2019 Rework Schedule - Hypothetical & Realistic

tl;dr: Schedule is as follows. If you hate me for Morde's placement please, please see my reasoning.

1. January/February 2019 - Kayle/Morg Dual VU + Kayle GU
2. ~March/April 2019 - Miss Fortune VMGU.
3. ~March/April 2019 - Tryndamere or Fiddlesticks VGU.
4. ~June/July 2019 - Fiddlesticks or Tryndamere VGU (whichever one wasn't done first).
5. **~September/October 2019 - Potential bonus VMGU (my bet being it's Udyr). **
6. **~September/December 2019 - Mordekaiser VGU. **

Last Roadmap linked for Morg/Kayle context.

When it comes to looking down the line in terms of what champs will get updated next year we have to proceed both logically and realistically. What does this mean? Only a certain # of champs in 2019, ones that NEED the update (Be it of an outdated kit, annoying playstyle & the champ just not living up to its thematic potential) & a flow that makes sense and gives Riot ample time to work on multiple VGUs at once. So, what does it look like in my opinion? Something like as follows:

1. ~January/February 2019 - Kayle/Morg Dual VU + Kayle GU. I'm almost 100% certain that they'll be the first ones in 2019 given that Riot has several months (August to December/January) to work on them. These two have already been set in stone as to why they need the update so I won't go into explaining my reasoning here, it's solely that they'll more likely than not be first because they're next in line after Ezreal (who should release in 2018 otherwise I'll eat a shoe).

2. ~March/April 2019 - Miss Fortune VMGU. It's actually VERY possible that this could be sooner but assuming Riot lets the Ezreal team work on MF after he's done this is the likely release date (if not a month or so sooner). People have been asking for MF to get a new VO for a LONG TIME and it would additionally be the perfect opportunity to update her model & potentially look at some of the more 'faceroll' aspects in her kit (though it could just end up being a VU like Morg if they don't find any good changes). My question here to the community is - why not? She's not in the most need of a visual update but it'd still be a great time to combo it with the new VO that's been highly requested. I'm predicting MF.

3. ~March/April 2019 - Tryndamere or Fiddlesticks VGU. Here's where things get tricky. With the Akali team having finished up on her & the Nunu team starting to have more free time the question becomes - Who next? If we're to assume that MF will be done by the Ezreal team or by a group of similar scale then it's highly likely that MF will be accompanied by another, larger VGU in around the same month. It's ALSO a fact that multiple VGUs are at least in the concept phase as of right now considering this comment by Reav3. Now it is true that they'll be toning down the VGU count next year, that much is true. HOWEVER I'm almost 100% not only as to the fact that a VGU will accompany MF but also that it's one of three candidates. Who are these candidates?

• Trynademere
• Fiddlesticks
• Mordekaiser

Mordekaiser is a given - his kit is buggy as fuck, his gameplay is pretty shoddy & his visuals are oudated. HOWEVER despite that I don't think he'll release first out of the three. I say this because while he is definitely one of the VGUs in concept phase right now (because there's NO way he isn't after what Reav3's said on him) I don't think they have a set plan out for him or a time table laid out. To be honest he's probably the last of these three that'll release, not because he doesn't deserve it but because Riot (wanting to compensate for the horrors of Mordekaiser's current state) will take their time with him and turn him into something REALLY good. It sucks but it'll be worth it down the line - Just bide time, Morde players. That aside I also think that out of these three Morde was started last or second to last judging from what Reav3's said (which to me sounds like "we do want Mordekaiser to be reworked but we're in the very early stages of it, we started when criticism of the roadmap snapped him back into our attention", I just really get the feeling that he'll be mid-late 2019.

So that leaves Fiddlesticks, the shitty modeled scarecrow with a fear that is HATED & Tryndamere right click man. Both of them need a VGU, let's be real. Both of their models are cruddy, their gameplay is one dimensional and underwhelming & for their thematic they'll pretty...yeah. I mean do we even know what the fuck Fiddlesticks IS right now, much less how he came into being? No? There's your proof. So at the end of the day we have these two as the likely candidates for the next big VGU barring Riot suddenly decides to look at Mundo or Udyr instead (which I doubt since they're just a peg up on Fiddle/Tryn in their gameplay & thematic in my opinion. I could be wrong but seriously pick your poison not reworking two of these four until late 2019/early 2020 is already bad enough don't make it Tryn & Fiddle).

Fiddle or Tryn, which one will it be? To be honest - I don't know, it could be either one of them. I'm 100% positive that they're both in concept phase right now alongside Mordekaiser & that both have been for a little while longer (though it's hard to tell which started before which) meaning that all 3 VGUs Reav3 stated were in development are the ones I've mentioned here (minus MF who will likely be started after Ezreal's team is done with him). But either way I believe that Riot will prioritize one of them and release them in late Spring 2019, it's a sufficient amount of time to work on them (especially if they were started in July) & they'll have the support of the Irelia/Akali team (potentially Nunu too though they'll probably work on whichever of these two isn't releasing first). So long story short - Fiddle & Tryndamere are the best candidates for the next large VGU after Kayle with the only ones potentially replacing them being Udyr and Dr. Mundo.

Now that we have that set in stone the next VGU should be obvious.

• 4: June/July 2019 - Fiddlesticks or Tryndamere VGU. Whichever one isn't prioritized first will probably be released a few months later, plain and simple.

• **5: September/October 2019 - Potential bonus VMGU. ** Long story short this would be probably be around the amount of time it would take for the MF team (previously the Ezreal team) to finish ANOTHER VMGU after MF if not a few months sooner. I'm not gonna lie when I say that this slot could go to anyone under the rainbow that's somewhat old including Udyr, Mundo, Malphite, Quinn, Cho'Gath, Hecarim...my bet is on Udyr if they do end up going with doing another VMGU but it's a major toss up, anything could happen here (including it not happening at all).

• 6: September - December 2019 - Mordekaiser VGU. And at long, LONG last we FINALLY get to Morde. Yes, I'm predicting that it'll be more than a year from now until Morde is released brand sparkling new - hate me for it but that's my opinion. I genuinely think that Riot will be dead set on making Mordekaiser into one of the most powerful & metal champs to ever be in League. He'll be a giant unstoppable hunk of chad that'll be so well designed & visually EPIC that it'll be worth all the time it took to make him into that. I'm so fucking serious here - they'll take their time but it'll be SO worth it.

That's it for 2019, I doubt any other VMGU or VGUs will make it in. And for 2020? Who knows, there are some obvious candidates (Cho, Udyr, Mundo etc.) but it's too early to know who Riot will want to do. I DO think Udyr will have his VMGU in 2019 though, that's the one wildcard I'll be predicting.

And you know, if I'm right? That's great - I want my fucking Infiltrator Irelia. GIVE IT TO ME REAV3 I WORKED HARD ON THIS AND IF I'M RIGHT I WON'T SAY ####. AHHHHHHH.

Thanks for reading. Obviously a lot of this is hypothetical and we don't have any way of knowing Riot's real schedule or how their teams may or may not be able to handle a schedule like this but I think it's pretty realistic (especially if you remove the Bonus VMGU in later 2019).