Why Riot Shouldn't Nerf OP Champs

As a player base, we have constant conversations, and some just outright rants, about the state of the game. In general we agree (nobody loves getting 2 shot by or ), and 's 3 second cd nuke was awful, too). But I would like to join the myriad of discussions about balance with a slight, yet important, distinction - Riot should not nerf OP champs.

Yes, you read right. I do not think persistently nerfing OP champs while buffing those less-performing ones is any way to meaningfully change the state of the game. Rather, we as a group, and Riot as a company, should focus on the enjoyability of League when making balancing decisions. The correlation between summoner satisfaction and champion performance is undoubtedly strong, but it is not causal. That is, players enjoy when the game is more two-sided and champions are not seen as 'point-and-click, free escape tool, automatically win' machines, but this perception not the end-all be-all of 'balance'. Yes, this can be an indirect effect of nerfs and buffs, but reversing the cause-and-effect of this exchange could result in a better, more balanced, and more fun game overall. As a result, I propose that in order to fix player frustrations and make the game more well-rounded and less 'snowball-y', Riot begin re-working and patching the game based not on statistics like win and ban rate, but by player enjoyment of the game.

The 'meta' is an ever-shifting combination of code changes, regional play styles, and unique player/team builds. The discord many players feel towards the game is a result of the normalization of the meta in order to take advantage of the current state of the game simply to win. But while winning may be perceived as the direct reward, the true reason most people play League is because it is (supposed to be) fun. This is why the juggernaut meta of two seasons ago, or the ADC/snowball meta currently in style, results in such frustrating experiences: when a champion or playstyle gets run into the ground, the creative, innovative, and uncertain nature of the game is drowned by its slough of perceived OP champions and under-performing aspects.

In order to fix this, Riot typically focuses on stat changes to champions in-game, with other, more 'risk-inducing' changes made to the Rift overall. Things like Rift Herald, empowered Baron buffs, or the introduction of jungle plants were introduced to make League an even more dynamic arena where summoners can break the mold and create more unique plays and experiences. This too, however, is a temporary solution to a bigger problem, and just as we have seen, OP champs and styles have emerged to take just as much advantage of the new aspects of the game. ADC's one shot carries, tanks continue to take turret shots like they were 's aa, and pre-10 minute jungle routes can make or break the rest of the game. Some version of this story has been true since I started playing the game years ago, and unless we pragmatically shift our strategy, it will continue to be the same.

As a result, I propose that Riot begin a 'player enjoyment' and 'toxicity' mentality when executing patches. We started to see some indirect consequences of this kind of patch in 8.4, where Zoe's toxicity and the mundanity of were addressed, along with addition of new items, to allow a wider array of item builds and playstyles, and I believe they have been largely successful.

My germane recommendations are, therefore, as follows:

• The current ADC meta is disgraceful. ADC is, by definition, supposed to be a DPS class that stays on the backline, protected by supports and tanks, while whittling down opponents. Now, however, ADC's can obliterate opponents like last year's assassins, while still having the range and tools to survive in longer fights.
• 's jump reset should absolutely be removed. There is no reason she should be able to aa you from 700 range, jump under turret, blast you away, and jump back out with no negative consequences.
• Similarly, 's mobility and invisibility make her an insane threat that, when executed appropriately, is her main design, but is all too simple to execute in the current state. Rather than nerfing her overall AD ratios or changing her ult, though, I recommend price be increased, or the attack speed lowered, or more steps required to charge it, something that does not change a champion's innate identity or hurt their playstyle, but that indirectly causes delayed power spikes and allows a more even footing between lanes and teams overall. This would also affect , who is currently the best ADC according to op.gg, in a healthy way without changing her identity.

Champion toxicity is another aspect which reduces the enjoyability of the game and frustrates players.

• A classic example is . A non-ultimate ability that blocks every projectile within a reasonably large range is frustrating to play against and makes laning a mundane challenge for most mages. His additional shield and agility only increase his problematic playstyle. This could be mitigated by longer delays on the re-use of his dash, a re-definition of what classifies as a 'projectile' (is ult really a projectile or an energy beam capable of penetrating wind?) or, especially, a re-work of windwall, perhaps where the ability redirects all projectiles fired from a direction rather than destroying them (except auto attacks). This would force Yas into carefully controlling not only when he windwall's, but at what angle.

• Another toxic playstyle, regardless of the dip she took in winrate, is . Zoe's E-Q-R combo is too easy to pull off, and while increasing cooldown or making Drowsy -able, it doesn't address the usefulness of her kit. Increasing her ult timer, making the R return a channel, or lowering the Q damage done to minions so she is forced to stay in lane longer would allow for some much needed counterplay.

• Similarly, is too easily executed for the all-too important botlane. A point-and-click slow as well as a very strong shield when combined with Aery does not allow many opportunities for the enemy team to respond. Preventing her use of the shield on turrets, reducing her ult push back range, lowering her MS so she can't stack with and her W, or simply raising the cost of would delay her power spikes similar to ADC's and require more fine-tuned Q's and forward-thinking than is currently required.

Finally, I have a beef, as do many others, with the current status of turrets in the game. Outer turrets are routinely falling before ten minutes, typically at the behest of an early jungle gank that allows two or three members of one team to attack the turret without consequence. This allows one lane to snowball and extend the gold and level lead to their team overall, making the game boring and in some cases lackadaisical. There are several ways I believe this can be addressed without 'nerfs' to individual champions and without much impact on overall champion identity:

• Decrease gold/experience gained from jungle camps. This forces the junglers to remain in jungle longer or gank at the higher risk of falling behind their enemy in items and level. Junglers who are built to thrive in early game, like , still must carefully consider the choice to gank early and execute the gank in conjunction with their lanes in order for it to pay off, while others who rush bot lane without the kit or communication necessary to result in first blood or a lane advantage give up significant time, forcing them to let bot lane play out without 3 v 2's all the time.
• Raise/adjust outer turret damage. , , and all sit at above 50% win rate (data from op.gg). While this is to some extent due to their design and their cc in accordance with ADC's current burst style, it is all too easy to dive turrets 3 v 2 bot lane with a jungler and get out unscathed. Their tankiness results in a low-risk, high-reward mentality that, unless substantially outplayed by the opposite team, results in at least a kill and snowballing lane pressure. Adjusting outer turret damage to champions to max % health damage might be a horrible idea in practice, I don't know, but honestly I believe it could level the playing field and force tanky supports to think about their actions near turrets rather than a or a pre-6 still being able to tank a handful of turret shots while the ADC and jungler melt in the foreground.

I realize this is a lengthy post, and I am undoubtedly biased based on my experiences in League, but I believe this issue is truly at the heart of many of the board's discussions and bears further consideration. Rather than strictly changing damages and cooldowns, Riot could allow champions to retain their individual playstyle while still making the game fun, if they would focus balance around perceived playability and summoner interaction within the game. This would obviously have to be compromised with the necessary adjustments for pro-level play, but since 99% of the player base is amateur, it still should be discussed and bears merit for the balance team in future patches. Thanks all for your time and consideration, and I'll see you on the Rift.