The upcoming 2023 season of League of Legends is right around the corner, and Riot has revealed some of the changes they have in store for the first patch of the year.
In a game with over 160 champions, it becomes challenging to keep them all balanced and make necessary adjustments. To address this, Riot is focusing on the champs that haven’t received any changes in a long time. Here are seven champions that could use some attention.
Alistar
Alistar, the support champion, fell out of the meta early in the previous season. This was because the meta was dominated by enchanters and hyper-carries.
Alistar did receive a small buff in Patch 12.14, but it wasn’t enough to improve his position in the rankings. Currently, his pick rate is less than three percent at Platinum Elo and above, according to u.gg.
Enchanters are still popular in the bot lane, and champions like Thresh or Blitzcrank are the best counters to them, leaving little room for Alistar to shine.
Braum
Similarly, Braum also fell off the radar last year. His play rate is at a mere 1.5 percent, making him the sixth least-popular support champion at Platinum Elo and above.
Braum’s playstyle doesn’t align with the current meta. He is a warden champion who can’t play as aggressively during the laning phase as other champions in his role. Additionally, he is too slow to protect his allies effectively. The meta champions excel at bursting down their targets quickly, giving Braum no time to react.
Braum hasn’t received any buffs since Patch 12.9, and even if he did, his unique kit might still prevent him from becoming a relevant pick right now.
Nidalee
Nidalee has always been a challenging champion to master. While she may not have much success at lower Elo ranks, her win rate at the Master level shows that she’s not as weak as she seems.
However, Nidalee hasn’t received any buffs or changes since Patch 12.10, when her base healing and corresponding AP ratio were nerfed. Buffing her would be a delicate task since she already has a high skill ceiling, and increasing her stats could make her overpowered. Therefore, we might not see any changes for Nidalee in the near future.
Qiyana
In Patch 12.15, Riot nerfed an interaction with First Strike that allowed Qiyana to stack gold at a faster rate than intended. Since then, her presence in solo queue has drastically decreased.
Qiyana is also a mechanically-intensive champion who was repeatedly nerfed throughout season 12. Her play rate has dropped to less than four percent in the last few patches, and her win rate is also below 50 percent. It might be time for Riot to consider some buffs for Qiyana.
Rumble
Rumble’s popularity has declined for almost a year and a half. He received a major change that made him viable in the jungle, but he was quickly nerfed and became obsolete in both the jungle and top lane.
Riot hasn’t touched Rumble since the durability patch, more than half a year ago. As a result, his play rate is almost nonexistent. However, with Riot planning to focus on AP items this season, there might be hope for Rumble to make a comeback.
Urgot
Urgot has been completely forgotten as a top laner. While he received some adjustments in Patch 12.10, they were insignificant in improving his overall state.
Urgot struggles in team fights due to his lack of mobility and clunky combos. The current meta does not favor him, and there are stronger juggernaut champions without such significant weaknesses. Urgot’s pick rate is very low, sitting around two percent.
Vel’Koz
Lastly, we have Vel’Koz, who rarely receives changes. While he is a niche pick played by a few, he is quite strong as is. His play rates as a mid laner and support champion are relatively low.
Vel’Koz has a unique and challenging kit, which results in a balanced state. Given his positive win rates across various levels of play, we shouldn’t expect any changes for Vel’Koz anytime soon.
In conclusion, these seven champions need attention from Riot to make them more viable and balanced in the game. Alistar, Braum, Nidalee, Qiyana, Rumble, Urgot, and Vel’Koz could all use some love. Let’s hope Riot listens to the community and considers making the necessary adjustments.