Irelia Nerfed Again: Riot Continues to Tweak Champion’s Kit
In the latest update for League of Legends, Patch 9.2, Irelia received several nerfs. Her disarm, shield damage, and double-damage to minions were all removed, leaving only a small compensation of bonus minion damage.
Riot has now announced another nerf for Irelia on the PBE. This time, her W ability, Defiant Dance, will no longer provide damage reduction. Instead, it will only reduce physical damage, making it less effective against mages.
Questioning the Reason Behind the Nerfs
Whenever significant balance changes like these nerfs to Irelia occur, it’s important to ask, “What problem are these changes solving?” At first glance, one might assume that multiple nerfs were necessary to balance an overpowered champion. However, Irelia wasn’t that overpowered. She didn’t require this many nerfs.
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According to statistics from OP.gg, Irelia has one of the lowest win rates in the mid and top lanes, indicating that she is one of the least successful champions in the game. Her strength primarily exists in the highest levels of competitive play, such as Challenger and professional matches. She struggles in other areas.
Unfortunately, these constant nerfs will negatively impact both average players and top players. While only the best players can make Irelia overpowered, she will feel objectively weaker across the board. To address her power at the top level, Riot could have focused on nerfing her E ability, which requires a high level of skill to utilize effectively.
If the current nerf goes through testing, it will be implemented in Patch 9.3, which is expected in about two weeks.
Irelia, League of Legends, nerfs, Patch 9.2, W ability, Defiant Dance, balance changes, overpowered champion, win rates, mid lane, top lane, competitive play, skill ceiling, Patch 9.3