lanes (some can), even tho they are tanky I don't call them real tanks cuz of the reason they have to be at bot lane as supports, they get limited gold income and they can't really build 5+boots items till the game ends: 1 item slot for sightstone 1 item slot for gold item 1 item slot for boots 1 items slot for pink ward = means only 2 real tank item slots - that is why I don't call them real tanks Alistar Blitzcrank Braum Ivern Leona TahmKench Taric Thresh = 8 of them

  3. bruisers who can go all tank items but they usually lack something cuz of it, they are not as effective, they are usually mediocre in damage and in tankiness unless they build what is the best item build for them. I don't call these real tanks (they are mostly just broken champions): Chogath Darius Ekko Elise Galio Fizz Garen Gragas Hecarim JarvanIV Kled LeeSin Olaf Pantheon Poppy Renekton Shyvana Singed Skarner Udyr Warwick XinZhao Yorick = 23 of them

Also, as you can see, many of them, if they do damage, it's mostly Magic damage, "Physical damage tanks" are very few, most of them being bruisers. If we combine all this champions we can say League has 45 champions who can soak damage for a team, but most of them will NOT be pure tanks, if tanky at all! This number 45 is an illusion, effectively we talk about 14 of them where most of them are not viable. And here is a problem, IMO, LoL didn't do great a job in the tanking aspect of a game.

How many of 14 "real" tanks you see at higher elo? hmmm....Nunu RekSai Shen Zac Maybe others here and there but very rare! Why is that so? I say, cuz something is wrong! I am not really sure what it is, but it seems this powercreep of champions who can do damage, soak damage, invade jungle, have fast clears=overloaded champions with % hp damage skills, high spammable attacks, shields on attacks or as skills, great defense buff, great mobility...makes it a problem for the real tanks to get place into a team, and that makes me kinda sad.

Support tanks are okay cuz they got interesting skills which makes them very tanky for some duration or they soak damage for some duration Alistar Braum TahmKench Taric Others have problems because they don't have such skills Blitzcrank Ivern Leona Thresh to boost their defense for some time (Leona does have W, but it seems her kit is just too simple and not viable atm)

So, what is the issue here? Should Riot make tanks better? Give them tools like some supportive tanks have which buff their defense over the roof so they can finally become viable pick? Because now as it is, if champions doesn't have overloaded (broken) kit and because of it they can deal damage and tank for some time (which is broken), have great defense boost buff for some duration, they are not really viable as a tank in higher elo!

14 Comments

kasfas10/18/2016, 12:11:19 PM2 votes

Singed, poppy, Gallo, skarner, Gragas and cho'gath are all considered tanks by riot. And mundo, nasus and volibear are NOT tanks.

Ralanr10/18/2016, 12:34:16 PM2 votes

Mundo, Nasus, and Volibear are not tanks and do not belong on that list. They are juggernauts.

Idk what Nunu is, but he doesn't really feel like a tank to me.

Poppy, Galio, Skarner, and even Gragas (the amount of CC on top of his durability has led him to this) are considered tanks by Riot.

I think few tanks are seen in high elo because there are fewer situations they can take advantage of. Everyone is usually decent at kiting and good with positioning on top of being mobile, which is why the only tanks we end up seeing in LCS are decently mobile on their own (Gnar is mobile with Mega Gnar bringing the CC, then we have Alistar and other support tanks) or tanks that can counter mobility (Poppy).

This is why I think Riot should do a vanguard update after assassins. I feel there isn't much reward to playing a tank beyond low elo unless they can catch up or stop mobility.

Egillion10/18/2016, 12:56:51 PM1 votes

Braum Leona Alistar TahmKench Nautilus Tank supports are the real problem in my opinion : They gain tons of tank stats, while sitting in a brush the whole game and passively pilling up gold and assists by accomplishing almost nothing. Playing a tanky support is most probably the easiest role in the game as well by the way.... so they almost never go wrong. They are always in their game regardless of how they perform in general.

That is not healthy game design...

Back in the days (2010-2012) supports were played by support characters, control mages and utility champions. That was a lot more interesting and appealing for the game in general. However in the end on 2013... Riot messed up completely with supports and they allowed tanks to do the job with incredible ease... When they released Braum and Tard'kench, we knew they fukked up even more. There was no way back now =[

So obviously now the game is a bit weird because non-true-tank champions HAVE to go tank instead of damage. Moreover, Some champions that used to be quite tanky in the past are just a mere shadow of their former self now like Shyvana or Udyr .

Things are all upside down.

Also,

When you think about it.... Damage items are subject to exponential and increasing returns.... If a champion has several damage items, those items are stronger than in a situation in which they were alone separately. The combination leads to incredible power stacking and scaling. Dmg items reinforce each others.... armor pen items are even far more effective at that.

Meanwhile tank stats are subject to diminishing returns. Every second tank item of the same kind that you buy is actually worth less than its actual price and provides less durability than if you equipped it alone. Some champions are completely messed up because of that.

Fix this shit Rito pls

ZephyrDrake10/18/2016, 1:00:02 PM1 votes

DrMundo Nasus Volibear RekSai Nunu are not tanks

DunkinNoobs10/18/2016, 3:16:12 PM1 votes

4 of those champs you listed are bruisers and not tanks.

Handy Sandy 10/18/2016, 11:48:43 AM1 votes

then ppl be like

"MALPHITE ISNT A TANK"

Ultimate Deadpoo10/18/2016, 3:41:30 PM1 votes

Um Cho not a real tank? Please. Here's what you do, Rush Rod of Ages, get tank boots and a tank item of either Spirit Visage or Sunfire Cape, depending on the enemy top laner. Then get Rylais, if the enemy team is all AD get Deadman's plate, if balanced get either spirit visage or sunfire cape, depending on the one you didn't get. If enemy team is all AP get a banshees. Then grab warmogs. Then, sell boots. If enemy team is balanced of AD and AP grab a GA. If enemy team is all AD get yourself a Thornmail. If enemy team is all AP grab another magic resist item. Congratulations, with these simple steps and 6 stacks of a level 3 ultimate, you not only have effectively another smite on your team, you are now impossible to kill unless the entire enemy team gangs up on you, and even then you are not dying for at least 10 seconds.

CerealBoxOfDoom10/18/2016, 12:20:36 PM1 votes

not real tanks

DrMundo Malphite Nasus RekSai Nunu

tank support is still tank, that's what actual tanks do even if they don't go support