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@Meddler, why aren't unhealthy champions rebalanced rather than waiting for a rework?

v good pupper·2/15/2017, 3:15:33 PM·4 votes·716 views

There are champions with consistent game health issues that are left to be both problems and generally feast famine for years without much in the way of help for no real reason. Take Diana, she was intended to be a Nashor's Tooth diver, but has been and is a 1 shot mid lane/jungle assassin. While this unhealthy game play pattern has persisted for years, nothing has been done about it. Her numbers could be reduced and her durability increased; de-incentivizing an assassin build and incentivizing a diver build. It wouldn't fix all of her game health issues but it would be a huge step forward. It's just kinda left there and ignored in hopes the champion never becomes able to consistently succeed because their success case is so incredibly unhealthy. Even when small changes could help mitigate a champion's problems, like Warwick's passive change from his previous state to his VGU, they're generally saved until a full VGU is done. To not change things because they wouldn't fix all game health issues feels like a nirvana fallacy. I may be cherry picking and ignoring some champs that have been changed, but I keep seeing champs in unhealthy states year after year after year with the excuse 'we can't find a good change.' Any help would be good for these kinds of champions.

Why aren't champions with unhealthy game play patterns fixed more often, why are they left to languish in hopes they just don't cause a huge problem until they're formally reworked?

15 Comments

Kaioko2/15/2017, 3:30:38 PM3 votes

Your example isn't exactly unhealthy. Diana is fine as a champion, yes she's playing as unintended but that doesn't make her unhealthy. There are quite a few champions that are completely unhealthy to the game but there's usually not clear buff/nerf to fix them.

Big Lincoln2/15/2017, 3:28:39 PM2 votes

i prefer diana as an assassin

have yet to see an attack speed champion that promotes interesting gameplay

Ralanr2/15/2017, 3:20:07 PM1 votes

Usually because they can't be fixed so simply. That's usually the point of reworking a unhealthy champion.

TheHappyReaperz2/15/2017, 3:26:40 PM1 votes

Well, what would you do with someone like Aatrox? Buff his numbers, and its return of the unkillable Tank-trox. Changing his current kit won't do much. For the most part, that's how it is with these types of champs. the exceptions are Azir and Kalista, both of whom Riot tried to buff back into usability.

Poske2/15/2017, 4:02:30 PM1 votes

Oh you mean why they AATROX champs?

Because balance team is a joke

EMeta2/15/2017, 4:24:51 PM1 votes

They.... they do. Diana's a good example of this. Even if you don't love her play pattern, she's hovered right about 50% win rate for the last few months (at least) in both mid and jungle. She has appreciable strengths (like deleting squishies she can catch out alone) and weaknesses (big teamfights where she gets CC'd and blown up like a Kat, but with less reset potential). Almost all of her damage is very close range once she's done with it, so she's very dangerous to operate in groups.

If you want an attack speed champ that does this instead, you can pick Xin, but I certainly wouldn't argue that he's in a healthier state than Diana. Just being an assassin isn't the same as having an unhealthy kit. If what you're actually asking for is that her kit is altered such that buying tanky items is more highly incentivized, well, that's rework territory, not numbers.

TL;DR: Her numbers are good. Do you have an example of a champ who does have the problem you're talking about?