Reworking Old Champions is Top Priority Right Now (Besides the Servers)

Remlap1223·2/23/2014, 11:25:37 PM·6 votes·539 views

This meta is getting really, really stale. I'll plop down all of the champs you are pretty much guaranteed to see in a game if they aren't banned. Amumu Annie Blitzcrank Caitlyn DrMundo Elise Gragas Jinx Kassadin Khazix Leona Nasus Renekton Riven Shyvana Thresh Vi Yasuo. Now, for the champions that are not usually banned because they aren't considered too fit for purpose for their roles, but are still picked a ton. Draven Ezreal Leblanc Lucian Rengar Shen. The numbers have been crunched, and I think it was somewhere around the ballpark of 17% of the champions are picked 84% of the time in the new meta. This is more than problematic, it's game-breaking. There are 117 (about to be 118) champions in League. That means only (and this is a liberal percentage because I suck at math) 20 champions are selected in a vast majority of games. You Reds without question have to change this, otherwise League is going to get very very frustrating and boring. If you rework your old champions to the new meta, the game will be much much better, and there will be a lot more variety into the game. So, discussion time, do you think that the old champions should be adjusted to the meta? Also, other suggestions on fixing this major balancing issue.

22 Comments

Nicarasu2/24/2014, 1:27:56 AM4 votes

I'd love to see the golden oldies more.

Remlap12232/24/2014, 2:44:20 AM2 votes

Addendum: I AM NOT SAYING NERF ANY OF THE CHAMPIONS THAT I LISTED. The characters above are by no means unblanaced for the most part (besides, in my opinion, Blitzcrank, Gragas, and Riven, simply because I believe their kits are bloated in the new meta). The reason I say this is because nerfs got us to where we are now. Champions have had their kits gutted to the point that the only way they'd be balanced in the new meta is if you removed their mana (Gangplank, Olaf, and Hecarim are by far the biggest offenders). Long story short, if you're going to do this, you have to do this properly. It's going to be long and difficult, but it's going to make the game 100x better as a result (Gangplank is my favorite champion, and I'd love to see him viable outside of support again.)

Linna Excel2/24/2014, 4:22:19 AM2 votes

LeBlanc and recently been buffed, she was pretty bad for awhile. Rengar is getting reworked now and is relatively new as is Lucian (he needed a small buff after getting released).

Also some of the other champs you mentioned are pretty old. Annie was one of the first characters in the game. I think Mundo, amumu, kass, and nasus were among the original 40. As was kayle who isn't on your list. I'd be surprised if gragas wasn't one of the first either. Shen is pretty old too.

Mundo was a bad pick until the meta shifted and Shyv was only good back then for her clear speed and what's a top champ either.

Sneak Dog2/24/2014, 11:07:00 AM2 votes

Often champions get picked because pros know they're good, but they need time to add a new one to their roster. So if they are going to spend this time, they want to know for sure the champion is competitively viable. Then they can also drop nerfed champions from their roster because they need to keep practising their roster. People often look at the professional scene to see which champions are strong, but if you look to a different continents champion pool, you'll see differences (Alistar? Warwick?) and pros will adapt, slowly.

Not to say that there aren't a lot of undertuned or even badly designed champions, but that is not the whole story. A big part of it is I think the inflexibility of a players champion roster at professional level.

Oaklen2/24/2014, 1:02:12 AM2 votes

I forgot so many champions are even in this game. It rather stale to see the same 20 ish champs played only. I would love to see MaokaiMaokai again, or even a Rumble. Then again Ap tops in general have all but died, and while RyzeRyze was one of the old school dunkers after the slew of nerfs he has even left Summoners Rift.

I Evil Tom I2/24/2014, 4:58:11 PM1 votes

OGN teams have been breaking the meta lately. Don't be surprised if you see support trundle or top rengar in NA/EU sometime soon.

Sabrestrike2/25/2014, 3:24:29 AM1 votes

I would question your assessment that the "old" champions are in need of reworks to make them workable in this meta.

Among the 40 oldest champions are:

Annie Kayle Sivir Amumu Blitzcrank Nasus Kassadin Jax

All are champions you either claim are top picks or are actual LCS caliber picks/bans.

I would say Riot plans to work through champions with high demand for kit reworks. I don't think the champion age is the only factor for reworks (actually age is more of a determination on Visual Updates). I think kit health/tunability is a more important factor.

Phoneixflare2/25/2014, 10:35:33 AM1 votes

Buff shen. make his jungle viable again. Rammus is the only one with a taunt now. All he says to me is, 'okay.' Also what the hell happened to actual supports? All I ever see is thresh/leona. I rarely even see annie. I've gotten to the point where I've won games because I banned both leona/thresh and due to this our adc lane was able to be more aggressive and carried successfully. Shame, Nami/Taric/Zyra used to be more popular picks.

DispleasingPanda2/25/2014, 7:58:16 PM1 votes

Reworking Xerath was the biggest mistake they have ever made.

Riot doesn't know how to design any more. Do not ask for reworks.

This game is dead

Hirok02/24/2014, 7:28:17 AM1 votes

This has been my general experience recently: (see if you can guess which line in which role!)

Annie Fiddlesticks Thresh Blitzcrank Leona Zyra Nami Leona Annie Thresh Annie Leona Leona Thresh

Jinx Caitlyn Ezreal Vayne Ashe

Volibear Udyr Nocturne LeeSin Hecarim DrMundo Amumu Vi Shaco

Akali Katarina Ahri Zed Fizz Kassadin Heimerdinger

Aatrox Garen Gangplank item 2010 Jayce Malphite Nasus Vladimir Tryndamere Shen

4Sakened2/24/2014, 8:07:52 AM1 votes

I would love to see some of the older champs played more since i wasnt around for the hype that was present when they were new or just op

Canastus2/24/2014, 10:04:46 AM1 votes

Cass rework when?Cassiopeia

Letler2/24/2014, 2:52:33 PM1 votes

As people watch pro LoL more they will forget they can experiment and find good/undervalued champions themselves.