The Chaos of the 2018 Midseason Patch
The recent midseason patch for League of Legends has caused quite a stir in the esports community.
Major changes to mage itemization, jungle experience, and ADC stats have completely shifted the meta in just a few months. This has left professional players, analysts, and coaches who rely on the game in a state of discontent.
How the Summer Split Meta is Affecting Pro Teams and Players
However, this is not the first time such a disruption has occurred before the Worlds. In fact, the situation was much worse back in 2015.
The Juggernaut Rework
In the 5.16 patch, Riot Games introduced significant changes to four champions: Darius, Garen, Skarner, and Mordekaiser. They were reclassified as “juggernauts,” intended to be pure tanks who could easily charge at the enemy team.
However, Mordekaiser ended up being incredibly overpowered, thanks to a new passive ability that allowed him to gain bonus experience when laning with another champion. As a result, Mordekaiser dominated the Worlds with a stunning 17.75 KDA.
A Game-Breaking Bug
A game-breaking bug with the champion Gragas also posed a problem during the quarterfinals match between Fnatic and EDG. In the middle of the game, Fnatic jungler Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin discovered that Gragas’ Q ability was disabled.
This bug later led to Gragas, Lux, and Ziggs being disabled for the rest of the tournament. This unfortunate issue was certainly not what Riot had in mind for their fans.
The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse
The 5.16 patch was released just before the season-ending playoffs and Worlds qualifiers. This meant that the balance team didn’t have the opportunity to see the effects of the changes before the big tournament.
With no professional games on the subsequent patches, the balance team was left in the dark when it came to adjustments. This led to an unhealthy and unfamiliar meta for the players and teams, which couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Looking to the Future
The events of Worlds 2015 had a lasting impact on the League of Legends community. Riot Games now has the opportunity to balance the game before Worlds and ensure that big changes aren’t implemented during the competitive season.
While it’s important for players to have diverse champion pools, it’s unreasonable to ask them to switch lanes in the middle of a season. Just like in traditional sports, rule changes should be made during the offseason.
Thankfully, the outcome of Worlds 2015 was favorable, but not without casualties. Flash Wolves and EDG, two highly-regarded Asian teams, were defeated due to the disadvantages of the red side of the map. Going forward, Riot needs to ensure that Worlds is held on a more balanced patch.
Overall, the meta for this year’s Worlds is much more favorable, and Riot has the opportunity to address any remaining issues before the event. However, the pressure is on for the balance team to get things right.
Worlds 2015 stats via Games of Legends.
Esports, League of Legends, midseason patch, meta, Worlds 2015