@Riot Is there a point in which you feel comfortable with jungle? (Warning random rant)

Last year (season 3) you guys were messing around with buff spawns and timers, as it provided a distinct early game advantage to one side of the map. You fixed that and added another camp, as well as added a new vision system. You gave us new masteries in which you promised to diversify champion stats. However, continuing last year's trend, the jungle pool has only gotten smaller. With Khazix nerfed, Vi and Lee Sin were unstoppable for much of the early season, tanky control junglers such as maokai and nunu joined in, and finally, the bug reappeared, stronger than ever. The strengths of these champions are evident, as they all provide security toward their respective teams, whether it be ganking power, dueling power, or full jungle control. However, when these core champions are banned out, it becomes clear that there is not enough jungle diversity

Now what you are trying to do is improve upon that for season 5, I understand. With adding new bonuses to smiting certain camps, you aim to diversify the jungler champion pool. However, some of these changes are confusing. Early game, the strengths and weaknesses of each champion are less noticeable, aside from the ganking power of a select number of champions "insert Lee Sin here" By giving large health bonuses to champions that smite red, you truly do nothing to diversify the pool. Aside from jungle veigar, most junglers are junglers because they have innate sustain. Secondly, you nullify these same health and mana bonuses by increasing monster base stats.

This brings my to another point. While your changes seek to provide (and do provide) variety to professional players and tournaments, they are hopelessly confusing for newer players. I have just convinced my brother to play the game. Without runes or proper masteries, he could barely take on the wraiths with smite, let alone red, let alone red with higher base stats. i had just finished explaining all the extra stats that the current red gives you (slow, burn, attack speed), and now I have to explain each new buff that comes along with each monster. Simplify the jungle from new players, because if there is anything that kills a game, it is the lack of an influx of new players.

So, my question is- will there be a point in which the jungle is diversified enough for you? I think that there isn't, as no matter what unique buffs you grant monsters, each champion benefits directly from that buff. Lee Sin gains the same health buff (red) Amumu does, neither of them gained any extra power over the other. Shaco will continue to be an obscure pick, and junglers that provide reliable support, whether that be through ganking or control counterjungling will always be prioritized over high risk, high reward junglers.

Whew, wrote an essay when I should be doing hw, it is past 12:00 here on the east coast. i will be going to bed, but tomorrow I will try to respond to any other thoughts you have. Good night NA/EU/Whoever is still up reading this post.