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Unpopular opinion: I think runes are good for the game and they make it more fun

YumaS2Astral·3/18/2019, 2:05:32 AM·3 votes·1,460 views

In spite of the game being harder to balance due to the runes. they make the game more fun and interesting. In a certain way, more diversified too. For example, I can choose to have more sustain and a safer lane phase on Kassadin with Fleet Footwork; or I can pick Dark Harvest if I want to sacrifice every chance I had at the early game for an even crazier late game. OR, I can pick Grasp against certain melee matchups.

I can pick Aerys for even better early game lane bullying potential on Pantheon. Or I can pick Electrocute for a better burst mid and late game. OR I can pick Aftershock, so that I can have a safer late game and transition to a bruiser/tank build which is arguably more useful late game.

I can pick Hail of Blades for strong early game trading potential on Vayne. Or I can pick Fleet Footwork for a safer early game. Or I can pick Lethal Tempo if I want to bet on a powerful late game. In fact, on most ADCs I can choose between Fleet Footwork or Lethal Tempo, depending from whether I want early safety or late power.

THe point is, without the runes, this game would be more boring. Yes, runes make the game harder to balance and create some crazy situations (such as Jhin with Hail of Blades in the past) - and we had some examples of exceedingly powerful runes such as Conqueror and Dark Harvest. Ultimately, I think this is a worth trade off to have a more interesting and fun game. It feels good to have the choice of using things that may help my champion have more power during the game; without that, the game would not be nearly as fun. Especially since some off-meta builds are only possible thanks to runes (ex: full AP Lulu with Electrocute/Dark Harvest).

Of course, runes could be better designed. There are way too many damage oriented runes, and not enough defensive/utility options in the paths. Some keystones more or less do the same thing, and are usually picked based on which option is the strongest in the patch (I am thinking mainly of Electrocute/Dark Harvest/Aerys/Arcane Comet, but another example of this is Hail of Blades x Press the Attack). Some runes are designed in such a way they end up giving champion powers they would not have otherwise (such as Conqueror/Ravenous Hunter giving sustain to champíons that would otherwise have no sustain, or Aftershock giving tankyness to champions that would otherwise be squishy). Finally, some runes are forgotten, they are very weak or too situtional to be used most of time (some of them used to be strong options, but have been nerfed to obscurity): examples of such runes are Scorch, Celerity, Unflinching, Last Stand, Hextech Flashtraption, Shield Bash, Time Warp Tonic, etc.

I am pretty sure Riot can, and will, solve those issues over time. I welcome runes, for they are a great addition to this game. Most of time, when people complain that runes should be removed, they are mainly thinking of how runes make the game hard to balance. This isn't a lie. However, I think there are so many worse issues than the runes, and many other things that make the game hard to balance. Runes have the potential to be a great addition to the game if Riot manages to balance them properly.

3 Comments

YG TheyWorshipMe3/18/2019, 8:19:39 AM2 votes

Of course League without Runes is not League. But the old rune and mastery system was 10 times better than this Rune reforged joke. The old system provided better adapting and personalising capability than the current system.

The JigSAW3/18/2019, 2:55:12 AM1 votes

My biggest problem is the lack of diverse playstyles and builds with the Runes Reforged, although having one page over two is an improvement in terms of pre-game prep. The issue is they never really adequately compensated for the removal of masteries outside making keystones for runes - but we get six options from two trees and three flex options. Its just not enough for a lot of champions. Careful with those builds too, Riot loves to nerf and destroy anything that isn't endorsed by pros. How do you fix the runes? Easy!

Every tree needs four keystones for a better choice. Right now Precision and Domination are the only ones. Let's add one to the other three..

Sorcery - Deathfire Touch - Damaging an enemy champion with an ability deals 5-35 base + 0.2% AP OR 0.1% AD as magic damage over three seconds. - This provides a way to do damage and keep those champions with high heal abilities early on at bay. We had a version of this with the old mastery system.

Resolve - Monolith - Your basic attacks deal 3-35 + 1-5% of your maximum health as bonus magic damage (5% at level 18)

Inspiration - Lucky Roll - At base you can spend 100 gold every 120 seconds to receive a gift from the shopkeeper. In that gift is one of the following:

  1. Travel Elixir (any)
  2. Bonus Gold - Open for 100 or 200 gold (odds of 200 gold are about 1 in 7)
  3. Adaptive Damage Booster - Grants 10% damage bonus for 2 minutes (300 second cooldown for use) - odds are 1 in 15
  4. Resistance Booster - Grants 10% reduced damage from magic and physical damage for 2 minutes (300 second cooldown for use) - odds are 1 in 15
  5. Resurrection - One use per champion per game - When activated, protects your champion for five seconds from death. If you would die from the damage, it puts you in stasis for 2 seconds and returns you to battle with 50% max health and mana, and 20% increased movement speed for 5 seconds - odds are 1 in 25.

Switch Presence of Mind from Precision to Sorcery as well. Then you add the final missing component of the runes - seven flex spots to join the three with one of three options.

4 - LIFE - 5% bonus health regeneration OR 3% bonus maximum health OR 5 extra health per level 5 - RESOURCE - 20% bonus mana regeneration OR 100 extra mana OR 1% max mana increase per level 6 - SUSTAIN - 3% lifesteal OR 5% spellvamp OR 4% OMNIVAMP 7 - COOLDOWN - 1% cooldown per 2 levels OR 5% cooldown OR 10% item active cooldown 8 - OFFENSIVE - 5 AD/10 AP OR 3% adaptive damage increase OR 3% bonus ability damage 9 - DEFENSIVE - 5 extra armor/3 extra MR OR 5% bonus magic resist OR 5% bonus armor 10 - UTILITY - Start with one stealth ward OR start with one control ward OR start with 15% active trinket item cooldown

No matter how you mix it up its just a better start for anybody. If it makes certain champions far more difficult to deal with at level 1, that's why we have a balance team isn't it?