So in my 2 and a half years of playing this fantastic video game (seriously it's great), i've been sad to see some of my favorite, niche items get removed from the game. A few had a bit longer of a run than others, and some even got rebirthed into other items (like spooky ghosts/ twin shadows), but i cant feel that removing these items is healthy for the game with the exception of helping new players with item clutter.

Niche items can have a large impact over metas- although it isn't often, if a niche item does well against the meta and their is an ideal user of it that can do well, then all of a sudden there is another depth to the patch. Lets take for example the old item Zephyr. It gave attack speed, attack damage, move speed, and passive tenacity. In my eyes this niche item was the biggest dissappointment to get removed- it gave ADC's a late game option by trading in their boots for Zephyr, and it was also a great niche item on fighters (like irelia). It did have purpose in the game, and could be used well. Although it wasnt popular and widely used- an item shouldnt always have to be. Take for example wits end or Ohmwrecker. these items are very niche and not widely used but yet there are still champions and play styles that can use them to great advantage.

Another class of items i wish to make a re-emergence is high risk high reward items Such as Sword of the Occult and Sword of the Divine. SOTO was a good solo queue item and gave a focus for the possessor, his/her team, and the enemy team to either keep that person alive or shut them down at all costs. And Sword of the Divine was a great item in that it offered a window of raw power but then became literally useless. this duality is great because it provides a learning curve and learning experience for when a player should use actives appropriately and rewards them for doing so, and with this it can also distinguish a good player from a great one.

Just some thoughts from a nostalgic and passionate player, thanks for reading.