Elise can be a vastaya. Rengar too. Wukong. Ahri.
All lores can be scrapped so that every animal-themed character is a vastaya, aka the "generic anime furry class" of every mmorpg ever.
Somehow, Nidalee doesn't feel so special anymore. She's just one of an entire race of people who can turn into animals.
Fondling Gems11 votesUnless they change her lore Elise isn't a vastaya. Her powers were granted to her, not something she was born with.
On to your main point though I think it was a necessary sacrifice. Creating something solid that helps build up Runeterra is important, and I believe Nidalee is still the only Vastaya with shapeshifting powers that we have, so she still preserves a unique element.
Ralanr5 votesElise is not one. It's already clear in her lore that she's more of a magical mutation after a visit to the Shadow Isles.
Nidalee probably isn't one either because she's not a mix like others if this race. She is fully human or fully cougar depending on her transformation.
midnight oil242 votesThe short story said that there are shapeshifter Vastaya. So Nid is probably a Vastaya.
Sharjo1 votes*vastaya
midnight oil241 votesWhoop, thanks
Ralanr1 votesIt's my interpretation that even in human forms they are very animal like. Nidalee is not when in her human form.
midnight oil241 votesI mean, the pig man really only had the ears as his "tell". I think she will be, because otherwise she'll just be a trope character.
Ralanr2 votesI don't see why she can't be more of a primal shaman.
midnight oil241 votesLike I said, she'll be more of a trope then. The Vastaya give us an interesting new race that hasn't really been used much in other fantasy stories, and Nidalee could easily fit in there. Besides, why would they bring up the shape-changers to tease a new champ when we already have a shape-changer human to animal champ?
Ralanr2 votes[{quoted}](name=midnight oil24,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=IEjvnjW1,comment-id=000000000001000000000000,timestamp=2017-04-03T20:16:09.206+0000)
Like I said, she'll be more of a trope then. The Vastaya give us an interesting new race that hasn't really been used much in other fantasy stories,
Going to disagree here. Maybe not in famous stories, but the magical talking animal trope isn't exactly uncommon in fantasy.
and Nidalee could easily fit in there. Besides, why would they bring up the shape-changers to tease a new champ when we already have a shape-changer human to animal champ?
Because it takes away a core aspect of Nidalee, being raised outside of her race.
As tropish as being the League Tarzan is, it does present us with a separating factor for Nidalee compared to everyone else. She was raised in the wilds, learned to live off the land (and apparently gained magic).
I'd much rather they go deeper into that than make her a member of talking animal race.
midnight oil241 votesTalking animals are a staple, but there's rarely variety in how they work. Usually it's just "oh look, a talking frog." Here it's "holy shit a fox lady! and a pig-man!"
Also, core aspects of champions can change over time. Look at how Ryze changed in his rework. He's still got his scroll, but he's got an actual motivation now, an actual purpose. His core aspect changed, but he became a much more interesting character. Nidalee can still be raised somewhere odd, and have to fend for herself, but it makes more sense for her to be a Vastaya rather than just "she was raised by cats! Now she can turn into one!" Lol wut.
LunSeiSleidee2 votesYou don't understand - these characters don't feel like they have anything peculiar when there's like AN ENTIRE CITY of half-animals.
Ralanr2 votesExcept Nidalee isn't half animal she's more skin to a Druid likehow Frey turned into a wolf.
LunSeiSleidee1 votesExcept Nidalee isn't half animal she's more skin to a Druid likehow Frey turned into a wolf.
Ten to one she gets a new lore in which she's a vastaya.
Ralanr2 votesIt's possible. Though I don't see it happening imo.
GreenLore3 votesBut how special does it feel when there are so many other "special snowflakes"
Umbral Regent4 votesIt's more like small villages of half-animals - and even then, those Vastaya aren't anything special; Nidalee, Rengar, Wukong(?), Ahri, and the upcoming champions, though? They are special, there's a reason they're champions and not these otter-merchants. Just because a Champion is part of a known and apparently common race doesn't mean that the Champion themselves is less special because of it.
50000000000000001 votesNot all Vastayas are warriors, though. We've seen a city of mercantile Vastayas, and a shapeshifter who use his abilities to find truffle. Nidalee is a huntress, using both the human form and cougar form to hunt down her prey. That's still pretty special imo.
Wrathof3002 votesJust because there is an entire city of them, this does not make them uninteresting/not unique, just because their are tons of them. Look at the Yordles 
. Look at the humans in the game 
they have no powers, only elite (by human standards) and have high positions of power, but their are just as interesting as some characters with powers.
Beyond Legends4 voteswell I guess darius garen and jarvan aren't special either because their human.
LunSeiSleidee1 votesYeah because it's not like humans a real thing.
Beyond Legends1 voteslol aparently human's aren't real lol.
CrosisThePurger1 votesTo actually get a better view of this take a look at the void. While a lot of the characters from the void have similar attributes they are still different in many ways. Just because there is an entire city of them doesn't mean they cant all have aspects that apply to each individual from the story it sounds like there are many different groups of vastaya that we still don't know about. plus if nidalee lore is changed to support this she will still be fairly different from the rest of them as she can still transform which even among the vastayans would still be rare or at least mildly uncommon.