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Riot, we need to talk about these "Reworks"

Remlap1223·7/5/2014, 11:39:04 AM·3 votes·757 views

I use "rework" in quotations because my definition of it is more or less Olafing, Evelynning, and Gragasing all into one (Olgasynning?) With the new changes proposed to Sona, it's becoming apparent that you don't know when to rework a champion. I'm not pulling any punches nor exaggerating when I say this, these PBE changes to Sona will literally KILL that champion. Sure we've had plenty of horrible reworks; Xerath is still a worse version of Ziggs atm, you've recently nerfed Skarner for whatever reason after he started being good again, and Gragas still doesn't do any role well, but at least they're still playable. This Sona rework will make her worse than Urgot. I Garen freaking tee it.

The problem is that the balance team is getting way too rework happy. There are only 2 scenarios in which you should ever consider reworking a champion:

  1. The champion is either so overpowered or inherently toxic that the only way they'll stop being a problem is if you completely gut their kit to Gangplank levels (ex. pre-rework Kassadin and Gragas and Nidalee, Poppy, Yorick.)
  2. The champion is drastically underpowered or unviable, and buffing them to viability will put them in scenario one (ex. Alistar Darius Galio Gangplank Urgot XinZhao.)

Sona is not an example of either of those scenarios. She falls under what I would consider the "Twisted Fate" problem of her early game being too weak for how much she scales. They're both snowbally champions, even when you play Sona as a support, but the fact of the matter is especially in the current meta, they're way too squishy early game to deal with ganks from the junglers and hard pushers such as LeeSin and Leona.

These Sona reworks, and all the "bad" reworks almost fall under the "relaunch" category, akin to Karma, Trundle, and what Sion is about to be. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with relaunching champions, I'm all for Sion being relaunched because he has two clunky builds that don't utilize half of his kit, and he either becomes a unbelievable snowbally monster, or completely useless. I'd also say that Urgot could use a relaunch as well, simply to breathe life back into a champion that people gloss over (like what you did to Trundle, more or less.)

However, there's something you have to realize, reworking a champion isn't as simple as just creating a new champion with the concept. You have to deal with a fanbase of the champion that likes them. You guys got a ton of flak from the Skarner, Rengar, Evelynn, Xerath, and Gragas mains due to the lack of forethought for what they liked about that champion. What you saw as a shift to what the champion should truly be, they saw as an abomination and contradicting everything that champion stood for. And to be honest I don't blame them. My favorite champion (Gangplank) has been talked about being reworked for years now. I've heard whispers about the kit, but that's it, nothing concrete, nothing on PBE. But tbh, I'm scared. What are you going to do to ruin my favorite champion? Are you going to make his Q a skillshot (all of my rage!)? Are you going to remove his crowd control removal from his W (the burning hatred of 1000 suns)? Or are you going to listen to the fans, tread carefully, and rework the champion with such care that they are successfully reworked like Nidalee was?

This is what truly boggles my mind about this whole thing. The balance team has proven that it can successfully rework a champion, and balance the game (when not nerfing Skarner as an appeasement to the Lee Sin gods). I understand that a lot of balancing is all about waiting on the results of changes, but there are some champions (specifically the ones that are doing the worst right now) that you decide to throw out the wait and see rulebook and just gut them (hence the term "Olafing").

TL;DR, This post was not to berate the balance team, but to speak my mind on a troubling issue of unnecessary reworks to underplayed or underpowered champions. Rework the champions that cannot be balanced without it, nothing more. You can use the spare time from no unnecessary reworks to better balance the metagame or make changes to items, etc. etc.

3 Comments

Worgslarg7/5/2014, 12:15:51 PM5 votes

Reworks occour when there is a problem with a champion besides kit tweeks/numbers. If the champion does not execute its archetype, had significant kit problems beyond balance

I would like to object to your opinion that xin zhao, and darius are underpowered. They are fine champions, and they do decently ingame.

theRealFBZ7/5/2014, 1:11:01 PM1 votes

agreed with this entire post bro, riot seems to have gotten rather patch happy, idk if its to appease their growing fan base, and they think more is beter, or if their simply working with a new management system but these constant patches..... well i miss the less often put out, but always fantasticly made and applied patches, with the truely skilled updates that helped BALANCE the game rather than doing what simnply appeald to the most ammount of people and dealing with the aftermath laiter on

KingSmizzy7/14/2014, 3:23:17 PM1 votes

I disagree with your rant about what reworks entail and when they are needed. Riot is not a bunch of idiots, they know who needs a rework and they have clear goals about the whole process.

I do agree, however, with the fact that the champions who have been reworked come out of it more or just as toxic as before.

Xerath was reworked to add counterplay and popularity, instead hes an ap burster who has just as little counterplay.

Nidalee was reworked to add counterplay and risk to her damage, now she has even higher dmg numbers and bursts people with no risk because of her infinite dashes.

Kassadin was an anti-mage that gave no chance for reply from his targets. Now he's and anti-mage that gives no chance for meaningful reply from his targets.

Rengar was an ad burster with no counterplay other than finding him before he found you. Now he tells you when he's coming but its already too late.

I dont mean to say the reworks were bad, they clearly achieved some of the goals in increasing counterplay and reducing toxicity but the things that were wrong with these champions were what made the champions unique and also toxic. Nidalee's dashes and heals were just as bad as her spears, rengars ad burst was just as bad as his invisibility. Xeraths stun-ult combo was just as bad as his range. They changed some but not enough to fix the whole issue.

My point is the reworks werent done enough, they should have fixed more of the issues with the champions not just the worst issue.