Riot Changing Standards for Overpowered Champions in League of Legends
Riot Games is making changes to their overpowered champion (OP) line in the popular online game, League of Legends. Lead gameplay designer, Mark “Scruffy” Yetter, discussed these changes in a recent post on the Dev Corner. The OP line is used to determine if a champion is too strong and in need of nerfs based on their win and ban rates.
Framework Changes
In order to tighten the OP line and create a more balanced gameplay experience, Riot has made the following changes:
Normal Play (Iron to Gold)
- Old: A champion was considered OP if they had a win rate of 54.5% and a ban rate below the average. If the ban rate was over five times the average, the win rate threshold was lowered to 52.5%.
- New: A champion is now considered OP if they have a win rate of 54% and a ban rate below the average. If the ban rate is over five times the average, the win rate threshold is lowered to 52.5%.
Skilled Play (Plat to Master)
- Old: A champion was considered OP if they had a win rate of 54% and a ban rate below the average. If the ban rate was over five times the average, the win rate threshold was lowered to 52.5%.
- New: A champion is now considered OP if they have a win rate of 53.5% and a ban rate below the average. If the ban rate is over five times the average, the win rate threshold is lowered to 52.5%.
Elite Play (Grandmaster to Challenger)
- No changes have been made at this time, but Riot is working on implementing a more data-driven system based on in-game statistics like win rates to have a more accurate picture of champion balance.
Professional Play
- In professional play, pick and ban data provides a reliable representation of champion power. Riot is fine-tuning this system to reduce the number of patch notes for professional play throughout most of the year, and then increasing focus during major events like Worlds and MSI.
- Old: A champion was considered OP in professional play if they had a presence of over 90% in one patch or over 80% in two patches.
- New: A champion is now considered OP in professional play if they have a presence of over 95% in one patch or over 85% in two patches. There will be increased focus on balance for major events.
These adjustments to the OP line will help Riot Games balance champions and create a more fair and competitive meta for League of Legends players.