Atleast Khazix Had Mana to Lose, What does Zed have to Lose?

Champions with teleports or dashes, who also possess burst damage (e.g., Zed, LeBlanc, Kassadin, Katarina, Akali), are notoriously difficult to balance.

It's one of those design patterns that is mostly an issue for solo queue, where the level of team coordination is lower. And because team play is less affected, Riot is less likely to do much about it. You either play these champions, or ban them.

I see the same problem with hooks and snares (e.g., Blitz, Thresh, Morgana). The strength of these abilities is amplified in solo queue. It's quite frustrating for regular non-professional players, which represent 99.9% of the community.

It is also emerging with mobility and CC creep. These days, you pretty much have to pick an AD or AP carry with mobility and/or short CD CC to not put yourself at a disadvantage.

Not only that the screwed up thing is that most of those high mobility burst champions, have some mild form of CC as well.

LeBlanc snares, Zed slows, Kassadin slows, Akali slows.

I think it's odd because frankly let's take a burst mage into account. If you go with Viktor or Veigar, their CC ability is on a huge CD because if it wasn't they'd obliterate the enemies with little worry for repercussions.

Here's where balance issues come into account.

How do you balance Zed?

Reduce his damage? That makes him useless in the game. You could increase his ability costs, but on an energy pool locked at 200 doesn't grow and he already runs it right down to zero during his ultimate. You could shorten his escape timer? Which just means if he ults you he dies 90% of the time.

The issue is that you can't really "balance" these champions without actually nerfing them instead. To nerf basically obliterates the champion, like Kha'zix. He went from really strong to hardly ever played (except in high elo where when he is played exceptionally well he does well. Meteos for example plays a fierce Kha'zix.).

To balance them is often a next to impossible endeavor.