Potential Reworks For 2018

TheySeeMeWardin (NA)

submitted 8 months ago in General Discussion

We received four VGU's in 2017:

•  - January 25th  - March 21st  - July 26th  - October 10th

We also had one GU in 2017:

•  - September 26th

With this in mind, (and the fact we had four VGU's in 2016) at the very least we will see another 4 VGU's and 1 GU this coming up year. Most of the slots have already been confirmed by Riot with Swain and Irelia receiving VGU's and Aatrox receiving a GU. This leaves two definite openings for reworks in 2018 so let's look at the likely candidates for VGU's and short explanations as to why they are on this list.

1.  - Akali: She is very clunky in my experience, visually and mechanically. There's nothing that makes her stick out as League's female ninja and she suffers from a very linear kit.
2.  - Chogath: One of the more likely candidates, Cho is a visual mess. Both his model and abilities are outdated and the poor guy just needs some love.
3.  - Corki: He was left in an odd state after the marksmen update and after playing this game for four years, I'm still not sure if this guy is an old man or a yordle. Regardless, Corki has potential but might be left for now due to others on this list.
4.  - Dr. Mundo: I'm interested in this wacky/terrifying doctor concept his new lore painted him to be but as of right now he's almost a hindrance to his team if played and is easy to counter.
5.  - Jax: Would be a great opportunity to clarify WHAT THE HELL IS HE!?! Aside from the obvious update to his visuals, he could definitely use a little something extra to his gameplay. Currently, he's not the highest but there's a chance.
6.  &  - Kayle & Morgana: Another case of who are you and where did you come from. With Kayle's kit and Morg's model, these sisters are a bit underwhelming considering their god like status. Plus, after Riot confirmed they would be reworked together it would be nice to get a two for one special in 2018.
7.  - Malphite: I thought this guy's head was his nose for the longest time, but in all seriousness Malph suffers from a terrible model and kit that doesn't express just how massive and overwhelming a living mountain should be.
8.  - Mordekaiser: It's just beating a dead horse at this point. Morde is this prime example as to why VGU's are needed. Awesome idea, terrible execution.
9.  - Nunu: Nunu and Willump are basically an ice climber and an albino gorilla. They're not unique visually or mechanically. While his ult makes for some hilarious highlight reels, he's not a champion that can express much skill.
10.  - Pantheon: Another example of being an unoriginal champion, but Pantheon takes it to a new level. There is literally nothing special about this guy and it's disappointing that there's this discount Spartan in a game with so many interesting characters.
11.  - Shaco: I don't know much about Shaco in all honesty. When I see him in game, he's either godlike or just another minion to farm. His kit is pretty feast or famine and there is SO MUCH room for creativity growth.
12.  - Skarner: He was okay for the most part before his rework but the introduction of his spires definitely showed how much this champ really needs work, thematically and mechanically.
13.  - Volibear: After the release of Ornn, Volibear has a long way to go to catch up to his brother. While I always thought Voli was just an armored bear, his brother's release proved that there can be more to him.

These 13 are the most likely to receive reworks in 2018 and are arranged by alphabetical order. Some have a higher chance to be picked than others but I'm confident that champions not on this list will not get a VGU in 2018 and mostly likely in years to come (R.I.P. Fiddle). There plenty more champions that need VGU's, however, Riot has designated some of the champions listed above as the most important on their update list. Now, we know that there are four definite VGU's in 2018 but that doesn't take into account the fact that class updates are no longer in production. Considering this, there is a possibility that we will receive more VGU's or GU's than we did in 2017. VGU's are reserved for champions with poor visuals, outdated kits, and unexplored concepts (every champ on the list above has those characteristics) but there are champs that only need changes, albeit large ones, to gameplay to bring them up to Riot's current standards, so let's look at the likely candidates for GU's.

1.  - Aurelion Sol: I think Riot has a hard time releasing cosmic champions (ie. AS, Bard on release, Zoe). He was hyped up for years and while he isn't the storm dragon we were promised, his voice lines and overall appearance is amazing. When looking at this kit, however, AS doesn't shine.
2.  - Diana: This is just a simple case of a champ's kit showing its age. Diana is pretty linear but still has a solid theme and iconic look that makes her the Diana we know and love. A GU can bring her ult to par with other champs, including her counterpart.
3.  - Karma: Her rework was rushed and poorly executed, let's just get that out of the way. Despite this, she still has an identity beyond her fans and shield bomb and a good GU with distinct visual effects and (if we're lucky) a voice over update can really make her a well fleshed out champ.
4.  - Kindred: She... I mean they have a disconnection between identity and gameplay. Nunu and Willump are more cohesive than Lamb and Wolf and their poorly executed in game theme, along with some current gameplay issues, calls for a proper GU.

This is a much smaller list, mostly because there are many champs who could benefit from a GU but would probably need a VGU in the future. This list is for champions who have strong themes and archetypes but those qualities are poorly translated into their gameplay. There are MANY champs who could get a GU next year and so there's no point in trying to put them all on here but I felt that these 4 could receive a GU and be up to par with today's standards of League while others would still be lacking something.

TLDR; The first list are champs who are likely to get a VGU in 2018 and the second list are champs who could be looked at for a GU in 2018.

Patch 8.14

Champions

Aatrox

Base health decreased. Q base damage decreased. E recharge rate decreased early, increased later. R bonus attack damage increased. Q timer freezes while reviving.

Now that Aatrox players have gotten some games under their belt and mastered his pretty unique spells, it turns out he's pretty strong, especially in lane. We're pulling some of his early game power in exchange for some more late-game consistency.

General

NEWBANNER OF....In addition to switching Aatrox's sword stance, toggling CTRL+5 now unfurls banner-style wings

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Base Stats

HEALTH610 ⇒ 580

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Q - The Darkin Blade

BASE DAMAGE20/35/50/65/80 ⇒ 10/25/40/55/70

Q2 DAMAGE125% of Q1 damage (unchanged)

Q3 DAMAGE150% of Q1 damage (unchanged)

SWEET SPOT DAMAGE150% of Q1, Q2, or Q3 damage (unchanged)

DAMAGE TO MINIONS65-100% (at levels 1-18) of base damage ⇒ 50-100% (at levels 1-18) of base damage

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E - Umbral Dash

RECHARGE RATE20/18/16/14/12 seconds ⇒ 24/20/16/12/8 seconds

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R - World Ender

BONUS ATTACK DAMAGE20% total attack damage ⇒ 20/22.5/25% total attack damage

NEWPAUSING THE APOCALYPSEQ's recast timer is now frozen while reviving

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Mid-Patch 8.13 Updates

These changes went live partway through 8.13.

Q1 LENGTH625 ⇒ 650

Q1 WIDTH175 ⇒ 200

Q2 LENGTH500 ⇒ 525 (sweet spot size unchanged)

Fizz

W no longer deals bonus damage against primed targets. W base damage increased. W now grants on-hit damage if empowered attack does not kill its target.

The mark-priming mechanic on Fizz's W was unsatisfying, asking players to hold one of their damage tools until later. As an assassin, his role is to lay down damage quickly and get out, which made that wait feel particularly awkward. We're removing the priming mechanic, and bringing back an on-hit buff on the active, but keeping the cooldown reset on kills. The new W still does damage over a longer period of time, but more of that damage is front-loaded so Fizz players can more quickly make like a trident and stab.

UPDATEDW - Seastone Trident

Fizz's next basic attack deals bonus damage. If it kills a unit, W's cooldown and mana cost are partially refunded. If it doesn't, Fizz's subsequent basic attacks are empowered for 5 seconds.

EMPOWERED ATTACK DAMAGE20/30/40/50/60 (+0.4 ability power) ⇒40/50/60/70/80 (+0.4 ability power)

ATTACK RESET?Yes (unchanged)

COOLDOWN10/9.5/9/8.5/8 seconds ⇒ 7/6.5/6/5.5/5 seconds

COST30/40/50/60/70 mana (unchanged)

REFUND ON KILLW's cooldown resets to 1 second and Fizz is refunded20/28/36/42/50 mana ⇒ 20/28/36/44/52 mana

DAMAGE BUFF ON NON-KILL10/15/20/25/30 (+0.3 ability power) on-hit damage for 5 seconds

PASSIVE BLEED20/30/40/50/60 (+0.4 ability power) over 3 seconds (unchanged)

LESS STABBYW's passive bleed no longer applies to targets Fizz passes through during Q's dash or to targets hit by R's fish or shark

Jinx

Base health increased. Health growth decreased.

Part of the reason marksmen (notably the immobile, late-scaling ones) are struggling is low lane durability against the new aggressive champions they face.

Base Stats

HEALTH531 ⇒ 581

HEALTH GROWTH88 ⇒ 84

Karma

Base mana regen increased; growth decreased. Base armor increased; Q splash radius increased. Empowered detonation damage decreased at early ranks.

Support Karma is struggling hard at most skill levels, but at this point a straight buff might push her too high up in organized play. We're upping her baseline spellcasting and durability, but pulling back some of her waveclear to keep her from becoming overbearing at the highest levels of play.

Base stats

MANA REGEN8.5 mana per 5 seconds ⇒ 11.5 mana per 5 seconds

MANA REGEN GROWTH0.8 mana per 5 seconds ⇒ 0.5 mana per 5 seconds

BASE ARMOR20.4 ⇒ 26

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Q - Inner Flame

SPLASH RADIUS250 ⇒ 280

SOULFLARE DETONATION DAMAGE50/150/250/350 (at Mantra levels 1/2/3/4) ⇒ 35/140/245/350 (at Mantra levels 1/2/3/4)

Sion

Q base damage and damage ratio increased at later ranks.

Sion's last round of nerfs was necessary while Banner of Command was the top pick for top laners. Now that the item has been removed from the game, he's landing on the weak side.

Q - Decimating Smash

BASE DAMAGE30/47.5/65/82.5/100 ⇒ 30/50/70/90/110

DAMAGE RATIO0.45/0.50/0.55/0.6/0.65 total attack damage ⇒0.45/0.525/0.6/0.675/0.75 total attack damage

Twitch

Base health increased. Health growth decreased.

Part of the reason marksmen (notably the immobile, late-scaling ones) are struggling is low lane durability against the new aggressive champions they face.

Base Stats

HEALTH542 ⇒ 582

HEALTH GROWTH87 ⇒ 84

Patch 8.16 Notes of League of Legends

Patch 8.16 Notes

BY AETHER, GENTLEMAN GUSTAF

Welcome to Patch 8.16, the one where we buff up a few tanks, and some champions who have been terrorizing the Rift get taken down a peg.

First, we've noticed that tanks are struggling on the Rift. We don't want to put power into their itemization, so we're taking this opportunity to add some baseline power into their kits. Then, there's a few outliers who need to be kept in check, like Aatrox, Fizz, and Tryndamere.

Also, we're launching a two patch alpha playtest of Nexus Blitz, a new experimental game mode. It'll launch soon after the patch, so get out there and blitz the enemy Nexus!

GLHF,

 Mattias "Gentleman Gustaf" Lehman Paul "Aether" Perscheid

Patch Highlights

Nexus Blitz Alpha Test

We'll be kicking off a four-week alpha playtest of Nexus Blitz, a new experimental game mode, soon after the patch. Head to the alpha announcement for all the info!

Champions

Aatrox

E passive healing against non-champions decreased. Charges granted on learning E decreased. R cooldown increased at early ranks.

We've mostly gotten Aatrox's power level to a good place, but we still need to trim a bit of his laning strength to prevent him from being so much of a bully.

E - Umbral Dash

PASSIVE HEALING AGAINST NON-CHAMPIONS33% ⇒ 15%

CHARGES WHEN LEARNED2 ⇒ 1

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R - World Ender

COOLDOWN140/130/120 seconds ⇒ 160/140/120 seconds

Fizz

W damage ratio decreased. R damage ratio decreased.

The Fizz buffs last patch overshot a bit, so we're pulling back on some of his newfound damage.

W - Seastone Trident

ACTIVE DAMAGE RATIO0.6 ability power ⇒ 0.5 ability power

ON-HIT DAMAGE RATIO0.4 ability power ⇒ 0.35 ability power

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R - Chum the Waters

GUPPY DAMAGE RATIO0.9 ability power ⇒ 0.8 ability power

CHOMPER DAMAGE RATIO1.1 ability power ⇒ 1.0 ability power

GIGALODON DAMAGE RATIO1.3 ability power ⇒ 1.2 ability power

Hecarim

Q base damage increased at later ranks. Q damage ratio increased.

Hecarim is pretty weak currently, but we want to be careful about how we buff him. A bit more extended dps should help him shine in the mid-game without making him into a one-shot monster.

Q - Rampage

BASE DAMAGE55/90/125/160/195 ⇒ 55/95/135/175/215

DAMAGE RATIO0.6 bonus attack damage ⇒ 0.7 bonus attack damage

Orianna

Base magic resist decreased.

Orianna excels at keeping enemies at range with her ball range and the crowd control it brings. We want to make sure that when her opponents do close the gap, they have a better shot at the kill.

Base Stats

MAGIC RESIST30 ⇒ 26

Quinn

Attack damage growth decreased.

The only thing faster than Valor's movement speed is Quinn's burst, and the two combine to give her opponents little time to respond even if they see her coming.

Base Stats

ATTACK DAMAGE GROWTH3 ⇒ 2.4

Rakan

Health and armor decreased.

High mobility and durability has always been a tricky combination in our game, and Rakan has become a dominant pick on the back of his. We're toning down Rakan’s durability in the early game to make him vulnerable in more matchups.

Base Stats

HEALTH510 ⇒ 480

ARMOR36 ⇒ 33

Taliyah

Movement speed decreased. W cooldown increased at early ranks. R wall no longer grants vision.

Taliyah's ability to shove and run around the map is putting too much pressure on other lanes. We're also trimming some hidden power from her ultimate.

Base Stats

MOVEMENT SPEED340 ⇒ 335

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W - Seismic Shove

COOLDOWN12 seconds ⇒ 16/15/14/13/12 seconds

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R - Weaver's Wall

REMOVEDVISIONWall no longer grants vision

Trundle

Q base damage decreased at later ranks. Q damage ratio increased at later ranks. Q attack damage sap duration decreased.

Trundle's dueling potential is too high, even if he isn't building damage.

Q - Chomp

BASE DAMAGE20/40/60/80/100 ⇒ 20/30/40/50/60

DAMAGE RATIO1.0/1.05/1.1/1.15/1.2 total attack damage ⇒1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4 total attack damage

STOLEN ATTACK DAMAGE DURATION8 seconds ⇒ 5 seconds

Tryndamere

E cooldown increased at later ranks.

This buff has made Tryndamere too sticky, so we're reverting it.

E - Spinning Slash

COOLDOWN13/11.5/10/8.5/7 seconds ⇒ 13/12/11/10/9 seconds

Wukong

Q base damage decreased. Q damage ratio decreased.

Wukong's burst damage is too high for a champion who has both a dash and invisibility to reduce the amount of time opponents have to respond.

Q - Crushing Blow

BASE DAMAGE30/60/90/120/150 ⇒ 10/40/70/100/130

DAMAGE RATIO1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 total attack damage ⇒1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4 total attack damage

Zoe

Passive damage decreased at all ranks. W damage ratio decreased.

Zoe should do less damage when she doesn't land her skillshots.

Passive - More Sparkles!

BASE DAMAGE LEVELS 1-612/15/20/25/30/35 ⇒ 10/12/16/20/24/28

BASE DAMAGE LEVELS 7-1048/53/67/73 ⇒ 34/40/46/52

BASE DAMAGE LEVELS 11-1479/86/93/100 ⇒ 60/68/76/84

BASE DAMAGE LEVELS 15-18109/117/126/135 ⇒ 94/104/114/124

DAMAGE RATIO0.325 ability power ⇒ 0.2 ability power

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W - Spell Thief

DAMAGE RATIO0.55 ability power ⇒ 0.4 ability power

Tanks

Tanks haven't been feeling so hot in recent patches, so we're taking this opportunity to put more durability into their kits.

Amumu

E passive now scales with bonus armor and magic resist.

E - Tantrum

NEWBONUS DAMAGE REDUCTION3% bonus armor + 3% magic resist

BASE DAMAGE REDUCTION2/4/6/8/10 (unchanged)

Leona

W cooldown decreased at later ranks.

W - Eclipse

COOLDOWN14 seconds ⇒ 14/13/12/11/10 seconds

Nautilus

W base shield decreased slightly early, increased at later ranks. W maximum health scaling decreased at later ranks. W duration and cooldown decreased.

W - Titan's Wrath

BASE SHIELD65/70/75/80/85 ⇒ 60/70/80/90/100

SHIELD SCALING9/11/13/15/17% maximum health ⇒ 9/10/11/12/13% maximum health

DURATION10 seconds ⇒ 6 seconds

COOLDOWN18 seconds ⇒ 12 seconds

Rammus

W bonus resists increased.

W - Defensive Ball Curl

BONUS ARMOR50/60/70/80/90% ⇒ 60/70/80/90/100%

BONUS MAGIC RESIST25/30/35/40/45% ⇒ 30/35/40/45/50%

Sion

W health gain increased.

W - Soul Furnace

MAXIMUM HEALTH GAIN FROM ENEMIES3 ⇒ 4

MAXIMUM HEALTH GAIN FROM LARGE ENEMIES10 ⇒ 15

Tahm Kench

Q slow duration and cooldown decreased. W duration decreased at later ranks. W cooldown significantly increased. W mana cost decreased. W cooldown now halved on enemy Devour.

Q - Tongue Lash

SLOW DURATION2 seconds ⇒ 1.5 seconds

COOLDOWN6 seconds ⇒ 5 seconds

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W - Devour/Regurgitate

DEVOUR DURATION4/4.5/5/5.5/6 seconds ⇒ 4 seconds

ENEMY CHAMPION DURATIONHalf ally duration (unchanged)

COOLDOWN14/13/12/11/10 seconds ⇒ 28/25/22/19/16 seconds

NEWYUMMYCooldown is halved on enemy cast

COST90 mana ⇒ 60 mana