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"I main 'X' and RIOT killed them!!!1!"

JustaNewb·Apr 2, 2018·23 votes·1,554 views

Want a tip? The thing I have noticed about most people who "main" champions is that... as soon as that champion is 'no longer viable' point wise... they stop playing them. It isn't the champions that people main, because every season it is one broken champion or another, so when they start to 'main' a champion what they are really doing is picking their pick each season of which busted champion to play.

This isn't universal, or course, before the five of you with champion loyalty show up and start screaming. Hell. I have played either Ezreal or Shaco, more than any other champions by half, for eight years. They are my guys.

I've had to play Shaco AD. Played him AP. Even played him as a tank one season. Same goes for Ezreal. I played my champions in what was the most effective manner that could be squeezed out of them.

The inability to change builds, styles, and concepts with a champion means that you do not 'main' that champion. You main the background concept, which is why it is so easy for you to swap to the champion that replaced yours in viability. Just because the champion has to be built and played different now does not mean it was killed.

46 Comments

DraehlApr 2, 201816 votes

Playstyle is a big part of why people main a champion. What other reason would you have 'main' them? Liking their visuals/theme? Maybe in an MMO where you have a connection to your character, but this is a MOBA where champions are tools to be used for a purpose. Don't get me wrong, It's one thing to need to alter your build based on meta or item nerfs, but if a champion inherently doesn't function similarly to the way it played when you started to one-trick them is it really so unreasonable to be bothered by that?

Not that I'm one to talk. I still build Bard tanky, even though it's quite weak and I could instead lay down rather strong damage going Electrocute + AP. Nuking targets down just isn't appealing, Bard or not. What made him appealing was running around the map playing offtank battlefield control. Not damage. I'd sooner quit the game than play him as a squishy, one dimensional burst-bot :)

JustaNewbApr 2, 20181 votes

Eh, thats one thing. Especially if the champion has had a rework, or skill redesign. That's understandable, and tends to suck when that is the reason when someone abandons a champion.

redniwediSApr 2, 20185 votes

Fair weather mains are a menace. I've played Garen since season 1, and while I am definitely not the best at him I've found a way to make him work in every meta, regardless of how strong he was at the time.

Real mains are stubborn to practically no end. That said I have seen one person that I consider to be a true main who had to quit his champion, and he did so with a heavy heart. It was not a decision he made lightly, unlike all these meta stompers who can't play a champion that isn't at the top of the tier list.

I clicked on this thread expecting to see some "stop one tricking" sort of argument going on, but I have to say this was a nice surprise. You more than earned my upvote.

XilixerApr 3, 20185 votes

i main vel'koz and Riot doesn't mess with vel'koz cuz they know he is perfect.

CantripApr 3, 20181 votes

Vel'koz keeps bringing me back to this game. He's so fun to play support. I'm often top damage for my team (insane true damage)

JarodDempseyApr 3, 20181 votes

he sucks compared to before they ruined his passive, i used to play him support and he was great, now hes just occasionally alright.

XilixerApr 4, 20181 votes

He is actually a lot better now than what he used to be. comparing numbers he only did "slightly" more damage number wise however back then he had to build a bunch of magic pen for it to deal alot. Now he doesn't have to because his passive and ult deal true damage. Now with him dealing true damage he is way more useful as he can shred tanks and off-tanks. However he is still the most balanced champ in league. Meaning even if he is behind he can kill you and even if he is ahead you are capable of killing him.

tobequitefrankApr 2, 20183 votes

lol or "I cant win against X RIOT NERF THEM"

The SoulforgedApr 3, 20183 votes

Riot killed Poppy. Has nothing to do with balance, she's just a completely different champ because Riot decided to just about completely do away with her and replace her with a tank.

JustaNewbApr 3, 20181 votes

Yeah, like I said below... some champions have had their kits destroyed, or have been utterly reworked. That's different.

The SoulforgedApr 3, 20181 votes

{quoted}

Yeah, like I said below... some champions have had their kits destroyed, or have been utterly reworked. That's different.

;*(

Wind WhistlerApr 3, 20181 votes

[{quoted}](name=The Soulforged,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=MaplmyA7,comment-id=000e,timestamp=2018-04-03T05:41:51.533+0000)

Riot killed Poppy. Has nothing to do with balance, she's just a completely different champ because Riot decided to just about completely do away with her and replace her with a tank.

Honestly, her Q, W, and E are all fine. The ult (and the passive too) are where the problem is. Her ult is like, the complete opposite of what it used to be.

At least she still LOOKS like Poppy now, although they kind of ruined what made her special. She used to break the mold of what a Yordle was, but now she's cute and bubbly like all of the others (except Kled of course).

Also, her fucking personality is so bland and boring... Like, it wasn't amazing before or anything, but now? It's always just "HAS ANYONE SEEN A HERO AROUND HERE? HMMM, IF I WERE A HERO, WHERE WOULD I HIDE? GOSH, I HOPE THE HERO LIKES ME. I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET THE HERO!". It's incredibly annoying (yet kind of funny). It's like she's actually mentally retarded or something.

As bad as things were for her, out of the four main "reworks", Poppy had it the least bad. She still resembles herself in some ways. Yorick, on the other hand, kept absolutely nothing. God, his voice was so cool...

HaIlMonitorApr 2, 20182 votes

Usually mains play a champion when they are in some of their weakest states then if LCS starts to play them, they get over buffed, or a rework happens, you may as well jump ship because your champ is about to get gutted. I think that is why people change.

Also one of the things in the Rengar community is Assassin rengar sucks right now and Bruiser is really strong, so some of the people that want to play one shot are jumping ship because they dont want to play tanky rengar. Others just like to play him regardless of build though.

Zero DriveApr 2, 20182 votes

I main Warwick and Ekko but I never gave up my old mains since season 4:

MonkeyKing Jayce

The only reason I somewhat moved on was these newer champs are more likeable for my kit/lore wise. Meta sheep have always been a blight on this community and my MMR.

ModJeonGoyangiApr 2, 20182 votes

I main Sona. I absolutely love her. Even though she got her Q nerfed into the ground then sorta fixed, I still love that champion. Not because she is some fotm (flavor of the month for those who dont know that acronym) but because I love her character, I love her kit, and I love the way she looks. I sorta get tired of hearing people say dont play such and such a champion because they got changed. If you truly loved a champion you would stick with them through thick and thin. Sona Sona Sona Sona Sona Sona Sona

An DraoiApr 3, 20182 votes

Ok i agree but don't try to tell me that Jhin isn't in a garbage can right now [slayer-jinx-catface]

And no, before you mention Guinsoos, that's getting fixed in the next patch. It was a 2 week thing where Jhins felt relevant again

GrokmirApr 3, 20182 votes

I mained wight and Riot killed him!

And don't even try to tell me they just VGU'd him. Gromp looks and feels nothing like him!

OhBillyApr 3, 20182 votes

Played Malza and Skarner.

Miss you guys

º Kindred ºApr 3, 20182 votes

i never started to main kindred because they were busted or weak af, its just their playstyle and story what keeps me on playing them.

SanKakUApr 3, 20182 votes

Sometimes a champion just gets deleted though. Veigar, Shaco, etcetera was reworked, Sejuani, Galio, etcetera was not.

GaliöApr 3, 20182 votes

Riot actually killed my main though.

VvVVvVApr 3, 20182 votes

yeah i like old Galio more.......Hell....i even have Enchanted Galio skin and i like they way the old Enchanted skin looked also. I feel i dont even have what i paid for.

VvVVvVApr 2, 20181 votes

Well at least you can still play them. I used to spam Volibear and Leona all the time. When the new runes system came out I could hardly pick Leona because she was getting banned so much and then when she wasnt banned I get called a aftershock abuser even tho I was playing her for years. And happened again after Volibear got a knockback added to his E.

JustaNewbApr 2, 20182 votes

Who cares what people call you, if you're winning?

Season 1, Dyrus. Labeled the world's best Singed player. If he played now, and people called him an Aftershock abuser... who cares?

DW DianaApr 2, 20181 votes

Played malz mid when he was for support, played him when he was redone for mid, played him when he was meta, played him through 3 series of nerfs, buffs and God knows how many changes. I've never seen him nerfed THIS bad but still playing him.

Agent CorgiApr 3, 20181 votes

I usually stop playing my mains simply because I feel like they can be boring if played too much. They can be completely useless in someways, but I'll still see if they work else where.

Look at Fiddlesticks for example, alot of people thought Jungle Fiddle was in bad shape (whether that remains true is up to you), but I had fun playing him mid & Support. Same thing happens if I play Rakan too much, I get bored & play another champion/role.

VorpaltheFoxApr 3, 20181 votes

as a true main, i can say; when trynd took a heavy hit during the preseason and i thought he was going to stay around 40% for all of season 8 until he gets a micro rework, i didn't whine about 'x' champ being killed by the rune changes, i just took trynd out of the top lane and into new roles

jungle trynd and duo kill lane are my favorite roles to play him in

JustaNewbApr 3, 20181 votes

Exactly! THAT is someone who -mains- a champion.

3TWarriorApr 3, 20181 votes

I think there are plenty of mains out there but there are a lot of abuse cases as well

2kewl4lifeApr 3, 20181 votes

Fucking normies “hurr duurrr wow this champ is broken well it’s my new main xdxdddddd” “Riot nerfs” *proceeds to write a essay on boards on why League isn’t fun and I’m quitting RRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeEEeeEeeEeEEeEe!!

JustaNewbApr 3, 20184 votes

And yet they are the exact same ones who, if you make a post criticizing -anything- that currently isn't on their agenda? They downvote it and run away lol.

LordGeovanniApr 3, 20181 votes

You can main things because you like them. Or because you found that you do well with them. You main can constantly get damage nerfs or nothing at all while other champions that they have to directly contend with get mobility buffs Hp buffs Armor buffs to sure up all of their weakness while your main doesnt get anything to help them and get pushed out of viability. Riot will play around with Riven for 3 more years before they give Jax or Taric some defensive buffs to catch up with the constant increase of mages and adcs base hp giving them respectable base stats without their R/W repectively or giving them Respectable base hp so that their stats buffs can work better. As well as giving them Base mana and better mana regen to help them and unlike mages or adcs they cant give either enough mana to not make them mana hungry without a massive buff and giving Melee champions better mana and mana regen options.

SB ArneemanApr 3, 20181 votes

Riot are literally failing to balance some champions though. As an Azir and Viktor player, it hurts to see nerf upon nerf while the champions are mediocre in soloq, just because they are good in pro play and Riot doesn't manage to balance both at the same time.

Lord of MathApr 3, 20181 votes

What about someone like me that only plays champions when they are considered weak in the meta?

Karn BishopApr 3, 20181 votes

I like vi's style of gameplay and feel unfortunately i also like winning games which is pretty hard to do with vi at the moment.

DreamDTApr 3, 20181 votes

Good read.

In comparison to some players here I havent played long enough to say Im a one trick.

Thata said: I know one trick is fun and playing my "Main" Zyra brings my joy to the point that I want to just detroy everyone. In or out of meta. But that does not mean I play her 24/7. But if I would I will play her every game due to her evil kit that bot laners fear so much. If they change that, I will really start to cry.

Jerry SeinfeIdApr 3, 20181 votes

i kinda agree with the first part. not the last part.

I always thought it's dumb how some people "onetrick" for 1 season just to swap to their new "onetrick" the next one. Like you ain't a onetrick in that case.

however i don't think being willing to play the most optimal strat for your champ given the current meta is needed to main something. While i don't main him i've played AP shaco since i started playing shaco, it's absolute garbage atm (imo) but i'll still play shaco AP whenever i play shaco. I'll admit i gave up on runaans when playing teemo and it still feels bad every time because i just love the item. I refused to build rightous glory on singed when it became his core item, sticking to roa (until his passive changes) and now i totally ain't planning on building it because it feels like taking lethal tempo on jinx and shurelia seemsd much more fun.

Just because i don't follow the absolute most optimal high elo challanjour build doesn't mean i don't love playing the champ, it just means i want a build that's fun to me. like Qzreal: item 3147 item 3078 item 3285 item 3087 item 3153 with dark harvest, which is probably complete garbage but it's so much fun. it all procs on his Q btw.

If this is in response to the zyra main complaining about zyra mid, i mean yeh you can't complain about a champ if you play a mage as an ap onhit champ. But as long as there's an idea behind your build, as long as you make it work and as long as you understand it might not be optimal you should be able to play your champ however you like.

SaiannaApr 3, 20181 votes

I wouldn't say as much as I mained LB or Teemo or Zyra or Shaco, but Riots changes, nerfs, reworks sure made them so unfun to play that for me those 4 are pretty much destroyed.

Snowman ArcApr 3, 20181 votes

Well, some champions can only be built in a very specific way, mostly thematic. A Viktor for example was built as a high DPS mage with Rylai's to support the teamfights back in season 5. You can't really change much of that build, apart from the nerfed Rylai's that happened in the next season, which was replaced by a then-occasional Lich Bane.

JarodDempseyApr 3, 20181 votes

idk, like yeah there are people who play champs simply bc theyre good but then there are people who really main champs because they like the playstyle. When riot reworks people they usually vastly change them and effectively kill them so I can definitaly sympathize with players when riot ruins their main. It happened to me when they reworked soraka and viktor. Especially soraka was completely dumpstered, she cant reliably self heal anymore, her allied heal literally brings her closer to death, her cc is unreliable and shes not even niche viable in top or mid whereas she used to be an offmeta but often viable top/mid, it's like they completely deleted her and made someone new with the same ult and name.

Rico NastyApr 3, 20181 votes

[deleted]

JustaNewbApr 4, 20181 votes

Huh? Dunno about Karma's base. Don't play her, and rarely read the forums. I miss when she threw fans to heal her team and damage enemies.

Its All SkillzzApr 3, 20181 votes

i mean not only did they revert every buff they gave ezreal they even hit him with heavy nerfs + nerfed klepto at the sametime. he is back to being in a horrible spot.

The Minion huntApr 4, 20181 votes

I mained original viktor, like ugrade 1 ability, and your passive only give you 99 ap at lvl 18 when every item was about 120 ap base. That was viktors strongest time. first rework didn't mind, didn't bother me to much, just had to spend more money for his passive. second rework on him killed him imo. so now I main cammile mid. sucks but it happens.

Tree CitizenApr 4, 20181 votes

I have 3 champions i play with great regularity. Sejuani, Zac, and Volibear. I stopped playing zac after his rework and play voli more since his buff. I love zac but with his new ult, i think he is a waste to play. I think zac was killed to be honest.

HyquiemApr 4, 20181 votes

But there is a limitation as for Yasuo mains his annoying ban rate but he could be played many ways. Riven is one that I’m quite voting for. As mid lane is now really wild with all these other champs, then you see the swain mains being busted and so existing.. but as I see it mid lane is now the 4 patch old top lane where it isn’t as much of effective in the game..unless you can play Azir AurelionSol Cassiopeia and other ap champs also Assasins very well then you show an impact. Until the teamfight where tanks are so close to thier adcs it’s rlly hard to go get one of them out without a full ho running adc since they got no tank and stalling a game, where as azir the ap hypercarry can go hard core with a kill when he starts roaming in a goal of feed my teammate which is what I’d say the best role for mid to be at this point. But yeah maining things isn’t the hard part the hard part is adapting to the team’s weakness in general situations

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