Balance Team, I appluad your conviction on 5.6 notes.

Let's talk Nidalee.

Nid's a polarizing champion where, when she succeeds, generates more hate posts on forums around the world than most other champions combined. That said, with tank junglers picking up steam, Nidalee's got some very real challenges coming her way. Hard engage has traditionally been one of Nidalee's big weaknesses - when she can't dictate the pace of a fight by wearing down her opponents - so if big, beefy champs are constantly running at her face (and this becomes a trend), we want to see what that world looks like before taking action.

For those of you who just want to QQ and rage about champions - this thread isn't for you. Downvote me and move along.

This is meant for Riot and specifically the balance department. They have easily the hardest job in this company and I can't imagine the kind of heat they get both from the rest of Riot and from the community. Every time you nerf or buff a champion, there will be whiplash. Fans of a champion will celebrate and laud every tiny buff and get thirsty for more, where they will spit and hiss every time you nerf their main. The reverse goes for players who either can't play those champions or consistently lose to them.

And I understand this feeling. With over 120 champions in the game, lines are going to be drawn in the sand. I do it myself. For the life of me I cannot win against Rumble. That little mechayordle is my freakin' kryptonite. So yeah, I grin every time I see him get nerfed. But just because I struggle against that Champion doesn't mean that they must be nerfed into the ground.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. There has been a ton of rage over our girl Nidalee. But the way Riot addressed it, I'm actually on board with this. They are acknowledging the concerns, even if it feels like a "We understand that you feel this way." But they are looking at the bigger picture, which I don't think most players can honestly admit to. How often do we base a Champion's health on a single game's performance? But come on guys we know how it works. We've seen the cycles - a Champion gets a buff, people try them out because Yay Buffs! Inevitably more people start learning how to play them correctly and begin to flesh out their strengths and now it seems like you come across one in every single game. Or they get reworked and all of your old strategies and expectations are no longer effective.

Look tl,dr; Bully for you, balance team, for sticking to your guns on this. Its easy to just go with the popular opinion and cave to player pressure, but I respect anyone who is able to say, "We know what we're doing, just hang in there with us a little longer."

Because, guys, they're right. Everyone who isn't crying about Nid in the forums are shouting about the new Tank Meta. I love the idea of a Tank meta. They've been out of the spotlight for a while, but Tanks and Supports are, in my opinion, the most engaging and interesting champions out there. Unlike everyone else, their job isn't just to murder everyone. That's the problem with assassins and the UberFighters, is the game just boils down to which assassin gets fed and they just kill you before you can even do anything. It really feels powerless - but Tanks and Supports, when used and balanced correctly, give the team tools to respond to these threats. And Nidalee, despite her strengths, is still a poke/siege champion with a good engage, but she can't deal with the kind of focused disruption that comes when Tanks become strong. She'll really have to be careful about Pouncing into a teamfight when that frontline can fold in on her.

Anyway just wanted to say, props to you guys.

-Kouga

(If you happen to agree with what I have to say, consider checking out my discussion about Mobility and Balance and if any Reds happen to read through, please consider checking out my Reward System Proposal that could actually tie in really well with the new Mastery system.)