Riot Games Balancing Champions: The Impact of Movement Speed Nerfs
Riot Games has often been criticized for their approach to balancing problematic champions in League of Legends. Many players feel that simply reducing movement speed by five points is not an effective solution. However, developer David “Phreak” Turley recently shed light on the matter and explained the true impact of these nerfs.
Recently, Zeri, a powerful AD carry known for her dominance in professional play, received a movement speed reduction with the Worlds patch. A Redditor bravely questioned whether this change was actually a nerf. Phreak responded by stating that it decreases the champion’s win rate by approximately one percent.
In a post on September 18, Phreak explained, “The last time we did this was earlier this year to Nidalee, and it resulted in a win rate drop of slightly less than one percent. Nidalee benefits less from base movement speed due to her ability to Pounce, but a reduction of about one percent is acceptable in this case.”
In the past, champions such as Irelia, Nidalee, and Kassadin have all received similar movement speed nerfs after causing havoc in both solo queue and professional play. Many players believed that these nerfs had little to no impact on the champions’ power levels. However, the reality is that movement speed is a crucial stat that can provide a significant advantage over enemies.
To illustrate the value of movement speed, let’s consider AD carries as an example. These champions rely primarily on their mechanical skills and auto attacks, as they lack burst damage or hard crowd control. During teamfights, AD carries need to quickly kite enemies. This is where items like Zeal come into play, offering bonus movement speed that allows players to create distance between themselves and their foes.
Movement speed is not only important for AD carries, but also for other champions. It is a valuable yet often overlooked stat that allows you to chase down enemies, escape dangerous situations, and reach objectives in a timely manner. In other words, the minus-five movement speed nerf is not just a mere meme, but a significant adjustment to a critical game mechanic.
Related: Kai’Sa narrowly avoids nerfs in LoL Worlds patch, 3 others not so lucky.