I think the balance state of the game isn't only determined by champion's up and nerfs
I just tilted that in league of legends, if we don't nerf nor up champions the left things who could balance the game would be the map, objectives minions etc etc.
And since the first blood of turret i feel like the strategy of the game has been abandoned, after all why should I take a splitpusher and take towers top as fast as I can, if my botlane can just get babysitted and crush their squishy tower and then snowball to win the game (for exemple and yet this is still a thing). There's a feeling of meta even in our choice in the game to get victory, it's like you pick whatever you want and you just apply the same "strategy" everygame, for exemple i haven't seen someone backdooring since at least two whole season.
In my opinion there's a lack of real strategy except crush your opponent before they do. I "recently" (one patch ago) played a
and I was splitpushing and my team flamed me and didn't knew how to play with a split pusher as they wanted me to join insanely hilarous 5vs5 one shot compilation teamfights. I guess people played so much time with the same strategy that they don't know other strategies anymore some even learned that there was a nashor in this game or that they could force 3v5 fights dives while i'm holding both people while splitpushing.
For instance trying a pick with a different way to play is nearly considered bordeline trolling but my thoughts are that it may be because this strategy feels less stronger than the one of the meta, I think you all had this premade who was playing 2 melee champs bot and one of the first thing you and ofc I thought were "how could he win by playing like this" this is the same treatment with a strategy, bring vision as a jungler and try multiple invade to make their jungler weaker ? Beh better perma gank. Split pushing top ? Meh why you don't come fight 5vs5 for absolutely no reasons, play an ap mid scaling champ like
or even a
? wtf why don't you roam bot.
I'll be honest I only took one exemple of things off the typical way to balance (Tower first blood) and yeah indeed buff and nerfs of champions/items impact the game, but you can try with another thing, try with gold/min raised if I remind well from 19 per 10 sec to 20.4 per 10 sec. And then associate it with the price reduction of items like
and make a big medley of way to snowball !
TLDR: Imo nerf and up shouldn't be hardly focused on champions and the whole game should be affected *carefully based on the way the game should go according to riot (actually clownfiestas games determined at 5 min depending on which botlane got kills and first turret)