Gameplay is too quick to judge based on what they think is OP...
...and NOT the factors that lead to that champion being strong.
If a champion suddenly propels upwards/downwards in playrate, winrate or otherwise, look for major factors:
- Was this champion buffed or nerfed?
- Was an item this champion used buffed or nerfed?
- Was a counterpick for them nerfed?
- Was a pick they counter buffed?
- Was he/she/it played by a pro?
Far too often, Gameplay seems only concerned about what has happened (AHRI HAS A 54% WIN RATE AND PLAYED IN PRO GAMES REEEEEEEEEEEE) and not everything that lead to it happening (Ahri's counters were nerfed, less point-and-click CC, etc.). When you only care about the result and not what led up to that change, you're not truly solving the problem. You're just making another result that will lead to another reactionary change.
Sure, that's not always the case (Graves, Lee Sin, etc. tend to be strong for a while instead of selectively strong) but more often those champions being propelled to great picks aren't because they're suddenly busted and need nerfs; It's because the game changed around them and they became strong via outside factors.
