Thoughts on the Tank Update

This is my personal opinion of what I think of the tank update, but, of course, it doesn't necessarily mean its correct, so by all means, feel free to leave your thoughts on this review and your own opinions on the tank update. Now to start us off, I personally feel the tank update is the least drastic (in terms of affecting the aimed class) of all class updates Riot has released, so it somewhat can leave some people disappointed while others relieved. For one thing, this update has the least number of champions receiving major reworks (only three), and no minor reworks. Additionally, like the Assassin update, this update only introduced two new items, while of course reworking the old items. Now, the changes on the champion were somewhat very uneven, as some clearly received more changes () and others clearly received less changes ().

's kit received the most changes as all her abilities have been changed except of her gap closer. I like that the new requires a bit more skill to proc the stuns, and that she no longer has to feel like another version of , but she also seems a bit unoriginal. The whole idea of accumulating frost to proc the stun is clearly inspired by another Freljord tank, . She basically has a 's passive in her E ability (both require four stacks to stun and, if I'm right, allies can help stack 's frost too) but with the extra damage from the detonation. I like the ability and all, but it she just somewhat feels like a reimagined version of , with just more offensive qualities. Her ult is very similar to his in a way, that it provides an AOE slow and a conditional stun ( can techinically stun the entire team if all his targets stacked four Concussive Blows while only stuns the first target hit). This definitely is a nerf to her ult, and from what I noticed, this is a repeated pattern in which Riot does in a lot of older initiating tanks, as they generally had all their team fight power stored in their initiation ults (just reimagined differently for every champion: = AOE knock up + stun and requires him to be in melee range, = AOE bind and requires him to be in close range, = AOE stun or slow and doesn't require her to be in melee range, = AOE knock back and doesn't require him to be in melee range, = AOE taunt and requires him to be in close range, etc). From what I read, Riot planned to take power away from her ult to distribute that power elsewhere in 's kit (her potential stuns from stacking frost) that way she doesn't feel generic and typical like the much older tanks like , who basically do the same thing in team fight. You can definitely see this new approach of aoe hard cc ults in tanks from champions like . can knock up or knock back an entire team, but depending on the positioning of the enemies, and can knock up an entire enemy team, but it loses strength the further you are from the center of the circle, and provides an aoe knock up and slow, but has a potential delayed stun.

obviously received the least changes. His old kit is pretty much there still, but just slightly changed so that he can require just a little bit more skill, such as being positioned closely to enemies for the knockback and aiming saplings in bushes for extra damage. The major change was to his ultimate, which personally I was kind of disappointed. I thought 's ult was pretty much the only unique thing in his kit that distinguished him from the rest of the tanks. Most tanks have an AOE initiation ult, but just brought extra utility to his team with that 20% damage reduction. That ult was quite good and was a reason why felt very hard to kill along with his healing passive, and was why Maokai was a generalist tank who was good in all cases but never great at anything. I know Riot wanted to give him more of a niche pick, but in a way, I'm disappointed because Riot instead chose to give him a typical aoe hard cc ult, which basically is a slower but larger 's root. I'm not sure how his entire kit makes him a better pick than other tanks in certain scenarios than others. I would've loved if Riot did something interactive with 's saplings and ult, such that his ult could instead of damaging enemies, provide an aoe healing when detonated, with an increased healing when receiving more damage, at the end of the duration, or having more saplings leaching the enemies' health bars. This would give him more of a skill curve, but of course he would lack much of the hard cc that is integral in a tanks identity.

I must say was my favorite rework of them all. He was already a bit more unique than other tanks with his long gap closer, and his cell division passive, but I really like that he diverges from the typical tanks with his new ultimate, which can reposition an entire enemy team. Unlike 's ultimate, he can choose at will where he will reposition his enemies to his team's benefit. I like how it's no longer an aoe knock up, as his E already does that and pretty much has a better version of his previous ult. I also like how unique his new Q is, which can knock enemies together but requires set up for it. Overall, he received not as many changes as Sejuani but not as little changes as Maokai, but the changes are enough to make him unique and interesting. I really like his new rework.

What I was most disappointed with the tank update, however, was that some tanks needed a rework more than these tanks right here. particularly. Yes I know was recently given a new passive, but I would love it if the whole mummy theme was integrated better (I'm guessing they will leave his old kit the same as he is the prototype of initiating tanks (gap closer + ult to initiate, then use other abilities for some damage)). is basically useless outside of his ult (all his power is pretty much there) despite being a niche pick against AD auto attack reliant champions, as the growing pool of champions and reworked champions introduced more mobility, kiting and peeling power, making him irrelevant in using his crippling abilities if he doesn't have his gap closer ult. Not to mention, he doesn't feel much like a tank outside of his ult, as he lacks hard CC, but makes it up with his damage that scales off armor and ap (thought one of the goals of this update was to lower damage from tanks, so could've been a great option). is perhaps the easiest tank to play. He has no skill shots, just requires him to run to his enemy, taunt them, and hopefully kill them with his W, , and enough armor. Basically he lacks depth as a champion, as he is all about out-stat-ing the enemy in order to win trades instead of using his abilities in at certain timing, at a certain order for outplay.