Version 10.6 will be the next update released by Riot to refresh League of Legends, bringing changes, adjustments, and balance. Trying to innovate is good, but not every change leads to a positive impact or satisfies player expectations.
Here are the 5 things players least want to see in the upcoming version 10.6:
1. More “new” jungle champions
In version 10.4, a plethora of champions that were not designed to be junglers received numerous buffs to encourage experimentation in this new role, including Darius, Garen, Gnar, and Zed, among others. By version 10.5, even more buffs were provided to champions like Poppy and Mordekaiser, but in reality, these two consecutive buff waves did not increase the diversity of the jungle champion pool at all.
This is because the current jungle meta revolves around certain champions with strong early game power at level 3 due to the lack of gold and experience points that jungle camp changes bring. From levels 1 to 3, strong early-game junglers like Lee Sin, Elise, Rek’Sai, and Jarvan IV can successfully execute ganks while their opponents struggle to do the same. Meanwhile, late-game champions have to delay their ganking capabilities, and by the time they reach the necessary level, laners have already out-leveled them by up to 2 levels.
This power disparity makes champions like Malphite, Kha’Zix, Nocturne, and Evelynn relatively difficult to play in the current meta. Instead of trying to add more “new” jungle champions, jungle camps should be adjusted to allow more level 6 junglers to return to the meta.
2. Wukong’s rework being too OP
The reworked Wukong has been teased by Riot on the PBE servers for a few weeks now, but it seems he will soon officially appear in version 10.6 or 10.7. Champions reworked in recent years have often tended to be overly OP to the point of being unbalanced, such as Mordekaiser, Urgot, and Aatrox.
If Wukong is not carefully reworked, he could quickly become a disaster, requiring numerous nerfs that might render him nearly unplayable, similar to Akali’s case. Balancing a champion is an extremely challenging task, so if Riot doesn’t want to “shoot themselves in the foot,” they should work hard before launching Wukong.
3. Continued nerfs to Sett and Ornn
To be fair, Sett and Ornn are not the main reasons why the top lane is in such a poor state right now. In fact, they are seen as bright spots showing how the top lane could be if the right changes were made. Top laners, especially fighters, have historically had to purchase the most expensive items in the game. Galeforce, Sterak’s Gage, and Trinity Force all cost over 3000 gold, while items for mid-laners, supports, and tanks are often much cheaper.
This cost disparity allows support champions like Janna, Sona, and Soraka to go top and lose lane while still acquiring items faster than their opponents. Both Ornn and Sett have gold advantages since Ornn can upgrade his items with his passive Master Craftsman while Sett’s abilities can work extremely well with just the Trinity Force.
Changing the costs of items for top laners could be a feasible solution, but nerfing Sett and Ornn will only mask the issues in that lane.
4. Nerfing unique champions that shine in their roles
In a similar vein, champions that rarely appear in League of Legends should be encouraged and supported when they bring unique and positive impacts to the game. For example, when Bard suddenly shines despite not being considered one of the best support champions in version 10.4, he should have been played more, and the meta should have been allowed to shift around him. Instead, he was immediately nerfed and vanished from the game again.
“New” champions should be encouraged rather than punished for acting as a counterpoint in a meta dominated by tanky supports and level 3 junglers. Allowing these champions to shine will keep the game fresh and ensure players enjoy the experience.
5. The tedious extended game meta continues to be sustained
There haven’t been many changes in Season 10 regarding the top champions in each role. Every position has about two or three strong champions, and even with nerfs to champions like Aphelios, Senna, Sett, and Ornn, nothing has really changed. To avoid a dull meta dragging on too long, version 10.6 should allow “quirky” options to remain viable once they perform well and can compete against other strong champions in the current meta.
For instance, Katarina has begun to return to professional play since version 10.3 and should continue to be viable due to her mobility challenging traditional meta choices like Ezreal, Aphelios, Varus, and Miss Fortune. This is precisely what players want to see more of in the upcoming version 10.6.