So, the Old Lore...

Okay, the old lore had something going for it. Let’s recap.

Previous Rune Wars had drastically altered the physical landscape of Valoran, left derelict weapons that caused unprecedented mutations in nearby organisms, and afflicted the land with violent earthquakes and horrific magically-fueled storms. Basically, the people of Valoran waged nuclear warfare, and it came back to bite them. As a direct response to their world’s growing instability, Valoran’s key magicians concluded that conflicts needed to be settled in a controllable way. So began the League of Legends, an international coalition dedicated to resolving Valoran’s conflicts without resorting to mass warfare. That’s a pretty good foundation for a story. Nations and causes send representatives to settle their differences through combat-by-champion, whilst whispers of corruption and subversion circle about.

That’s all _so _much better than having random people fight for no reason at all, as in the current “lore”. Oh wait, that happened in the old lore too. You see, as much as people decry the current lore for lacking substance, the old lore had some problems I’ve only now realized, post-mortem. Everyone loves how, in the old lore, everyone had a reason for fighting in the League –they represented. Some champions worked out for that . . . others did not. I’m going to over these problem champs, one-by-one on a post-by-post basis. The first up is none other than the first name in alphabetical order: Aatrox! Conveniently, he’s also one of my biggest points.

---

** Aatrox** What if I told you that Ares, the actual flesh-and-ichor Greek God of War, walked up to NATO’s front door and requested membership? That’s apparently what Aatrox did, if he followed the old lore’s conventions. Although he was released before the Great Retcon, he comes from the preceding era where a champion’s lore didn’t mention the League at all. But I think we all assumed he joined the League of Legends because that was the newest form of war in Valoran, and he needed to adapt accordingly. Or at least I remember reading something like that . . . could be mixing that up with another champ’s lore.

But the point is, he was allowed to join the League! I’m sorry, but no one just walks up to NATO, to continue my analogy. The League’s meant to settle international differences that could otherwise incite conflict. WHO THE HELL ALLOWS A BEING WHO LIVES FOR WAR TO WALTZ IN AND JOIN? Did no one say, “That is a freaking monster outside the door?” Reasonable, logical people don’t let in dangerous animals in the office building! You’d think the same thing applies to a fantasy world, where things are capable of even more murder! Why not kill the thing? It doesn’t belong to anyone in the League, so it isn’t going to spark nuclear war! In fact, if you keep that thing around, it’ll incite that very same thing! And don’t tell me, “The League wasn’t powerful enough to destroy Aatrox!” Well, I thought the League was supposed to maintain order between magic-flinging nations! I question the credibility of an organization that claims to enforce peace and order across multiple nations that could very well destroy each other, yet cannot kill a single being that threatens everything it stands for. “But Aatrox is an immortal war god, so he can’t die! Trying to kill him would just fuel him! Plus, his passive is probably taken to extreme levels without the limits of game balance!” Okay, I can go with that.

But if he was for some reason allowed into the League, whom would he represent? It’s a combat-by-champion system! Himself? Bull crap! You’re not allowed into NATO for personal reasons. Who would even get to decide which nation he represents, and at what authority are they even allowed to decide that? Neither can Aatrox be held accountable for his actions like the Demacians and Noxians. What stops him from doing anything he wants? Punishment? Well, if he can’t be killed by the League, how can they possibly threaten him? Imprisonment? Surely no one would survive the attempt, if Aatrox has cut down whole armies singlehandedly. And if magic was used to lock him down, what’s to say it’d last? Cho’Gath can bust free of his bindings whenever he darn well pleases according to his own lore, so I’m pretty sure Aatrox can’t be contained either.

---

I don't hate the old lore in the slightest. Nor do I believe that you need to cram your opinions on the new lore. I understand your frustration. It's been a long drought on "longer lores". But the old lore had some problems of it's own that we shouldn't ignore, which I'll continue to touch on as I post.