Gangplank was a clown

As a Gangplank main, I'd like to give some feedback on the thematic elements of everyone's favourite pirate.

To me, GP is, above all else, a goofy champion. Just listen to him, and you'll see what I mean:

"Wanna know why me Roger is so Jolly? Heheheh..." "Look what trawled out of the bunghole!" "Swab the poop deck!" "Yaarr!"

When you hear these lines, which are some of the silliest in LoL, it's clear the designers were going for a lighthearted, fun theme. The VO speaks for itself (hehe), but anyone who's played critplank knows that mirth is built right into the core of his kit. The concept of the panacea orange, complete with hearty munching sounds, is one of the LoL community's most cherished jokes; it's undeniably whimsical.

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http://www11.onrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/GangplankSplashRework.jpg

This is Gangplank, league's newest badass. Here's his lore:

As unpredictable as he is brutal, the self-appointed reaver king known as Gangplank rules Bilgewater through a mix of fear, violence, and cunning. Where he goes, death and ruin follow, and such is his infamy and reputation that the merest sight of his black sails on the horizon causes panic among even the hardiest crew.

Here are some of his quotes: "A scared man is a loyal man." "Tongueless men can't talk back." "Cruelty with purpose, boys!"

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Now I'm not here to criticize the quality of the relaunch, which seems high - it's clear that the team put a lot of care into their work and I look forward to trying it out. I just want to point out that they've done a 180 from his established character and feel, which is off putting to this fan.

I remember a few months back there were massive threads asking players about their views on Taric and Poppy's identity. The aim was to try to understand the way their fan base viewed them to ensure that these elements could be preserved and enhanced for their relaunches.

I really wish that this had been done with Gangplank. For me, GP's goofiness was a big part of his draw, and this new badass direction is about as opposite to that as it gets. "cruelty with purpose" is just not something I could imagine GP saying!

I'd be interested to hear comment on why GP turned from clown to badass. Does anyone else feel that it's important for a relaunch to maintain the personality of the character?