[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
I disagree with a few of your points, mainly on the aspect that Galio before was an absolute mess of a champion with varied themes frankenstein'd into a kit. You say his theme should've been focused on Team-based utility, yet his original kit had a single ally focused spell, and even then, was selfish in nature as it was used to heal himself.
Meanwhile, his other close to Utility spell is still selfish in it's use, with only a side benefit for allies. His Wind-speed thing was only used to help himself get into position, not the other way around. Even then, it still carried enough damage for it to be mainly used as a Damage spell in his rotation, more than utility.
Galio nonetheless had two effects that benefited his team, so even if they were mostly used selfishly in practice (and even then, that's not true, as he could be played as a support), he did have the potential to lay down a fair bit of ally utility. I don't disagree that Galio's previous kit was dysfunctional, and I was very much looking forward to his rework. However, I do think him having damage is more justified than on other tanks, as he was a battle mage/warden hybrid who paid for it with less CC and mobility. Additionally, he always had the theme of empowering his damage through the enemy's magic.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
So we have a problem with Theme and Gameplay, which forces them to settle it down to what aspect of Galio do they want to focus on. Lux's lore, and Demacia's stance on Magic, seemed perfect to go alongside someone who was meant to be an Anti-mage, since that was one of the things Riot originally labeled him as. Not a Team-utility tank, not a Burst mage, but the Anti-mage champion, similar to Kassadin, but more Mage/Tank like.
Neither mobility nor AoE displacement were ever a part of him, nor are they specifically anti-mage, so it wasn't really a question of "focusing" on his identity as it was giving him a new one. It's also worth mentioning that if you were to switch Galio's current MR scalings to armor, he would just as easily become an anti-AD champion, so his anti-mage identity isn't particularly intrinsic to his new playstyle either. Additionally, whereas Galio could previously derive power from his enemy's magic, via Bulwark's self-heal (it made him especially strong against DoT mages), he now can only block magic, so in terms of enforcing his anti-mage theme there's actually been somewhat of a regression from his previous iteration.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
From there, it's easy to see where they focused their efforts in giving Galio new abilities. Since people wanted Galio to compete with mid, he was given Wave clear that was good on Waves, and good in zoning and damage in a rotation with Q. Mages hate it when people get on top of them, and most tanks have mobility regardless, so gap closer with CC. A Taunt with magic damage shield is better against mages who have weak autos, than an ADC.
Galio previously also had rather decent wave clear, and the fact that his dash stops at the first enemy champion hit actually makes him more apt at disabling frontliners, i.e. fighters and other tanks, rather than mages (this is also compounded by the percent health damage on his Q, which is better against frontliners than mages). This is one of the reasons why players who pick melee champions often get frustrated with Galio, because in spite of his purported anti-mage identity, it's the front line that takes the brunt of his power. Galio's taunt is something that was part of his old kit as well, so I don't think it's reasonable to bring it up as if it were a new asset.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
Now the big question is Theme and feeling. Old Galio was observant, brooding, but...why? I get the fact of being sad and all, but having a character whose just sad and depressed all the time just hits a real extreme niche. You're having fun throwing blasts of magic at people, but your character is acting like he's at someone's funeral? It's a real collision in theme and gameplay. Imagine if Zed, instead of acting Ruthless and vicious, acted Shy and Placent.
It may be an extreme niche, but it is a niche nonetheless, and one capable of bringing about a much more complex and interesting character. It's not like we have negative-affective characters in the game either, as Lucian constantly mourns the death of his wife, Maokai laments the destruction of nature around him and his own corruption, and Yorick constantly fights the temptation to give in and abandon himself to the Black Mist. Developing upon a brooding, tactical character would make for something truly unique in League, whereas turning him into a punch-happy meathead puts him along the exact same lines as Malphite, Vi, Zac and so on.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
No evil laugh when Ulting someone, no lines about the Shadows, he was just real reserved and quiet, acting like something that just doesn't fit how he's playing
The only reason such a personality would not fit the new Galio is because his new kit makes him constantly throw himself into battle. If he had been a slower, more back line-oriented tank, as was the case with his original kit, such a personality would've fit him much better. Adding to this, I think there's a pretty big amount of thematic dissonance between his current character, who's a colossal statue, and his gameplay, which lets him zip around like he's a much smaller fighter. Similarly, I think his character is inconsistent with his backstory, as Galio is a statue who's spent centuries, if not millenia observing the people around him, learning from his observations, and seeing countless people he cared about die, while being powerless to help them, yet he still turns out to be impatient, immature, and exceptionally poorly observant when allowed to move, to the point of endangering his allies just for the sake of wrestling with some other big creature. He is, in many ways, the exact opposite of what he should be, and it takes a pretty serious amount of mental gymnastics to try to reconcile the two.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
I read Galio's Judgement and past lore, but I really don't know how you can derive Intelligent being a key feature. Extremely devoted and loyal, and yes, brooding, but there isn't a lot to say he was an intellectual.
"Galio wears a face as though he is lost in concentration. One may mistake this look to mean the great beast is dumbfounded. His facial features, especially his massive jaw with the exaggerated underbite, give the massive gargoyle the look of a simpleton. This look is intentionally deceptive, magically crafted to lull an opponent into thinking that Galio is mentally slow. The reality of the situation is that he is intently studying what lies before him."
This is literally the first paragraph of his League Judgment. It specifically states that he is not stupid, and that he is in fact both intelligent and analytical. Everything in this paragraph is in direct opposition with Galio's personality as he exists today.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
Then finally, what on earth is a broody character's story meant to fulfill? His old motivation, and his now, was to serve Demacia to the best of his ability, but that leaves extremely little room for much else. Main characters are never brooding alone, those brooding characters are always resigned to Side characters. New Galio has more than Service as a motivation.
Old Galio wanted to atone for failing to protect his master, a guilt he had to live with for eternity, due to him being effectively immortal. That's a pretty unique kind of drive, and definitely allows room for interaction with others, particularly with other Demacian champions, as some may remember his greatest failure and may look at him differently for it. By contrast, the new Galio is purely motivated by wanting to squish mages, and has no narrative arc besides acting as a side character to one of Lux's stories. It does not make for a particularly deep character, and so far he has been written in such a way that all but a few characters are bound to not even acknowledge his existence.
[{quoted}](name=Dr Mercy,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=XOp1c7xx,comment-id=0000000000030001,timestamp=2017-08-22T10:36:59.914+0000)
He wants to be alive! He wants to experience life, but the only times he gets to is when he has to kill the thing that's giving him life. It makes you wonder if he'd ever run away with Lux if he wanted/could, since it'd give him freedom to live without killing or fighting. A broody character whose only motivation is serving Demacia, runs out of possibilities really fast.
The one story revolving around this had Galio ask himself a lot of existential questions, then promply express exactly none of that anywhere else, certainly not in his in-game character. Similarly, Galio's interaction with Lux ended with him returning to his plinth out of his own volition, maintaining the status quo. The one story angle where he gets to do something is if a mage appears, and that is something that would have many more opportunities if he were consistently intelligent and could make the most of it.
Is their most recent example and while he was a mixed bag due to old Galio mains being disappointed new Galio truly is one of the most fun and satisfying champions there is.
There's a real weight to him that, unlike Sion, feels really satisfying.
He's by far my favorite recent character and he truly delivers on "Demacian Sentinel" with how his kit plays
Alas, poor Yorick, still no new skin.
Yorick, even though I suck at him, is a great rework and he resonates so well with his entire theme, all the way down to him changing Summoner's rift music when he summons the maiden. He's a modern Juggernaut and his VGU team did a great job trying to build him up to fit that version of the split pushing zombie-army juggernaut.
And what's better, most of his skills feel extremely heavy without feeling clunky!
By far my favorite support.
But that's beside the point.
Taric is a great example of how you can give an outdated kit a new spin, as his W, Bastion, gives him a ton more skill expression beyond just spamming spells whenever they're up. It adds a new layer to him but functionally he's still very much the old Taric.
Are GREAT, yet they do not carry the OOOMPH factor of the other reworks. They're thematic successes and feel a lot like their old selves, which isn't what Mordekaiser needs.
