Reminder that in TFT, losing is defined as 5th to 8th not 2nd to 8th

And for more proof of this: consider the fact that they also introduced an additional pirate. They are clearly trying to measure the gold strategy.

{quoted}

"Doesn't really change the fact that getting less items than other people feels absolutely miserable and that the one gold piece within that little lootbox reminds you that if Riot actually listened to the playerbase, it could've just been an item."

I didn't read all you posted because it seems your argument is rooted in this statement right at the start. And if this is the case, then it indicates you are part of the playerbase OP is addressing with his overall sentiments regarding wanting hands held.

This new change puts earlier options into defining your playstyle for the match. This means you have to make more decisions earlier as opposed to just trying to hurrdurr your way to the internet build everyone is raging over this week.

Everyone getting an item forces the game into a couple metas instead of a dynamic one. You really don't know what you're asking for with a simple-meta game.

Metas will always exist. With or without items, people are going to use what is popular, what they've seen to be successful, and what they know from experience works well. The extra gold especially in the early game REALLY isn't all that you crack it up to be.

Items are incredibly powerful and REALLY flexible in this game and if anything, they are the reason why there is such build diversity to begin with. You can build around just about any champion with items to make them the star of your team. Gold is plentiful in the game with win/loss streaks and the like. 1 or 2 gold in the early game COULD score you more lower tier champions early, but it could also do absolutely nothing for you as your draws every round could be terrible. Most lower tier champions are already hotly contested so you might just never get that 3 star even if you hyper-roll, but that's a huge investment in lower tier champions that don't usually hold a candle to higher tier champions or 2 star champions with decent items. An item scales well beyond just the early levels and it's a guaranteed power spike. Even the "Bad" items in this game have good item trees and to some extent all items are situationally good.

The game as it is already forces certain metas. There's always going to be some stronger champions and alliances than others. The great equalizer is items. Hell, half the fun in TFT is seeing what kinds of funky things you can do with item interactions and champions. I mean the whole Demonbear meme, watching melee champions become ranged champions with RFC, I mean you name it.

Again this whole handholding schtick holds no weight whatsoever. Guaranteed item drops are there in Autochess/Underlords for a reason and it's not just to make you feel good. It's there for balance purposes and from a game design perspective it makes sense. It doesn't remove the RNG of what you'll actually get and more often than not it greatly influences how you build into the game especially with the passive alliance bonuses that some of them can provide to dissuade you from building the same thing every game.

I implore you to check out other autochess games.

{quoted}

I doubt anyone is arguing that 1g over an item doesn't feel bad. However, feelings and impact are completely different. Early on in the game 1g is just as significant early on.

The comparison to be made is between: 7g 0g 3 items 1g 2 items 3g 1 item

Whether each of those scenarios is equally impactful is the question.

Items do make or break champions, but the wrong item and you'd be crying just as hard. You put yourself in scenarios where you are greatly forced to rely on an uncertainty instead of asking what you should have done.

Your chance to win is always equal to everyone's. What you're asking for is a constant winrate never the scenario which is not the type of style TFT is.

1g early game isn't anything, really. I love how most people overvalue 1g in order to make their points, because honestly the most it could score you is another tier 1 champion. It might get you a 2 star tier 1 which could get you win bonuses and all that, but early game really doesn't matter. I'd choose accumulating items in the early neutral rounds than the gold any day. Why? Because items never stop being relevant. Tier 1s and even some tier 2s even when 3 star are just underwhelming naked. I mean you could just hold onto the gold, but the chances that you'll see much interest off it is slim.

As far as relying on the uncertainty, the game is already in that state when you're not in control of whether items will ever drop for you at all. The extra gold pales in comparison to actual items, tangible instantaneous power. Gold is just potential power in this game and while you could do something with a small gold lead, there's always a chance it amounts to nothing and usually it's not going to compare to what you can do with an actual completed item. There is literally a chance you'll never see an item drop from a neutral monster at all. And I am going to just say, there are no "wrong" items. There might be less optimal items for the champions you're building around, but there are genuinely no bad completed items in this game. That's generally why people prioritize spatulas and good items mostly during carousal rounds if they don't see any champions that they're hoarding. And in a pinch, if I really really really had no other option, I'd prefer making a suboptimal item and slapping it onto my carry champion in hopes I survive a few more rounds than just get enough gold for another roll.