We can all agree that when Riot Games flipped the meta on its head a few months ago, the game has never been the same. League of Legends has not seen a gameplay shift like this in some time. In turn, it has affected many players, from pro to casual alike. The community has been split on their feelings on the meta. For example, many players believe that having this much variety in the game is refreshing and makes matches fun again.
However, others believe that the change was too sudden and impactful to the roles it pertained to. A huge complaint about this meta is how the ADC and support roles have become revamped to the point where traditional ADC skills are useless. Also, this meta forces bottom lane carries to play mages instead of marksmen. This affects players and coaches into unique and odd compositions, some of which have never been seen before. Finally, Riot Games has released a post on their Dev Corner speaking on the gameplay changes that will occur over the next few months.
Riot Games’ Immediate Focus for League of Legends
First off, Riot Games states that they will be dealing with two main problems. One, the fact that there is too much damage/burst, and two, the horrid state of the marksman role. There have already been multiple complaints from the League of Legends community about the amount of damage in the game. They do agree that there’s too much burst coming from sources such as the new rune system, as well as new items in the game. According to Riot Games, it “breaks our historical rules for how much reliable burst we allow without giving opponents much chance to respond”.
Also, Riot has already begun changing some aspects of the game for marksmen to come back into the meta. Throughout this season, marksmen were practically obsolete. Top players like European All-Star Rekkles would bench himself after the first week of pro play due to the drastic changes to his role. Not to worry, as Riot is lowering the price of major marksmen items such as Infinity Edge and Stormrazor. They believe that “sacrificing some late game power to ramp up quicker we think will give marksmen players a chance to affect the game before it’s already over”.
Now, let’s look at their plans for the upcoming preseason.
1. More epic comebacks!
A general understanding amongst most solo queue players is that teams can decide games in ten minutes or less. Riot Games looks to change this somehow, by providing more ways to turn the tide to your favor. Every League of Legends player has heard the old saying, “GG FF”, after a death or two in the first five minutes of play. Maybe in the future, an exciting comeback could be possible instead of a surrender vote. However, this does not mean that early game success will not be possible. As Riot Scruffy says, “Early game successes should give teams meaningful advantages but we need more clear and feasible ways for the team that’s behind to attempt their comeback.”
2. Longer Laning Phases!
In the current meta, the art of the snowball is bountiful. If a team is able to catch one or two quick kills, an early tower, or roams with the jungler, the game would basically be done. Riot Games plans to emphasize one-on-one and two-on-two laning. Therefore, they will attempt to lengthen the laning phase so that when you do eventually leave the lane, you should have at least one full item built. This gives champs a chance to grow into the role they are meant to play in that certain game. No longer will players feel like they never got to do anything before the game would end.
3. Decided Games End Quickly!
Although comebacks should be possible, there will always be teams who dominate another. However, one of the worst feelings in the world is knowing how ahead your team is, but the game still ends slowly. Riot Games wishes to give super snowballing teams a better chance to finish off a game quickly, rather than a game lag on.
4. Rune Paths Do Not Dictate Stat Bonuses!
League of Legends has had their new rune system in place for a while now. It seems like Riot has come up with the decision that they will remove bonus stats given by runes paths soon. Riot also states that they hope this encourages more diversity in rune builds, and not just one or two dominant builds that everyone uses.
What do you think of Riot Games’ plans with League of Legends? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! If you want more League of Legends content, check us out here!
