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[Opinion] Lateral Buffs are always more interesting than Vertical buffs.

ModCaptainMårvelous·8/7/2019, 7:57:24 PM·6 votes·1,845 views

For reference, a "vertical" buff is something like a flat buff to numbers. It deals more damage. It has a lower cooldown. It has more durability. Just number go up. Those buffs are always boring to me because they don't truly change anything.

A lateral buff, likewise, isn't really making anything "Go up" in the kit but adding something new. For example, while I know people didn't like the champions who got the buffs, I was way more interested in Blitz and Renekton getting shield breaks than any sort of flat number increase. Katarina and Kled getting grievous wounds. etc.

If Riot wants to buff champions (and I do think they should buff more than nerf), lateral buffs are the way to go. You open up new ways to play champion, new counter match-ups to consider and remove problems that vertical buffs cause such as making something overbearing without actually changing the gameplay pattern. It's also the way to buff simple champions considering how simplistic champs can take even tiny buffs and become overbearing in either pro or pug play.

That said, all of this is my opinion. And yeah, lateral buffs don't always work out. Aatrox's life/shield block and Irelia's disarm eventually got removed. I still think those parts are far more interesting than any sort of "ME TANK MORE. ME DO MORE DPS. BETTER NOW."

30 Comments

Hayaishi28/7/2019, 8:16:37 PM11 votes

Buffs are better when they are for champions that actually need them.

Pika Fox8/7/2019, 8:10:24 PM7 votes

Vertical buffs are far better for general purpose power adjustment.

Lateral is better for carving a specific gameplay niche which allows vertical buffs to be effective.

Lateral may be more interesting, but its terrible for patch to patch adjustments.

WoonStruck8/7/2019, 8:20:04 PM6 votes

Overloading already complete characters is not the way to fix the game.

We need more numerical buffs to underused champions and more "lateral nerfs", as you would put it, to the overloaded champions.

TakaDama8/7/2019, 11:16:32 PM4 votes

While I can agree as long the balance team knows when to take away those lateral buffs instead of compensating for them with nerfs to other parts of the kit, Katarina's ult already applied Grievous Wounds and as such this was a vertical buff in terms of duration and effectiveness for her.

sinperking218/7/2019, 8:05:19 PM4 votes

cyka blyat when next update

Libido8/7/2019, 8:23:35 PM4 votes

Damage Is going through the roof. We need more utility into the game. I agree that Kled, Rene thing is cool.

Îrelïa8/7/2019, 9:15:12 PM4 votes

in my opinion they need to bring back irelias disarm before i go back to NA ;x would like that amazing coming home gift

xelaker8/7/2019, 9:15:17 PM4 votes

What an awful idea, I say we take a low performing, popular skin sales hero and triple 2 ratios and 1 flat damage number on their kit. On an unrelated note that hero also has a new skin and even around the new skin where you, yes you, can pay money to grind out a flat yellow gold chroma skin!

Ragnaveil8/7/2019, 9:19:51 PM4 votes

Idk, the heal reduction thing seemed to not do much when I was playing Aatrox. It was just...there. Meanwhile current passive feels way better than what the heal reduction thing would have done. Meanwhile, Irelia's disarm just made her a ult bot, forcing people to not go outside of the ult to avoid being disarmed. Her shield breaker could have been reworked into something healthier, but ie she needs a mini rework to make her a bruiser. Idk why Riot pigonholed her into a fighter when almost historically she went bruiser.

TekkenPlayer8/7/2019, 9:55:35 PM4 votes

lateral buffs cause champions to be triple nerfed for no good reason

see: Lissandra

ZephyrDrake8/7/2019, 8:07:50 PM3 votes

yes, they are more interesting but interesting doesn't mean better. Those type of changes can also fall flat on their face not accomplishing anything or make the champion an even bigger mess to balance properly. Some champions need "lateral" changes just like some champions need "vertical" changes. Adding a new mechanic to a champion isn't going to magically fix their problems and can risk just making the champion too generic and just good everywhere unless their numbers are terrible.