A League of Legends champion designer has come out swinging on behalf of the assassin meta. In a pair of tweets posted earlier this week, senior champion designer August Browning suggested that not only is it perfectly acceptable that some champions can obliterate their opponents in a fraction of a second, but that it actively benefits the game.
Browning said that “Rengar (and champs like him) instantly one-shotting you is good for League of Legends” and that “the game becomes a lot more bland when every single matchup gets reduced down to ‘dodge the skillshot to see who’s Faker’,” referring to the three-time world champion known for his fancy feet.
Browning went on to say that “part of League’s longevity and depth comes from the fact that it supports multiple extremely different ways to be good at the game. Some ways to win are tactical (dodge skill shots) some are strategic (group with team to not be murdered by alpha-lion).” While Browning’s statements are sure to be just a little controversial, I actually think that he might have a point.
Now, be aware that I’m coming at this from the perspective of a bot-lane main, so I’m very used to being blown apart by Rengar (or Akali, Talon, Ekko, and any number of other assassins, for that matter). But part of what makes League of Legends entertaining is figuring out how to deal with those obstacles.
Opinion:
Rengar (and champs like him) instantly one-shotting you is GOOD FOR LEAGUE OF LEGENDS. The game becomes a lot more bland when every single matchup gets reduced down to "dodge the skillshot to see who's Faker" pic.twitter.com/WawSw8c5Pq
— August Browning (@RiotAugust) May 15, 2019
ADC against a team full of mages? Grab a Hexdrinker and make sure your support has an Aegis. Squishy carry with an angry knife-cat on the prowl? Hide next to your teammate and pray that that hyper-fed Rengar doesn’t come anywhere near your new wall of bodyguards.
Related: Stay up to date with the League of Legends patch 9.11 notes
It’s worth pointing out that Browning did design Rengar, but given that he also designed Jinx and Jhin, I’m gonna give him a pass. Getting blown up in less than a second is never fun, but as long as there are ways to play around it, I’m coming down firmly on the same side as the developer on this one. At least until the next time a Rengar tears me limb-from-limb.