The first signs of the return of heavy tankers emerged as early as the pre-season of 2020, when the Conqueror rune lost its true damage and the Steal was removed. These were excellent tools against tank champions, and their disappearance made this class of characters easier to breathe. However, that doesn’t mean they became the meta; simply put, Fighters were still too strong while tankers only served their purpose of soaking damage.
In patch 10.4, the Fire Cloak item was renamed to Sacrifice Equipment with the effect that whenever it immobilizes an enemy, it deals additional damage that scales with bonus health. This is when the League of Tanks or League of Resilience returns, as tank champions now possess both superior sturdiness and the ability to deal significant damage from early on. Remember that tank items are much cheaper than pure damage items.
Not only the items were buffed, but tank champions, besides Ornn and Sett, have also been consistently buffed recently. Sejuani received buffs to various stats including health per level, armor, magic resist from her passive, and base attack speed, combined with the new effect of the Demon Fire Spell, making her forest clearing ability incredibly fast.
Zac is also a similar case; buffs to this champion’s damage have been around since season 9, and the buffs from the aforementioned Sacrifice Equipment category were the final catalyst that made this champion strong. In fact, with a top lane build using the Conqueror rune, our “bubble prince” can be considered a flexible choice, performing well both in the jungle and top lane.
These changes immediately impacted the professional scene. Ornn naturally became the strongest champion in the game, with an almost absolute ban/pick rate in all professional tournaments. Sejuani and Zac gradually secured their place in the jungle. Another tanker, Maokai, is currently rising to fame in the LPL tournament, as SofM’s Suning recently faced harsh consequences for allowing eStar to pick this tree in crucial matches.
Although they are currently dominating, there are still ways to lessen the power of these tankers. Trundle is the best name to counter tankers, as his ultimate can siphon a lot of defensive stats from opponents. Kalista is also a strong counter to tanks, as her items and playstyle are designed to obliterate the shields of opponents. It’s no coincidence that The Shy has been spamming this champion in Korean rank and at LPL.
The League of Resilience currently is the result of a series of updates from Riot Games. From altering runes, reducing the power of counters, to direct buffs, everything is geared towards the dominance of heavy tankers. Riot has also recognized this and has sought to buff the Duskblade, an item that counters tankers, in patch 10.5, but it seems that is not enough. Perhaps we will have to witness these tankers wreaking havoc for a long time to come.