Honestly? I can't wait for the Vanguard rework and the impending TANK meta

Malicious Metal·Feb 2, 2017·161 votes·9,391 views

I LOVE tank Metas.

Strategy and Teamplay is being encouraged and rewarded plentiful, snowballing is less of an issue as Tanks can't really solo-carry themselves but need a good team to back them up. Decision making and objective play becomes more important and the games last longer.

Team fighting is where Tanks shine and all out 5v5 fights decide most games, rewarding whichever team has better coordination and manages to Peel, Engage, CC and lockdown better. Target selection is more important than the current "Hit whatever's closest to me, they're all squish anyways"-mentality.

And like the biased prick I am I can dust off my favorite Mordekaiser build that thrives in team fighting and metas where damage is low and tanks reign supreme! !

241 Comments

Darth Pixy MisaFeb 2, 201763 votes

Tank Meta just means everything is working right. Assassins kill squishies, Tanks Kill assassins, DPS kill Tanks. IMO tanks just need less damage and more survivability.

WarmanreaperFeb 2, 201722 votes

Yeah. Like back when ppl like mao and garen did no dmg but took so much shit to bring down

DeusVultFeb 2, 20176 votes

Garen is not a tank

Glory ln DeathFeb 2, 201726 votes

During the time he's referring to, he basically was. The concept of "juggernaut" didn't exist back then.

JusticePauldronsFeb 3, 20173 votes

During the old days playing Garen as a straight Tank was pretty fucking stupid.

Boots of Swiftness Warmog's Armor Sunfire Cape Atma's Impaler Infinity Edge Last Whisper or Spirit Visage depending

This allowed you to be a meat shield as well as deal respectable damage up until late game.

RetraukFeb 3, 20172 votes

"Atma's Impaler" Man... I miss that shit.

ExalomaniacFeb 2, 20177 votes

if they want garen as a tank they should really do something about villain executions... i just think its not right when you can basically kill anyone who has 40 % hp left with one true damage execute spell.

It Hertz When IPFeb 2, 20174 votes

Except you can't "basically kill anyone"? You can kill the villain. Anyone else, you aren't doing true damage. And you can't control who the villain is.

HammermancerFeb 2, 201715 votes

well in theory you can if you int hard enough

It Hertz When IPFeb 3, 201716 votes

http://i.imgur.com/40Idny0.png

JusticePauldronsFeb 3, 20172 votes

Dude the villain mechanic doesn't even work half the time. I have had multiple instances where I just lose my villain for no good reason, despite that the explanation of the system makes it sound as if there should always be one. Worse yet, it disappears despite the fact we have not killed the villain, it just poofs.

Ariel the CruelFeb 2, 20171 votes

Tanks Kill assassins

Assassins should still kill tanks. Offense out-scales defense by design.

That said, any assassin that wants to spend a year killing said tank probably shouldn't be playing an assassin. XD

Mira Arya EntheFeb 2, 20179 votes

Tank meta wasn't "Champions are tankier". Squishies died just as fast.

Tank meta was "There are 2-3 tanks in every team 4-6 every match and whomever has the most sunfire tanks and/or tank busters wins."

Spaceman5pffFeb 2, 20174 votes

Remember the time where you could replace "tank" with "adc" and the items with "phantom dancers"

HammermancerFeb 2, 20174 votes

It's almost like every time an entire class of champion gets out of balance everything sucks for a month or two

Spaceman5pffFeb 2, 20173 votes

I think you missed the part where there were only a couple of tanks that were actually a problem during cinderhulk meta, and even then they weren't so powerful to take over roles they weren't previously viable in.

Meanwhile, ADC in 4 positions regularly in early s6, at least 2 viable in any lane.

A bit different.

DeathToEcchiFeb 3, 20172 votes

Go back farther and true tanks like Malphite could chase someone to inhibitor with outer still up and get out alive.

It should be noted that the meta at that time also encouraged leaving towers alive as long as possible to disrupt farming.

DarkPh0enixFeb 2, 20172 votes

DPS kills tanks? Do you think me, a tank player is afraid of any DPS (except for Vayne) or any APC?

Oh Ashe, I am a Nautilus with 250 armor, 100 AP, 4k HP and 150 MR but please, don't make me fight Ashe, it's my nightmare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUe28CXOUpY

This video explains it perfectly.

Nameless VoiceFeb 3, 201715 votes

Tanks shouldn't be killing assassins directly, though. They should be locking them up so that the rest of their team can kill them.

I want to see a meta where:

Assassins kill squishies.
Divers can take a beating and kill squishies, but do so much slower than assassins.
Tanks lock down or peel assassins and divers.
Mages provide damage and CC from range, but don't deal as much single-target damage as assassins.
Marksmen / DPS kill tanks and take objectives, but lack burst.
Supports rely more on their own kits than on mandatory-buy items.

QuephaFeb 2, 201735 votes

"class rework" does not mean "class buff"

warpenguin555Feb 2, 201717 votes

3/4 of them were. It means high chance of a class buff

OelykFeb 2, 20172 votes

katarina leblanc and rengar I am assuming... but not talon.

Fondling GemsFeb 2, 201715 votes

The assassin Class rework was the only one that wasn't a buff. He was referring to the mage, juggernaut, and marksman reworks which pushed 90% of the champions in them up into contested power pick range.

That is where the 3/4 is coming from, not from the champions inside the assassin rework.

Malicious MetalFeb 2, 20175 votes

It usually nudges them back into the spotlight and makes them more enjoyable/fresher and people just pick 'em up. Most of the class reworks were buffs as well and tank itemization being improved might just make some champions become really strong.

SalronFeb 2, 201711 votes

Just like the Assassin "meta" after their update right LUL

And whenever you have a tank meta, you usually see the tank players facerolling over squishies as they slowly kill them while carries struggle to put in meaningful amounts of damage before they die to the tank who isnt punished for mistakes nearly as hard to begin with

See: Cinderhulk meta

PermabannedGarenFeb 2, 201710 votes

[{quoted}](name=Malicious Metal,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=l3kd343u,comment-id=,timestamp=2017-02-02T17:29:42.256+0000)

I LOVE tank Metas.

Strategy and Teamplay is being encouraged and rewarded plentiful, snowballing is less of an issue as Tanks can't really solo-carry themselves but need a good team to back them up. Decision making and objective play becomes more important and the games last longer.

Team fighting is where Tanks shine and all out 5v5 fights decide most games, rewarding whichever team has better coordination and manages to Peel, Engage, CC and lockdown better. Target selection is more important than the current "Hit whatever's closest to me, they're all squish anyways"-mentality.

And like the biased prick I am I can dust off my favorite Mordekaiser build that thrives in team fighting and metas where damage is low and tanks reign supreme! !

"Dude let's stall out the game for fifty minutes and then the best team fight comp automatically wins".

Tank metas suck dick. Why should 5v5 fights automatically decide every game? What if I want to play a fucking splitpusher, or a snowballing assassin?

Tank metas don't encourage strategy and teamplay. They limit them. Picking a champion like Pantheon who relies on heavy lane dominance and map pressure/roaming becomes worthless because the tanks can just easily stall out the game until you're a useless sack of shit in team fights and then you lose, regardless of how well you play. Tanks being the meta means trying to win through lane pressure and splitpushing becomes useless because your team is going to get bolo stomped by the three tanks diving their monkey asses, so you have to try to group as a champion who is fundamentally poor at grouping and then you lose.

Dabrick01Feb 2, 20177 votes

That is how this game should play. A game should be decided on who has the better comp. That will teach players to not just throw champs into a game and focus on synergy and teamfighting.

I could care less about the tank meta. What I hate is the emphasis on Solo shit. It is a team game for a reason.

PermabannedGarenFeb 2, 20174 votes

{quoted}

That is how this game should play. A game should be decided on who has the better comp. That will teach players to not just throw champs into a game and focus on synergy and teamfighting.

I could care less about the tank meta. What I hate is the emphasis on Solo shit. It is a team game for a reason.

Better 5v5 team fight comp =/= better comp.

If you have a great 5v5 team fight comp but it fares poorly against the enemy's poke comp or splitpush comp, then your comp wasn't better, was it?

And frankly, no, player skill should be the most important factor in determining which team wins. Picking the right team comp is only one part of that.

Glory ln DeathFeb 2, 201715 votes

Frankly, no - team skill should be the most important factor in which team wins.

5 Gold players who can't coordinate as a team should lose to 5 Bronze players who have great synergy with each other.

"The team that is strongest as 5 will win." Not the team that has the strongest players.

Jungle BrungusFeb 2, 20172 votes

I agree, it's usually not "rewarding whichever team has better coordination and manages to Peel, Engage, CC and lockdown better" but whichever team has the better comp at 20 minutes.

Mira Arya EntheFeb 2, 20178 votes

Honestly I am a bit disappointed in this post MM

1: We are in a tank meta. Poppy/Mao/Naut top laners are primary with Fiora and Jayce only as counterpicks into them. Divers building as tanky as tanks are primary junglers.

2: Class updates =/= meta for that type of class. That has happened from time to time but usually is exaggerated and merely the result of everyone playing 'the new stuff'.

3: Tank meta =/= more team play. It is true it counters this snowball meta. But it is just a different kind of snowball meta. If nobody remembers the Mundo that never dies for example. Snowballing tanks who attack move down mid lane with their team in tow is just as toxic as ~~fucking stupid ass~~ Vayne one shotting people or Fizz one shotting people. They all leave the same feeling of "I am helpless" to everyone else.

This post is almost as disappointing as me only now realizing true damage ignores Garen's W active >.>...........

AhristocatsFeb 2, 20175 votes

[{quoted}](name=Mira Arya Enthe,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=l3kd343u,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2017-02-02T17:39:32.359+0000)

1: We are in a tank meta. Poppy/Mao/Naut top laners are primary with Fiora and Jayce only as counterpicks into them. Divers building as tanky as tanks are primary junglers.

and we nerf darius? the irony

Mira Arya EntheFeb 2, 20176 votes

"we" didn't nerf Darius. Riot nerfed Darius. I had nothing to do with Darius being nerfed. I honestly had to argue with my friends all the time "Why are you running it is just darius." when I am fed on Shyvana. "we" did nothing of the sort, neither you or I.

AhristocatsFeb 2, 201714 votes

it doesn't matter who nerfed darius

the fact that darius was nerfed shows that we're not in a tank meta, the primary picks are not poppy or maokai, they are camille darius jayce WHO IS PRIMARY NOT SECONDARY WTF, and other picks remain behind

so no, we're not in a tank meta, season5 we had tanks in both the jungle and top lane, zac being the only tank in the jungle is not a tank meta

Mira Arya EntheFeb 2, 20178 votes

You need to smoke some weed and chill out Rubick. You get way too flustered.

Primary junglers are Vi, Hecarim, Lee Sin, Zac, Shyvana and the like. Which are tanky enough for me.

Camille is new I expect her to be played.

Poppy, Maokai and Naut are too very meta, buy sunfire and win lane, thus why Darius was seeing play lol. Because of this he was nerfed.

Fiora and Jayce beat them, so they are picked a lot on top of being overtuned. With them and Darius getting nerfs those tanks will only be more meta.

Papa AndreiFeb 2, 201711 votes

We ain't in a true tank meta, we are in a tank and countertank meta. Remember the tank Ekko, Akali, Zed builds that ran rampant and had literal no counterplay. That was a tank meta, cause tank items could make anyone strong. Now its only a few, those who have good scaling with it (poppy) or have big ass shields (Naut) and then maokai is just Maokai.

It is more of burst meta, people who can burst really hard. Even full tanks are getting bursted by Jayce, Vayne, etc.

TyrekGoldenspearFeb 2, 201714 votes

Sorry Mira, gonna have to disagree on this.

You know how teams nowadays are made up of like 5 carries?

Tanks they are not. The tankiest things in meta right now are Divers, as they are tanky enough to take punishment from the carries long enough to kill them.

True tanks scale too slow to matter right now.

Malicious MetalFeb 2, 201715 votes

^ this.

Every game I play is filled with carry-like champions or pseudo-tanks. Divers reign supreme and the only tanks that are actually viable are those who can deal with this kind of stuff.

TyrekGoldenspearFeb 2, 20175 votes

I lay in wait for this tank meta with my Brand. Hue.

RalanrFeb 2, 201720 votes

Damn you %health damage!

Angryly shakes fist at the heavens

TyrekGoldenspearFeb 2, 20175 votes

It's a good thing Brand mains are a rare breed eh?

Luckily I'm on your side.

Papa AndreiFeb 2, 20173 votes

If i could become any champion in this game, it would literally be Brand.

TyrekGoldenspearFeb 2, 20173 votes

I like you.

Personally I would be Azir, as he's my number 1 favorite champion ever. Brand is a close second.

Arya RivenFeb 3, 20174 votes

It is a strange fetish the world has for extremes. They suffer one thing for a short period and forget how bad the other was(Grass is always greener on the other side of the hill). They get indignant about it. Instead of wanting to fix problems they want revenge(an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind).

It would be like having a car where one tire is low on air. But instead of wanting to fix it you get mad that one side was higher for a while so you pop the full tire and over inflate the low tire.

It is unhealthy behavior and doesn't make anything better. It just puffs up one side for a short while while deflating the other side.

See-saw balance needs to go. True nirvana is achieved through symmetry.

Sexy Jack RabbitFeb 3, 20173 votes

Honestly I'll take anything over a fucking Diver meta. They're so cancer and more often then not grossly unbalanced.

Arya RivenFeb 3, 20177 votes

People said the same during the tank meta. Give it a few months or a year. And people will say the same of this meta "I'd actually love it if tower dives were possible".

People don't really want balance. They want whatever extreme is the opposite of what they have now.

EpicanianFeb 3, 201710 votes

[{quoted}](name=Arya Riven,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=l3kd343u,comment-id=00320000,timestamp=2017-02-03T00:48:53.933+0000)

People don't really want balance. They want whatever extreme is the opposite of what they have now.

This is the most incredibly true statement I have ever seen on the boards

the weeabooFeb 2, 20172 votes

I've always wanted to have a game where my team goes tanks in every lane and just see how that turns out. There's always gonna be that one asshole that goes Yasuo mid though so I'm never gonna make it happen :(((( people take norms way too seriously these days haha

Glory ln DeathFeb 2, 20176 votes

It's... alright. You end up just not having enough damage to take objectives or close out team fights easily.