A brave new world

By Helmight,

Riot's balance team doesn't get nearly enough credit. Part of this is because they're so easy to scapegoat ("how DARE they nerf my main!!!1!"), but part of it is that literally everyone that plays this game thinks they're a better designer. I can't count the number of threads I see on the Boards screaming for Riven nerfs, Zed nerfs, Sejuani nerfs, even Fiora nerfs of all things. And every single poster and commenter on these threads has an unspoken assumption: I know better than Riot's balance team about this champion.

But regardless of the perceived state of balance, the ACTUAL balance is currently phenomenal. Gone are the Season 3 days of the League of Assassins. Gone are the godlike Season 4 siege comps. Gone too are the days of Lee Sin/Evelynn/Elise dominance of the jungle. Instead, what we have is perhaps the widest variety of viable champions since Season 2.


Like playing Lee Sin jungle? Still good. Like tanky junglers like Sejuani and Zac? Equally as viable as the Blind Monk. Like to play assassins mid? Okay. How about mages? Also good. How about AD mids like Ezreal? Let's do it. I mean, for cripe's sake, Urgot and Nautilus are viable champions now. If that isn't a sign of excellent balance, I don't know what is.

And this doesn't even count champions that are good, just underpicked. Remember, the professionals tend to overfocus on a handful of champions because they can't just be passably good with them - they have to be the best. This means that pros have a pool of about 4 champions - MAYBE 5 - that they play on a regular basis. It's no wonder, therefore, that a lot of champions with high winrates are never seen in competitive play. Vel'Koz and Olaf spring to mind, for example.

Now, balance isn't perfect - in fact, I'd surprised if it EVER was. Not every champion will see the LCS, and only slightly more will see play as a  niche pick. That's just the way these games work. If everyone was viable, they'd all be basically the same champion. But there's no doubt that the current state of affairs is much better than everyone gives Riot credit for.

So next time you're thinking of complaining to Riot about the current meta, stop and take a look at the actual game environment. It just might surprise you.