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Kai'Sa Is a Product of a Lack of Identity

Tycoon·2/22/2018, 7:05:59 PM·77 votes·4,864 views

The new champ hate threads are up in full force, and alot of them are justified.

From a bland visual aesthetic to a monotone VO I feel that Kai'sa has been far below the level of quality a champion coming out in 2018 should be, but I feel that the reason for this is a bit more complex than how it appears. I firmly stand by the idea that it might be necessary for the lore to be flushed out far more than it is, in order to establish a foundation for thematic champions such as Kai. On top of this, I feel if they continue to put champions out like Kai, they risk one of two things:

Champions will feel forgettable and simple.

The champion will establish cool, new aspects of lore.

Now the first one is bad for the players, but the second is a real pain for RIOT. Why this is a problem is relatively simple; If the new champion sets a precedent for lore, IN ANY WAY, this piece of information has to be treated like a live hand grenade. The smallest mistake, and the current lore can be destroyed, become contradictory, or worse. Beyond this, the new lore that is up and coming (which is a wonderful step in the right direction IMHO) has to treat this new champion as a landmine. If anything they are currently working on lore-wise (which is being kept very secret) is made obsolete by a voice line there is a MAJOR issue.

This creates a situation where multiple design teams, the lore team, and anyone else who has even the slightest impact on the new champion are all forced to walk on eggshells in order to not royally screw everything up.

Now the safe option is to create a champion like Kai. She doesnt add much to the lore, she interacts with the previously established Kassadin cannon, and she has minimal impact on the void or the other factions of Runeterra. She fits right in, and doesnt disturb the rest of the pieces of the game.

AND THATS THE PROBLEM

Thats why she feels bland. This is why she doesnt even have an interaction with all the champions of the void (think Cho and Vel)

She wasnt made to be new or unique, she was made because she was a safe bet. She was probably in production for a long time and was easy to throw out to meet the new champion quota. She could have been delayed till after the void lore, or she could have been the catalyst for it, but she was none of that. And that is to be expected if the void stays where it is.

Let me re-iterate that.

Until RIOT is Willing to Truly Flush Out the Void and Its Lore, Champions From It Will Suffer From A Lack Of Identity Moving Forward

Now dont misconstrue what Im saying here, the Void and all its inhabitants would NOT benefit from being completely explained. The aspect of unknown definitely should be preserved, but that doesnt mean some vital clues to what the void holds cant be released. I feel that if the Lore department take their time, and flex their horror muscles a bit more than they did with Kai, the void could truly blossom as one of my favorite territory of the League of legends Universe. So below Im going to touch on a few issues/miscellaneous suggestions I have.

You dont have to add more characters to flush out the power and horror of the void.

Aurelion, in his lore, mentions a creature powerful enough to open a rift between the universe he resides in, and the void. This is one of my favorite references to the power of the void, but it leaves alot to the imagination, and Im not saying that is a bad thing. For one, If RIOT left this creature a mystery I would be perfectly fine with it, but seeing as how the lore is moving, I feel that RIOT is going to try to put a face/name to this thing and I think they should take a step back.

In the Old lore, Chogath Cho'gath was so powerful that he was powerful enough to terrify every member of the Summoner's institute. He was a monstrosity that took part in the League of his own volition, only letting himself be restrained so he could enjoy the slaughter of the Fields of Justice.

"Woe betide the day when Cho'Gath grows weary of the League"

If you have to make a powerhouse for the void, you dont have to create a celestial creature like Aurelion, you have a creature like Cho. Dont feel like you have to put him off to the side because he is an older champion, instead redeem him as a top tier powerhouse of the League. Sure his old lore was ret-conned, but that shouldnt mean he is off the table as usable! Keep the devourer of worlds! Let him fill the mantle of the void's battering ram into RuneTerra!

But alas, I feel that isnt what is going to happen. Cho'Gath's lore was appropriate to his title "THE TERROR OF THE VOID", but now, with what little lore he has, is downgraded to another dumb brute (who just is a bit bigger). His voice lines speak of malevolence beyond comprehension, but his current lore screams BORING LOW TIER MONSTER. His old lore made him bigger than his already massive size, not only was he big, he wasnt an idiot. he was a true tyrant, and I hope they bring that back.

Speaking of great older designs, Velkoz Vel'Koz.

From his release trailer, to game mechanics, to lore OH MY GOD ITS SO GREAT

This tentacle monster could be the hallmark of voidly design. He is a creature that raises the hair on your neck and questions in your head. "why does a creature from a brutal place like the void seem so intelligent? Why does he want to learn? Is the void as simple as we think it is, or does his existence (along with chogath) mean that there is a more complex aspect to the void? Most importantly, if his purpose is to gather knowledge, who does her serve?"

He also serves as a great tie in to what I have always perceived as Zilean's tower, seeing all the time base artifacts, but thats a whole other topic.

Also, this wouldn't be complete without mention of Kha'ZixKhazix . He was, I feel, a great addition to what a "mid-low" level void-creature should be like. He is threatening and vastly interesting, his obsession/instinct to evolve and conquer ads tremendous depth to what the average creature of the void might be like just to survive. He has great design, ties in well with a creature from Runterra, and establishes alot about what a well-flushed out creature from the void may be like. He doesn't posses inherently magical powers, he isnt horrendously powerful, but all the while he seems like his own kind of horrific. He is alien to all creatures of Runeterra, and has an unearthly feel to him, yet he feels like he could just be one of millions just like him, each just waiting for its opportunity to tear into another reality and adapt to its threats. AWESOME

Then we get into the real fuzzy areas of the Void.

We have creatures like Rek'Sai,RekSai who have been burrowing through the sands of Shurima since presumably its downfall, yet velkoz is mentioned as the possible "first void creature" in Rune Terra. Kog'MawKogMaw sits in a strange spot, loosely tied in with Malzahar, he seems to me like a retriever, sending out into the world to find its master, or sent by something else to retrieve an escapee from the void. But his lore is so cryptic , that it doesnt give that ominous feel like Vel'koz, and it has so little direction that any assumptions made of it are truly grasping at straws.

and how they each tie into each other is... nearly non-existant. We got mention from a Rioter on a Q&A about how Rek'Sai and Cho would interact, and what we got was... they wouldnt, because they dont exist in the same environment. This brings up the Idea that the void has different sects, or environments. Maybe this could be touched on soon, but for now it feels like a detriment to possible void-creature relations.

Malzahar Malzahar and KassadinKassadin , being void-touched deserve their own discussion.

To wrap things up, the Void is a dis-jointed faction of League that feels like it should have so much more to it, but with each creature being kept separate from each other, lore being kept to an absolute minimum/getting ret-conned, and a lack of dedication to its improvement, Kai'Sa was an inevitability.

The Void is a magnificent idea, one that already has all the ingredients/Champions it needs to flourish( in its own brutal and alien way), but its the victim of a lack of attention. Its a literal universe of possibilities that just needs a bit of foundation work. What Im asking is for the design team, the lore team, whoever, to take the time and make the void into something spectacular, while not forgetting the pieces already in place.

You guys do amazing things, and I know you can do this too

77 Comments

MetaVolca2/22/2018, 7:42:16 PM37 votes

I honestly just hope this champion gets delayed or deleted. I love everything about the Void, but Kai’Sa just takes those feelings and shits all over them for me. The Void is supposed to be a place where the creatures are the end of your imagination, but we get this basic, generic, unoriginal human instead.

FCJAAAAGOOOO2/22/2018, 8:57:13 PM21 votes

Agreed, but 'champ hate' isn't what I'm seeing. It's more of 'champ apathy'. Which we don't really expect to feel in 2018 when like the 150th champion is announced.

Ifneth2/22/2018, 9:15:55 PM17 votes

We need Riot to answer these threads. Kai’Sa deserves better.

midnight oil242/22/2018, 8:45:43 PM13 votes

One thing to note is that a new Void icon popped up on the PBE, so it seems likely we'll get a small void lore update with her release, especially since Riot said that they'd be exploring the Void in the near future.

Personally, I feel like her overall appearance fits what the Void is described as in the new mini-explanation they gave on the Universe: it seems almost mechanical, but it also feels a bit organic (at least to me). The void is described as such:

Those few scattered grimoires and madmen that dare speak of the Void at all, speak of it as an infinite realm of unfettered creation, tortured landscapes of crazed organic machinery, magical weapon-looms and mountainous flesh-forges.

I take this to mean that Kai'sa is the first step towards a new direction for the Void, where it's less ancient cosmic horror and more unfathomable realm where a worst-case scenario happens and machines and organic life are almost indistinguishable. Many of the more recent Void champs (Rek'sai, Vel'koz, those guys) seems almost like a mix of machinery and organic matter too just looking at them, while the most out of place Voidborn are the first two, Cho'gath and Kog'maw. Both of them, but especially Cho, definitely seem more organic than machine.

Overall, I think that Kai'sa is more an indication of the new direction of the Void, one that's more unique, but most aren't expecting the Void to change with the rest of the world.

You do make good points, though. She definitely feels like a safer character, and Riot could definitely stand to improve. I personally like her, but she does have flaws. We shouldn't jump all over riot for this, I agree. I think it's slightly understandable that they went a bit safer here, though, as recently they've had a lot of major revelations about different locations, and people are nothing if not obsessed with finding contradictions so they can say riot (or whatever company is making whatever product) is bad at storytelling. I don't fault them for taking a short break from big revelations to play it safe, but it's also not their best work.

curiocity2/23/2018, 1:33:55 AM11 votes

Everyone wants Kai'Sa to be obviously devastated by the void but she might already be. PTSD affects people differently and can cause people to shut down and try to block out the memories. This would explain her bland personality most of the time. Whenever she is fighting however she seems almost inhuman which may be the symbiotic suit taking over. That also brings up the fact that she is constantly fighting with the suit over whether she should help people or usher in the void. She does show some damage from the void but it would be cool to see some more interactions with void related things.

Canidae2/23/2018, 1:32:36 AM9 votes

Kinda sounds like she's devoided of emotion. haha..

U have a character who's been gradually forgetting herself and living years in hostile solitude. Doubt anyone who's been through that gonna remain the most animated of individuals.

Kaeblen2/23/2018, 3:22:06 AM5 votes

So many people are completely missing the point of Kai'sa. If they had even the slightest understanding of her core pesonality concept, they would not make these arguments.

OrigMorjumba2/23/2018, 6:12:17 AM4 votes

Cho'Gath is a beast though. He is still played in LCS till this day. But I do think the old lore was way cooler.

Serika Zero2/23/2018, 10:12:48 AM3 votes

I personally like her for how bland and simple she is. Yes, I like her design and simplify.

A lot of you demand that she should be crazy for surviving the void. But asked yourselves, would a crazy person survive in a crazy and harsh environment, or would the sane, calm and calculated one do so? The quote of "if i don't know what i'm doing, how is the enemy going to know what I will do!!!! think ahead" from qpie which is a mentality state is plaguing this community. Yes, if you have no clue what you are doing, your enemy is going to take advantage of that.

If you don't have the will power, instincts and the ability to calmly analyze things, you will lose and you will die in a state of war. Being stupid is a detriment, being crazy is a detriment. Kai'sa just survived an harsh environment. And got out of it, and is fighting against it, with all her sanity intact. She would've died in a matter of days if she would have broken down and went crazy.

Her design is actually beautiful and very coherent and deep. At the same time, very simple and direct. She doesn't lack an identity, its just that her identity is on a completely different level and the vocal part of you are failing to comprehend it.

ps: yes, war veterans who have seen horrors, some of them do suffer from post traumatic stress of something like that. But its not all of them, and its definitely not the ones that were successful afterwards. You need to keep your sanity and some degree of rationality if you are to move forward in life. Even after tragedies. Losing your shit and screaming to the skies (a metaphor) just signals that you lost it. If anything, you need some mental institution's help (to try to help you accept the past and move towards the future, not take drugs). Luckily, not all humans are that weak.

Chromatic Eagle2/22/2018, 10:50:37 PM3 votes

We haven't even seen a lore update about the Void yet, which we know is coming because we had a post about like last week. We don't know her story. I can understand people's disappointment about wanting a void monster, but I was expecting a Void character. Kai'Sa is that. Maybe she is a safe bet, but I've been wanting a power suit champion not Rumble for a while, and she fills that for me.

Karn Bishop2/22/2018, 11:14:03 PM3 votes

I like her, she reminds me of a vulcan suppressing all emotion to prevent being influenced by their hearts of violence and rage.

Yeah shes not flashy or impressive but not every champion they release needs to be those things, its ok to have a champion who's personality is not so over the top that its unbelievable.

If this makes her a niche champion thats fine by me.

Axxuka2/23/2018, 3:19:05 AM3 votes

We finally get Kassadin daughter and this is what happens .-. She is a Long requested champion, you will make Riot flee from long requested champions forever after this

ArdoreAurorale2/22/2018, 9:55:53 PM2 votes

i foresee mount targon being against the void when it will invade runeterra, since what happened in taric lore