I'm seeing a pattern emerge in these Champion Reworks and it has me worried.
Looking at Urgot and Galio specifically: ~ Bad implementation of slow built into their kit ~ Long spell animations (not allowing for any animation cancelling) ~ Extremely predictable abilities
I'd like to delve into each of these points, just a little bit, if that's okay. (Just a warning: This is not a bunch of ranting. Some of these things I actually like. Maybe the title was click bait... I dunno.)
Slows built into champion kits When a slow is built into a champions kit properly, it feels really good: Xerath and Varus are great examples of this. You get the sense that they're putting a ton of extra effort into their next ability and it will produce something really powerful. Vi's Vault Breaker is another example of a quality slow. It just feels ... right. She winds up, slows down and really focuses on her target, and delivers this massive punch.
When slow is put into a champions kit as a punishment for having a strong ability, it feels REALLY BAD: Rammus and Blitzcrank come to mind. Blitzcrank gets a super speedy boost and then at the end of it ... you're punished for using the ability.
Maybe the heart of my argument here is that slows feel much better when they preceed an ability. So, I will admit, Galio's taunt feels ... okay. He slows down, charges up and delivers a powerful crowd control ability. I don't like the slow but I can't articulate why.
Alternatively, The slow on Urgot's W simply feels bad. His entire kit is so disconnected. He has anti-synergy between his passive and his W. Was that the intention in the design of these abilities? It's extremely difficult to pop off those beautiful shotgun legs when you're moving at a snail's pace. I will admit the interaction between his E (throwing them behind you) and his passive feels great.
Extremely predictable abilities This is something I am actually quite pleased to be seeing in these reworks. Urgot and Galio both have dashes which are forcasted clearly before they happen. And when Galio is winding up a taunt from a far distance, it's obvious he's preparing to flash taunt. These champions' intentions are made clear; there is time to mount a response. This allows for more intuitive counter-play. If this is the direction we're heading with future design then I'm really excited about it.
Long spell animations Predictable abilities are good but long exection time is not. Auto-attack resets feel great in a champions kit whether it's Camille, Jax, Darius, etc. And I love champions that have strong combo kits with smooth and quick responsive execution (think Riven, Renekton, Talon, Jayce, etc.).
It takes Galio literally 3 years to wind up and execute his dash. Literally. Figuratively. Whatever. And Urgot's dash takes longer than that! But my main gripe with Galio is actually his taunt. He becomes spell-locked after his taunt finishes, for a short duration (it feels like 1 maybe 1.2 seconds or so). He is unable to use any other abilities for this short duration. I hope this wasn't intended. It removes any fluidity that the champion might otherwise have in some of his spell rotations.
I'm a lowly Gold Elo player so please take my opinions with a grain of salt.
But, anyway, for me personally: ~ Galio is almost there. His entire kit is friggin amazing and just needs a little refining. ~ Urgot's passive is so creative and fun. I wish the rest of his kit focused around it more. This rework missed the mark completely for me.
There are others like Zac, Maokai and Warwick that I didn't even mention, but whatever. I just wanted to throw some thoughts out there and see what you guys think. I'm just mildly worried with some of the design aspects I've seen come out of recent champions.
Anyway, thanks for reading. :D If you disagree then I'd be happy to hear your point of view.
