What’s worse? A stat check champ? Or an overloaded champ?

The entire team·1/11/2020, 5:35:21 PM·14 votes·11,038 views

For those who don’t know: a stat check champion is a simple champ that only relies on its stats to win games. It’s simply getting items and focus targeting a singular champion, and the others only require good items and abilities to stop you. Some examples include Master Yi, Tryndamere, Dr. Mundo, and arguably Volibear, Udyr, Jax and Malzahar

Overloaded (a term that’s continuously being thrown around) is a champion with too much in its kit, which means that they can do anything in the right situation to win. Some would say that it’s related with their skill expression, how well one plays and expresses their own skills on that champ towards others. Some examples include Akali, Riven, Aatrox, Cassiopeia, Katarina, and arguably Azir, Shaco (pre-6), Yasuo, Sylas and Fiora.

Personally, there are individual problems with both sides of the argument, but I would say stat sticks and stat check champions are worse. What do you guys think?

71 Comments

Infernape1/11/2020, 5:38:26 PM24 votes

They're both bullshit, but If I were to choose, I'd say stat check champs are arguably worse simply because it comes down to you either having more numbers and winning or not having the numbers and losing. No skill or outplaying involved.

Whereas with someone with an "overloaded" kit, you can technically play around it.

Lazy Grandpa1/11/2020, 7:50:58 PM15 votes

overloaded is worse. because no matter what, stat checks still suffer from disadvantages that overloaded kits have a way around

IP Masquerena1/11/2020, 7:44:16 PM10 votes

Funnily, I for one don't really have problems with high skill champs, because when I get stomped by one (except for Yasuo's who abuse ToB + Rav, but I know it's the runes not the champ that's the problem) I never go with "that's bull" but instead I acknowledge that I got outplayed, or simply, if I'm playing a new champ or just taking something only for chests that I'll never play again until the chest reset, I simply accept that I don't have the skill needed on this particular champ to keep up and answer.

Then there's stuff like Feedamere, Foodyr and Yi. Had an Udyr a few days ago, who simply runs at me, stuns me, nukes me down with AA, I dash away, he catches up, stuns me again with his high skill super hard to land point and click stun, kills me and simply goes in chat with "outplayed". Where's the outplay to that? You right clicked me while my important stuff was on cooldown because I just ganked.

Stat checkers are a problem because no matter what you do, unless your numbers are higher, they will win. Sure, high skill champs that are played by a one trick can totally dumpster you to a point of no return, but there's also something people need to take in consideration: "what champion when played by a main who mastered them is easy to deal with?"

People say that they have no agency against stuff like Akali, Qiyana, Yasuo, Senna and such, but I feel like I have the most agency against them, while I feel that the lowest agency I have is against Tryndamere, Yi, Zed or Udyr.

People would never accept that they get outplayed anymore. You make a super play and kill them? "BULL CHAMP RITO NERF".

Starboy X1/11/2020, 6:13:20 PM10 votes

Aatrox overloaded? Quit clowning lol

Death by Glamour1/11/2020, 6:13:34 PM9 votes

they are opposite ends of the spectrum each being bullshit, but stat checks can atleast be played around far easier than shit like release rework aatrox

3TWarrior1/11/2020, 10:35:29 PM8 votes

overloaded champs are way worse. They have an answer for everything. It makes the game stale because there is no plan to overcome, no triumph...it's actually more of a stat-check than basic champions because you have to ask yourself, "do you have a tool to deal with X" because THEY DO HAVE THAT TOOL

Take Thresh. Thresh is the posterboy support. Why is that? It couldn't have something to do with that he has every aspect a support could want EXCEPT the ability to heal, right? It took them 2 years to get him balanced to an even win rate with other supports and he's still the most popular support around. He's also one of the few supports capable of dealing with BOTH assassins and burst damage champions

you can beat them, you can play better than them, but in the hands of equally skilled players, overloaded champions are more likely to win except on the lower end of the spectrum because they have a tool to deal with every situation

Keiaga1/11/2020, 6:39:01 PM7 votes

Stat check champ. Losing to a tryndamere who just autos you and occasionally spins even though you were playing your champion correctly feels hopeless.

Losing to a Senna or whichever other champion you consider over loaded still allows for the feeling of being outplayed if you aren't just immature.

PiVoRx1/11/2020, 11:30:18 PM6 votes

Overloaded kits dont need items to function, stat checkers do.

xelaker1/11/2020, 7:49:19 PM6 votes

I'd rather have a chance at outplaying an overloaded champ then lose because the other guy has an ability that gives him 1000g of stats

xHeimtechZX1/11/2020, 6:29:33 PM5 votes

Hmm, for me, I don't really react to stat-checking champions. None of the champions listed in stat-checking I have issues with, except Tryndamere to some extent, but eh, I can play around him. I hate a lot of the overloaded champions in that list.

I find overloaded champions worse because its annoying to play against them and even if I do win, I just think "wow, this player isn't that good if they're losing with this champion". I mean, its little bit satisfying to beat overloaded champions, but it always feel like I'm trying to minimize my mistakes to avoid death and working really hard to slay them. They can do a ton of mistakes or don't punish enough, yet they can still win.

Is Aatrox really overloaded tho? His W is kinda eh (its a skillshot and the opponent has to be within the area to get pulled back to the middle), his dash is kinda nice for going through jungle and everything, his ult comes up pretty often, his Q takes a ton of positioning, and his cooldowns are pretty high early on. Idk, he doesn't seem overloaded to me. I guess maybe if I watched someone other than Hashinshin, Aatrox might seem overloaded. His Aatrox seems alright tho.

Fondling Gems1/12/2020, 12:22:12 AM5 votes

For me it is overloaded champions because stat check champions you can play safe vs, because they have a limited number of options at any given time.

Overloaded champions almost always get to determine when and where fights happen. VS someone like Jax or Udyr I can freeze a wave and farm under turret. However a lot of overloaded champions can remove that option.

Example: Yas can both apply ranged harass, ult me if I am anywhere near the edge of turret range, and AOE clear minions pretty quickly without any mana costs. You can't even punish him in return for doing this unless you also have a jgler nearby because he has windwall and passive.

As such he controls when and where fights happen, unless he is behind or is facing heavy jungler presence.

Ekko and Pantheon are also good examples of this (although I think the only "Overloaded" part of Pantheon's kit is his E blocking turret shots)


As a slightly unrelated note I don't agree with some of the champs you listed as overloaded because they don't have tools beyond what you would expect someone in their role to have (Cassio, Katarina, Aatrox, Shaco) regardless of how strong they might currently be because of things like numbers, items, and runes: which are separate from tools available in their kits.

QuZeed YT1/11/2020, 6:45:41 PM5 votes

Both cancer

Wyrmblade1/12/2020, 7:51:46 AM5 votes

Why not both at once? LeeSin

The thigh guy1/11/2020, 7:03:40 PM4 votes

Both suck. But overloaded champions are worse.

You can bear a stat check champion being played well. You can’t beat an overloaded champion being played well, unless you are also overloaded.

Anaphiel1/11/2020, 6:41:32 PM3 votes

I selected 4. Both are necessary to have, and likely about equally irritating when balanced poorly. Instead of demonizing both, lets admit that both need to exist for us as the player-base to have options.

Both are going to be irritating when they are in an unbalanced state. Our bias determines which one we hate worse, and the negativity is kind of annoying, honestly. "High skill"/"Overloaded" players seem to picture their opponents as little more than vaguely sentient rocks with thumbs, somehow beating them through superior numbers without ever lifting a brain cell . "Stat-Stick" players see their opponents running around with encyclopedia-sized kits, dashing around at the speed of sound and seem to be under the impression that any loss on their part is because the champion can do too much, rather than simply considering ways in which they can play better. Yes they move quick, but their numbers are a butter knife compared to your battle-axe.

I find the "Overloaded" champions mildly more irritating to fight when overtuned (and more difficult to balance, conceptually), but only because I play stat-sticks almost exclusively. But swiss-army-knife champions are essential and do need to exist. They are incredibly fun to play, even if the investment required to learn them properly is far longer (average win-rate on Yasuo, for example can sometimes hover as low as 45%, even with some of his mains winning far more frequently). The trick is making the floor low enough(a newbie should lose more at first), and the ceiling attainable without being idiotically high (even the most veteran akali players shouldn't lick 80% win rates unless they are actually faker).

The issue: Ego players: Losing is not always due to the opponents champion being overpowered. Sometimes ya just get outplayed and learn better next time. Overload champs are GREAT with this as they generally have a lot more of a variety of options to make use of in a given fight. The trap a lot of difficult champion mains fall into is thinking that because their champion is harder, they deserve even the wins they really didn't earn yet (give it time, the kit has the answers).

On the other hand, you need simplicity. League of seasons 1-5 was a land of stat-sticks, and was still quite fun, there were far fewer "overloaded" champs to contend with. Not everyone is a high-mechanical player. Simpler, less complex champions with stark strengths and weaknesses are fair. As a player, I much prefer spending time considering where to be/what to do macro-wise, than using the incredibly limited gaming time I possess trying to drill specific lee sin combos. But the numbers have to be fair. Nobody fights Garen/Darius/Morde at the moment and doesn't feel a little irritated at how little effort is needed to dominate with these folks at the moment. Champions of this type should usually have clearer weaknesses, and more stable, but slightly lower potential win-rates. (~55% win rate averages should NEVER be a thing, particularly with higher pick rates.)

The issue: Autopilot players: Without simple champions, what are the folks playing their off-role going to do, commit suicide? But you probably shouldn't be able to shut your brain off, afk top, and still score a serviceable win-rate in your off-position without having to actually play the map.

People might be more upset about "Overloaded" champions recently simply because so many of the newer offerings to the champion roster fall into that category. Earlier seasons of this game had FAR fewer high-mechanical difficulty swiss army knives, and other changes make the game feel less fun to them, so they look for something to blame. Stat stick players hate the Akalis of the world, and vice versa.

In the end, I think both sides could be happy. Simply make fights more satisfying again. They are too short, and one mistake is far too punishing for players to feel that their gameplay decisions matter.

TL:DR: Don't point the finger at champion types, Blame Rito for crappy balancing.

Garen is adopted1/11/2020, 6:39:20 PM3 votes

a overload statcheck

kda akali1/12/2020, 9:07:21 PM2 votes

No one below Diamond/Plat can play the most overloaded champions at their highest potential Azir Cassiopeia Qiyana RekSai Akali Nidalee Zoe are the champs that pop into my head whenever I think about the most overloaded. Imo no one really plays them well or well enough for them to be terrible to play against. People who main the champs are ofc gonna be good at them, but they aren't really outclassed by someone who put the same amount of time in a basic champ. At an average level of play Lux is gonna be better or the same as Zoe. Vi, Jarvan, and Hec basically do the same thing as Rek'sai but they're easier. Morde does what Akali basically does.

It's problematic is when Overloaded champions are also overtuned/stat checky. Aphelios Senna Akali Zoe all have or had this problem at one point. Aphelios should be doing less damage than he does if Riot wants him to keep his weapon swapping minigame. Senna shouldn't be as defensive as she is while also doing how much damage she does. Akali with a shroud that blocked turret aggro basically had no counterplay. Release Zoe oneshotting everyone with 2 spells wasn't balanced. Champs that are overloaded/hard shouldn't be doing better than basic champs at an average level of play, when they are it becomes oppressive.

Jungle Lux God1/11/2020, 9:26:57 PM2 votes

Fights should be dependent on each player's skill. Stat check champions are dependent exclusively on numbers and not on skill, so who wins and who doesn't isn't dependent on skill. Overloaded champions, by contrast, win more by skill than by numbers.

Champions should have strengths and weaknesses. Overloaded champions tend to have a lot of strengths, but have either few weaknesses or have weaknesses that can be circumvented with skilled play. By contrast, stat check champions tend to have a fair spread of strengths and weaknesses.

As a player I'd say stat check champions are slightly worse because skill should be a big determinant of who wins a fight, while as a developer myself I'd say that overloaded champions are slightly worse because overloaded champions (or characters in any other game) tend to overcentralize the game and restricts your capacity to create new champions/characters in your game since you lose a fair bit of design space when you release a new champ/character.

Ahri Baka1/12/2020, 12:22:32 AM2 votes

Overloaded of course but correction , Jax is both overloaded and a stat check champion.

Beerstein1/12/2020, 12:23:55 AM2 votes

Riot design team: Why not both?

RyzeRework1/12/2020, 6:11:57 PM1 votes

The real question is would you rather face illaoi or akali

Salty Mc Feed1/11/2020, 9:47:20 PM1 votes

Your definitions of stat check/overloaded in all honesty make no sense.

PS: probably because both are terms that salty players made up, because they didn't want to say "overpowered"

Yasuo is as much of a stat check as he is overloaded. Overloaded with item synergy which makes him a stat check... or something like that. Kinda hard to have a discussion when you throw around these vague terms. Seems pointless.