I feel like Riot's most consistent balance issue is forgetting every champion can buy every item.
top with
; duo top with Relic Shield, at the release of preseason 4 changes; the recent BoRK changes benefitting champs like Shyvana as much as Vayne and Kog'Maw. These are all symptoms of a single issue. It keeps happening: Riot targets a line of new items at a specific role, or targets a set of champions with a change to a preexisting item, and havoc ensues when other champions can make effective use of the new item, or benefit equally (or more) from the balance changes to the preexisting item. I honestly believe this is the most consistent issue plaguing Riot's attempts to balance the game.
On a related note, I also feel like Riot often makes item changes in a vacuum without paying attention to -everyone- who buys those items, or the purpose those items actually serve.
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For example, the
change is honestly a nightmare on that front, since it's a lot less desirable on almost every previous buyer of the item that isn't Garen or Wukong. (Assassins/AD caster carries like Zed, Talon, Jayce, and Riven are hung out to dry with this change, and so are junglers like Jarvan and Vi who liked brutalizer but weren't good at stacking BC on a single target.) -
Furthermore, rather than caring about the actual state of the game, I feel like Riot tends to force some ideal vision of the game down our throats that's just irrelevant to how the game actually plays, and this is never more obvious than with some of the bizarre item changes Riot imagines up to address problems no one actually thinks exists (thank god the Muramana changes never went through).
The idea of changes to
(which are apparently coming soon, with the consideration of it being a "sister item to BC") scare me for all these reasons -- sure, a lot of AP mids are now putting it into their builds as a defensive option for their second item, but that isn't necessarily bad, and the game doesn't -need- a BC-like item for AP, either. I think all changing abyssal will do is screw over the champions that actually like it (such as
, who is honestly more of an assassin than a bruiser) while leaving the champs that build it as an optional second item (like LeBlanc, Lissandra, etc.) at no real loss since they already have other great buildpaths with more damage available to them. Every time Riot announces item changes at this point, I'm clutching my metaphorical pearls in horror, because they tend to fail to address real problems (moving crit off IE), create new problems (release Feral Flare), or address real problems far too well (Cinderhulk).
Welp, this ended up having a lot of text on not my primary point. Ooops. >_>
after those hypercharge nerfs. Not only has it increased HIS damage but his utility in a tank meta where your adc benefits from armor shred. At Max rank R a good Jayce can shred that troublesome Sejuani/Amumu/Rammus/Gragas/Volibear armor by 65%. Keep in mind you and an Adc should be rocking a last whisper by late game so if you swapped to cannon and proc your passive + hypercharge in 2.5 seconds you have shredded the enemy tanks armor by 50% + the 30% armor you ignore with Last Whisper.

Depending on the enemy team comp and what's needed.
. He needs the additional CDR and tankiness, while Phage is a great item for him to buy to snowball lane because he can kill minions, run up to you with fast MS, and spear you, whereas before opponents can deny his snowballing by playing safe; no longer. You can't even zone yourself anymore unless you stand at turret once he has a Tiamat and Phage.
never got cleaver as 1st Brutalizer item. It was always Youmuus and cleaver late game, but cleaver was inferior to IE. Now cleaver is a legit replacement for IE on Talon due to how it offers so much safety, burst and even sustained damage (through CDR) on him.