Just wait a moment until CT's fanboys come in defending his designs saying, "They're fun to play, but unfun to play against." Because apparently, giving the player freebies constitutes for great design these days.
Let's address a glaring issue with the game's current state before some upjumped zealot gets the idea that his statements are valid. Before CT came along, and before designers started taking pages from his book, people would always have something to gripe about.
That having been said... when dunking or even when getting dunked on, the game was still very fun to play. Riot did a pretty good job when listening to the community about how busted a champion was. If Riot let something slip, it would focus all of their energy on bringing the game into a genuine balanced state. Even if the community didn't like having their toys taken away, when champions and items received nerfs without compensation, it was all to promote interaction in the game. There would be some fuss afterwards, but people would get over it. Why? Because they were constantly being challenged. Challenged to do more with what they had. To make the best out of a terrible situation. This made League of Legends cool and fun.
"Veteran players" aren't happy with the current state of the game, because Riot has moved away from the spirit of the game as defined during its initial stages. It was gradual, so no one noticed it as it was happening. As defined by Morello way back:
"While counterplay is a type of meaningful choice, it’s so important to League of Legends as a competitive multiplayer game that we consider it a pillar of our design values. A fight loses its excitement if the first punch wins – it's what you can do after that adds depth and complexity. We try to prevent hard counters and abilities with no room for reaction, as no game should be over without a real show of skill."
(I am well aware Morello has also made some questionable choices regarding the game's direction. The game, however, was very well received by nearly everyone when he was in charge. Compare that to now...)
That brings us here. The current state of the game seems to now only appeal to people who like getting a lot for a little. The kind of people that want something to occupy their attention for the sake of occupying their attention. Eventually, the direction this game is taking is going to burn it out. Someone else on the forums summed it up rather succinctly, "The game is less of a game you play and more one that you watch."
Here's a personal favorite of mine from a buddy. It's anecdotal so make of it what you will, "It's too stressful now. I always dread facing off someone running a broken champ."
I don't mean to sound like a doomsayer, but this will eventually cripple the game. The only reason it hasn't done so sooner is because of the far reaching influence of League of Legends. If they tried this [expletive] back during the game's development stages, it would not have kicked off as hard as it did... if at all. People would have said, "This is just DoTA with a fresh coat of paint. Half of the roster is utter garbage in comparison to other characters." Sooner or later, everyone's nostalgia glasses break eventually.
And that, saddens me. League was a MOBA that redefined the scene of competitive gaming, and I sincerely hope it hasn't forgotten that. It brought video games into the public eye. Games could be considered a sport due to the massive scale and coverage League of Legends received. They were no longer considered a part-time hobby at best and an addiction at worst. This, coupled with the lack of competition, means League will stay for a while at the very least.
I'm hopeful for season 9... from what I've seen, Riot is attempting to make more playstyles valid. Mayhap, both soloque and proplay will be fun. However, I'm skeptical.
