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Let's talk Power Fantasies.

Malicious Metal·9/28/2017, 12:35:14 PM·75 votes·5,618 views

With VGU's becoming even more popular with every old champion being brought up to date with League's standards, be it art, sound, gameplay or just overall theme, I've been wondering what exactly is the most important aspect of a champion. What makes champions like Galio who never had a huge playerbase, ranking even lower than Mordekaiser, go from Zero to Hero and become fan favorites almost instantly after they got their VGU?

It's something about their character, something that speaks to the player, something that they relate to and that makes them want to "BE" or rather "Play as" that character, a certain captivating interest in the character that makes people stick to them beyond their power level in the current meta.

Be it the Blood-crazed Hunt and the fight between Human and Beast that draws people to playing Warwick, the strong heroic and oh so lovable character of Galio or the seducing, stalking charms of Evelynn, Power Fantasy is the most important aspect of a champion and allows their playerbase to grow and prosper.

So, today I want to talk a little bit more about this phenomenon, going into three case studies to truly go into detail on this topic and bring forth the secrets of what makes characters appealing to a lot of players, or what doesn't.....

First off: #SKARNER, THE CRYSTAL VANGUARD https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e35/13248911_181043032293256_1557801715_n.jpg?ig_cache_key=MTI1OTEyMzY0ODE4OTkyMzIyNA%3D%3D.2.l

Skarner has never been a popular champion, his pick rate only increasing when he's oppressively strong in the current Meta or just overtuned. Which is not entirely to blame on his kit as it does have some very high moments and play pretty fluidly.

No, Skarner's main problem is his lack of appealing Power Fantasy. Just like old Galio, Skarner's current personality is unique and very interesting but just isn't something people want to play as. And this is coming from someone who has been playing Skarner as his main Jungler for the past 4 seasons.

Skarner is very endearing character with a lot of personality and interesting aspects but what he sorely lacks is something that resonates well with players. He's an ancient crystalline scorpion that despite his monstrous strength and wicked appearance is anything but a mindless fiend. He's wise, he's somber, he's a literal fish out of water, awakened after millenias of sleeping underneath the Shuriman desert... Awoken because of human greed that would cause them to dig up his kin and steal the very essence of their being in form of their life crystals.

It is a very STRONG story aspect and makes for a great character motivation. Driven by grief, anger and duty, coupled with his wisdom, his calm demeanour and wonder over this strange new world he has set his six feet in. Yet this is not well realized in game, despite him having one of the best VO's in game.

His lack of strong power fantasy driven by emotions and what I'd say "relatable purpose" is what causes Skarner to not resonate with players, making him one of the least played champions in the game. This, together with his somewhat outdated kits, makes him in my opinion one of the most valuable champions in terms of VGU potential-

___________________________________________-

Now let's take a look at a champion VGU with a very resonant Power fantasy without betraying the champion's origin:

#GALIO, THE COLOSSUS https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/leagueoflegends/images/2/2f/Demacia_Lore_2.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/640?cb=20170323200019

Riot took a champion competing for the spot of LEAST played character since forever and turned him into something that resonates extremely well with a lot of people, making Galio, to this date, the VGU that maintains the strongest play rate of any rework so far. And a lot of this is tied to him having a very resonant Theme and personality that a lot of players can align themselves with and really relate with.

Galio is joyful, he's naive, he's strong, he's a Superhero. His Power fantasy of the colossal Protector of Demacia is something a lot of people enjoy and his character is not only enjoyable beyond his pretty straight forward love of fighting, or rather of actually being ALIVE, oh no. He retains a lot of his old somber tones, but they take a backseat in this iteration. Galio is still a tragic character at his core and it's shown in a lot of his voice lines but it does not dominate the entirey of his being.

Which brings me to the main point I want to make: People do not want to play a downer, a character that makes them feel bad and awful. They want their champions to be relatable bust still be powerful in their own rights and Galio letting his sadness not take over him enjoying being alive and moving is what really resonates with people.

A champion's power fantasy has to be uplifting and really make the player feel GOOD. Which does not mean a character has to be flat, straight forward and happy all the time, oh no. Somber tones, depressing aspects of a character's past and overall struggle and misfortune can be a character's main driving point and can be crucial to who they are but the moment these become overwhelming the character becomes too heavy to actually enjoy playing.

Galio is the perfect example for this. He has a deep character beyond his jovial and rather boisterous personality but it does not stop him and weigh him down, making him a blast to play as his Power Fantasy truly is something players can enjoy and relate to.

Which makes him, in my opinion, the best VGU to this day.

Some might have already guessed this might be coming. Can't have a MM thread without Mordekaiser in I deliberately put him in here for several reasons I'll go into detail.

So, without further ado, let's see a very strong Power Fantasy that just isn't delivered on:

#MORDEKAISER, THE MASTER OF METAL IRON REVENANT http://66.media.tumblr.com/6e4ab0ea710236a75cb9495bf5f57eac/tumblr_o3ofom6BuJ1ucq9cfo1_500.png

Mordekaiser is one of the oldest champions in League of legends but he also got a very strong Power Fantasy, one that leads people to wish for him to get reworked so that they can play him. He's got a theme that resonates a lot with players as it's one of pure Power, Malice and Cruel Intent.

Mordekaiser is one of the most evil characters and the quintessential "Evil Overlord" trope, a character type that has garnered a lot of fans over every genre. Star Wars has Darth Vader, LotR has Sauron and every epic quest seems to have one of these characters in it: The Ultimate Evil, an entity of pure malice whose power and cruelty makes them the very epitome of an overwhelming Antagonistic Force.

And Mordekaiser embodies this. His character is fueled by his desire to conquer and dominate, to rule the living and the dead with a literal Iron fist. He's Evil and he enjoys it, without being overly boastful or bone-headed about it. He sees everything and everyone to be beneath him, deeming himself superior to his peers and his Immortal Quest being the only thing he truly cares about. Cruel, malicious and extremely powerful, Mordekaiser's Power Fantasy promises a character who revels in the destruction and suffering he causes, a character whose sole motivation is his own personal gain and a character who will not stop before he brought the world to its knees. It's the fantasy of a Dark Lord and it's something that resonates with a lot of players as it's a way to project an image of an overwhelming Evil force of nature that cannot be stopped.

And it's FUN. It's simple, yet something a lot of people can relate to and enjoy as a character. Yet Mordekaiser's kit and visuals just do not reflect that, making him a tier 1 VGU candidate. A VGU that might just replace Galio in terms of acquiring a strong playerbase as Mordekaiser's theme is simple, yet oh so effective.

Concluding I feel it's safe to say that what a character promises in terms of Personality and Theme is what draws people to play them and grow oh so fond of these champions. Because in the end a lot of champions just phase in and out of meta, get nerfed, get buffed or simply go with the flow, their power level and overall impact on League's Meta never really constant. And it's in those times that Players stuck to those champions simply based on them relating heavily with their Power Fantasies and personality.

In other words; In the long term, Personality beats Gameplay but Power Fantasy is the promise of the Character translating well into an ingame Kit that makes a champion truly successful.

109 Comments

Sharjo9/28/2017, 1:27:41 PM23 votes

And this is coming from someone who has been playing Skarner as his main Jungler for the past 4 seasons.

A man after my own heart right here.

In terms of Skarner's power fantasy then, would you say that Skarner should be transitioned from less brooding to more driven? Someone who'll still lament for what's lost but be more about what he needs to do rather than what has already happened? Something I draw back to is that he's the Crystal "Vanguard", so perhaps him shifting more in to that mindset of being the one fighting for the Brackern as opposed to mourning for them could help him out in that regard.

One thing I'd definetly say is that though making lore and gameplay sync up can be awkward, especially in a case like this, I feel like Skarner could benefit from being not alone in game. It'd probably be really awkward and I can't even fathom how this'd be balanced, but I like to imagine a version of Skarner where his crystal zones are actually his sleeping kin, and he'd wake them up to help him fight stuff in the jungle. They'd help him with his clear, fend off invaders if they spotted them, defend allies, things like that. Enemies could beat them up and they'd scurry back underground to protect themselves. That might be the most outlandish idea ever and I dunno if that kind of power is even appreciable for the Skarner player, but any thoughts on that?

A Superb Villain9/28/2017, 4:10:47 PM18 votes

To complement your list of power fantasies, I would like to offer my thoughts on an example Riot got right from the outset:

Veigar

Predictable, I know, but I am hardly wrong in this assertion. Veigar is the underdog, the ineffectual sympathetic villain who simply cannot garner the infamy he so desperately craves. He is regarded as a caricature of villainy, a figure of contempt and ridicule because of his aspirations and how they exceed his own inadequacy. A perception that is grossly biased, as anyone promptly deleted by a Primordial Burst will tell you.

Veigar's power fantasy is distinct in that it does not start as one. Hell, it's in his title: The Tiny Master of Evil. It's a moniker that is deprecating and overly ambitious, yet it could not be more appropriate.

Everything in Veigar's kit scales hard, possibly the hardest scaling AP ratios in the game, and for good reason since you probably won't be seeing any dividends until a hefty amount of AP is built. Coupling this with unreliable damage and prohibitive mana costs on Event Horizon - which could make his damage more reliable if you land the stun - means Veigar won't be dominating the early game. He is designed specifically to start weak, and that makes his late game power fantasy all the more potent.

You, the player, feel that ridicule, that casual dismissal, as you're pushed under tower or forced out of lane. But when you're dropping bombs that put the Manhattan Project to shame past twenty minutes, you'll probably feel inclined to giggle right alongside Veigar.

http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/b2/b2d3de11a9d142cf28fd2fa369af3833a47d23e7f33ec6eb5c2c4332f11559d5.jpg https://media.makeameme.org/created/One-does-not-ndsr6c.jpg

Risk of Fate9/28/2017, 2:54:35 PM12 votes

[deleted]

Salson9/28/2017, 3:58:15 PM11 votes

Reminds me of Garen and Wukong, two champions with great power fantasies but outdated kits.

Garen is a Brave Knight, a rather simple concept but also rather refreshing in the age of brooding emo anti-heroes/villains like Kayn. His new lore diggs deeper, puting a character like that in conflict with the imperfect world. I really with Riot would consider making him something more than a 'new player's first champ'.

Wukong draws inspiration from both the original Sun Wukong, and Goku, or rather the Standard Shonen archetype he inspired. He also draws upon the more chearfull side of League like Braum or Lulu or Zac before his lore got butchered. The main problem of his kit is it's lack of decisiveness, is he a toplaner or a jungler, a caster or autoattacker, an assassin or a bruiser.

Ralanr9/28/2017, 2:37:39 PM11 votes

Skarner is a character I admit I never had much interest to play. In fact what turned me away from him first was me not wanting to play a scorpion.

That being said, I think Skarner's interactions with the works around him are interesting as a fish out of water. He's not the only character to have that situation (most of the Shuriman champs are ancients and a few only recently returned to their world after dormancy). All of these characters have a mission to accomplish that ties them to their past, sort of an unfinished business deal. With Skarner it's about saving what remains of his people.

Personally I don't see Skarner not coming out of this without becoming jaded with the works around him. He'll have to travel far to even get to Piltover if he finds out that's where his crystals are. A giant gem scorpion isn't exactly easy to hide when traveling, especially when traversing the sea. So he's likely to meet a lot of people. And many of those people will probably react with hostility towards the giant crystal scorpion with a humanoid face.

Now Skarner isn't Amumu, he probably doesn't care if humans see him as a monster unless it impedes him from traveling (which it will, probably). He might actually look down or pity humans for being unable to hear the crystal song. But when he discovers what the Piltover city has down to his people? I think he'll go on a rampage (or systematically destroy the city from the inside by moving through the sewers. I doubt Skarner is stupid enough to destroy the city in the open).

Warlord Dienekes9/28/2017, 3:18:11 PM11 votes

[{quoted}](name=Malicious Metal,realm=EUW,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=dt9ndnJA,comment-id=,timestamp=2017-09-28T12:35:14.490+0000) Which brings me to the main point I want to make: People do not want to play a downer, a character that makes them feel bad and awful.

Point of order. The reason why my second or third champion purchase ever was old Urgot was exactly because he was a suicidally depressed monster who feels bad and awful and actively makes people feel bad for playing him. A shambling wreck that is kept alive against his will and can only kill.

I play champions who don't make me feel good or powerful. I like them plenty.

Legacy Hydralpha9/28/2017, 8:22:50 PM6 votes

This is the thing I have with Aatrox is that he seems like he would have an amazing power fantasy, being this demonic sword wielder who's basically the horseman of War. Everything he does should feel powerful and like it could wreck face.

But then I play him and his E feels like a gust of wind and I lose 70% of the matchups I play. :)

Mister Support9/28/2017, 11:28:38 PM6 votes

Just a general list of champions who have fantasies unfulfilled in game:

Volibear - Demigod of Storms in the Freljord, oft renowned for his destructive force of nature.

Swain - Master Tactition and Warlock

Mordekaiser - Iron Revenent, the embodiment of Wrath.

Pantheon - The embodiment of War.

Skarner - Crystalline Scorpion seeking to restore what little remains of his species.

Shyvana - A half-dragon with the ability to change between Dragon and Human forms. (My own opinion its flawed due to her being balanced around on-hit play).

Nunu - A boy who has befriended a powerful tundra monster. Tries to keep the monster under control and guide it.

Blitzcrank - The original Iron Golem designed by Viktor but altered for battle purposes by a corrupt Zaunite.

Kindred - The embodiment of Death split in twain to separate savage death and peaceful deaths.

Nocturne - The living Nightmare destroying people within the realm of dreams.

Probably some I'm forgetting but those are the big ones off the top of my head.

NineTailedMystic9/29/2017, 7:11:12 AM5 votes

The Ultimate Despair, an entity of pure malice whose power and cruelty makes them the very epitome of an overwhelming Antagonistic Force.

ftfy https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/danganronpa/images/d/dd/DR1_Monokuma.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/350?cb=20170716022103?noredirect

Variks the Loyal9/28/2017, 3:16:02 PM4 votes

I've been a Skarner main for a while now. He's my highest mastery champion, and I've loved playing every iteration of him. And I can confidently say, Skarner's power fantasy is akin to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K57aIbpF_Co

He's a giant scorpion. One part of that scene that particularly resonates with me is at 2:18; when it runs, you can hear the heavy and rapid pittering of 8 giant legs, charging towards it's prey. Skarner is durable, fast, and rips apart anything his claws can wrap around.

To anyone else, Skarner would seem like a mindless monster, a creature that kills because it's what it does. Only we, and Skarner himself, know the true reason why he rampages and why he rages. I don't think his kit needs abilities with deep, underlying meaning - I think he needs abilities that make him seem like a giant, monstrous scorpion that kills everything, because that's what he's supposed to seem like to anyone that isn't Skarner.

I actually think his current kit does a really good job of relaying that fantasy. It is very flawed, but there are good ideas in there. The spires suck, but the Crystal Charge mechanic does not - getting stat boosts upon stunning or suppressing someone. The constant zone of threat his Q provides is also important; part of being a giant monster is that even those you aren't actively fighting need to keep their distance, because they don't want to get caught as collateral damage. I'm thinking of scenes like when Godzilla is fighting a monster, but others and civilians are just trying to get out of the way of his tail being a tail.

At the same time, I feel like it can wait. A LOT of work has gone into Skarner (More reworks than Ryze, it feels like), and other champions need it more, like Mordekaiser and Nunu and Aatrox and Pantheon and Irelia. As a Skarner main, I'm content to wait for a few years before seeing another Skarner rework.

Warwick Main9/28/2017, 8:52:07 PM3 votes

[{quoted}](name=Malicious Metal,realm=EUW,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=dt9ndnJA,comment-id=,timestamp=2017-09-28T12:35:14.490+0000)

Be it the Blood-crazed Hunt and the fight between Human and Beast that draws people to playing Warwick

First let me say I agree with your post about the importance of power fantasy. +1 for sure. And I know you were just using Warwick as an example, but I'm going to point out something. People who are not heavily invested in a champion take a glance and make assumptions as to why others play it. You're far from the first player to bring up the Beast v. Human struggle of Warwick but speaking as a Warwick player that is only scratching the surface of Warwick's nature. Warwick is a broken man desperately trying to do good. Every time he believes things to work out, they go horribly wrong. The "Beast" is really Warwick's low self esteem, a reflection of his inability to do good. What attracts me to him is not the internal struggle he has with himself, but the fact he continues to try. He is a hero trapped in the body of a villain and in spite of everything he gets out there and tries. It's a very admirable quality and the reason I play him.

Many champions have that type of depth, but since we do not identify with them we overlook the depth of their characters. I for one always assumed Ahri mains to be weeb trash only interested in some kind of hentai fantasy. While not completely wrong, I just recently sat down and FORCED myself to read her lore. I have no interest in playing the champion, she poorly suits my playstyle and as a rule I tend to avoid female characters in games. After reading her story though, I gained newfound respect for the Ahri mains who are invested because of the character.

So while we are out there roleplaying or relating to our own champion of choice I think we should avoid making assumptions as to the motivations of other players one-tricks outside of the. People have a nasty habit of trying to tear down others because they believe it somehow elevates themselves (or their choices). All champions in league have their own personal appeal, and the players who find their one-trick are deserving of respect. Everyone except filthy Yasuo mains.

Rykagnar10/6/2017, 4:32:00 AM2 votes

@Malicious Metal, I was really inspired by this post, and decided to come up with a rework concept for Skarner. It's kind of lengthy, but I tried to make it as in-depth as I could. I'm still working on it, however. If you could check it out, that would be great! Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/skin-champion-concepts/9pPPMQPN-skarner-the-crystal-vanguard-rework-concept?comment=0000000000000000

HeroineSam9/28/2017, 6:05:10 PM2 votes

One of my favorite things about Skarner is his wistfulness, the kind of sad wisdom that just kinda hits you in the heart. Old Galio had the same kind of narrative, which is why I was sadly unhappy about galio's new voiceover after his rework.

If Riot reworks Skarner with a VGU, I would like them to keep that wistful voice for him. If Skarner loses that wistfulness, he loses himself and becomes someone different (which can be fine, but I love him as who he is). Maokai, Skarner, and Galio were essentially the wistful wisdom brigade and after their recent reworks only Skarner is left. Maokai became a lot more vengeful and Galio became a lot more... brawn over brains. While I still like Maokai and Galio, I believe there is a lot more depth of character in this wistfulness. This depth of character is absolutely essential to Skarner as he has always been sad, wise, a teensy bit angry, and a little wonder-filled (at the new world he's in).

Swaid9/28/2017, 7:56:52 PM2 votes

My favorite characters and given their power fantasy, why I think I like playing them so much: Alistar For Alistar, I had to create a lot of head canon but in my head, he's a stalwart warrior who despite losing everything hasn't given into the darkness of his despair and instead stands tall as a symbol to others to derive strength from; he'll take on the world if he has to, if it means doing what's right, nothing will hold him back. Braum For Braum, he believes in everyone and that victory is always possible, even when things seem their most dire; he lifted a door that was supposedly unmovable; he did that not because he was strong enough to lift it, because he believed he could do it. DrMundo For Dr. Mundo, he's a madman that will take unimaginable abuse and still keep going, spreading his craft of pain to others; he charges head first into danger with very little regard to his personal safety and that reckless abandon is what makes him so appealing for me. Singed For Singed, its very much the same reason why I play Dr. Mundo; he's a madman that will charge headlong into danger with little regard to his own safety. There has been times when people tell me to retreat when playing Singed and instead I charge in, doubling down, and still come out on top. That rush of popping everything you have and going straight into the enemy team at full speed is like crack, especially when you get out alive. Wish he'd get a VU, he has like five lines of dialogue, same for Mundo.

Djinni10/1/2017, 11:02:06 AM2 votes

I agree with everything you say except this one statement. I also apologize ahead of time if this was discussed in other replies to this thread, i only skimmed through the comments.

[{quoted}](name=Malicious Metal,realm=EUW,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=dt9ndnJA,comment-id=,timestamp=2017-09-28T12:35:14.490+0000)

Which brings me to the main point I want to make: People do not want to play a downer, a character that makes them feel bad and awful. They want their champions to be relatable bust still be powerful in their own rights and Galio letting his sadness not take over him enjoying being alive and moving is what really resonates with people.

A champion's power fantasy has to be uplifting and really make the player feel GOOD. Which does not mean a character has to be flat, straight forward and happy all the time, oh no. Somber tones, depressing aspects of a character's past and overall struggle and misfortune can be a character's main driving point and can be crucial to who they are but the moment these become overwhelming the character becomes too heavy to actually enjoy playing.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding this but, a character with a focus on sad and dark times doesn't necessarily become too heavy to play, and there are a few in game already which are pretty popular, Nasus being one of them. Almost every single line from Nasus is a poetic way of saying "life sucks and I'm extremely depressed", yet I'd be confident in saying he's super popular despite that. Perhaps this is where I'm misunderstanding though. Is he popular because he's a strong character in game and people look past that? Or are they drawn to his personality?

Another example of an character that is overwhelmingly negative is Yasuo. Similar to Nasus, most of what he says is essentially a poetic phrasing of how he's accepted that he's alone and burdened with an extremely guilty conscience.

Now I totally agree that uplifting a player and making them feel good is a a great draw to a character, I personally love listening to Galio's lines and how he's basically like a friendly dog off the leash checking out all the cool sites. But I also think extremely depressing characters can yield the same results as extremely uplifting ones.

Fullmetallic9/28/2017, 12:42:51 PM2 votes

First! Skarner is in the most need of help, his abilities are ... suckish. they barely ven do anything special (Disclaimer: his ult looks and feels and is awesome) IMO they should change crystal slath. maybe he sliced forward-left in an arc with his claw, the forward-right with his other claw, that would look cool Galio got reworked into a nice tanky-thing, his ult and his E make you feel so big and powerful. Morde has good abilities, but they look kinda eh. Just my thoughts ^_^ [slayer-jinx-catface]

GreenLore9/28/2017, 11:43:56 PM2 votes

I think riot is aware of that to some extend,hecen why Maokai new voice over is a lot more wrathful than his previous one.

Though that creates the question into which direction they should take skarners character? Making skarner more agressive about rescuing his kind might make him look like Maokai 2.0 and making him more joyful/boisterous might be too similar to Galio.

Vague16109/29/2017, 1:25:08 PM2 votes

What about some champions like Kayle and Morgana whose lore is so outdated that they don't fit anything in Runeterra?At least Skarner fit into Shurima,their lore is about this another world which is in their own bubble, and they have very little champions related to them.

The Cane Master9/28/2017, 9:08:42 PM1 votes

DrMundo and Nasus are the oldest (released in 2009) champions who NEVER EVER got reworked. Not only did they never got reworked, but they both have the most binary and rigid playstyle and kits of them all. I guess better rework Ryze for the 5th time before Riot ever looks at these dudes.

rtbf2256182419/28/2017, 8:36:33 PM1 votes

Most defensive/Support champions aren't mad with power.

The argument is invalid.