The Update Allegedly “Stealth Buffing” T1
As we know, at different stages, Riot releases various updates with adjustments depending on the previous version. The period from MSI 2024 to the recent Summer Split group stage has witnessed the dominance of the AD Mid Lane meta. This playstyle has contributed to empowering a series of players and teams already accustomed to the “carry” Mid Lane gameplay. However, in return, almost an entire roster of Mages has disappeared, leading to an excessive bias towards AD playing mid. Therefore, in the recent updates, Riot has continuously adjusted and helped champions like Azir and Orianna have a chance to return.
However, recently, another update from Riot has been released, and a series of champions have appeared on the buff list. Notably, most of them are familiar Mages in the Mid Lane position (Lissandra, Twisted Fate, Ryze). There are two Marksmen included: Caitlyn and Varus, while the Jungle position features two names: Kindred and Graves. Particularly, many of these champions (Lissandra, TF, Ryze, Caitlyn, Varus) are T1’s preferred picks, which has sparked controversies.
T1 Also Struggles to “Benefit”
This has led to debates suggesting that Riot is still “stealth buffing” T1. However, in reality, Ryze still finds it difficult to return to the professional scene because his skill set is not very versatile, especially his ultimate having almost no impact in team fights. Meanwhile, Lissandra and TF are not high win-rate champions for the T1 stars. If anything, only Caitlyn and Varus are Gumayusi’s “signature champions”. Thus, it could be that Riot has been unfairly criticized this time.
– “If Ryze plays well, just ban this champion when playing against T1.”
– “Ryze helps Kiin, and he really likes this champion and plays it well. But in reality, this second consecutive version is also T1’s preference.”
– “Riot is trying to maintain its biggest asset.”
– “Caitlyn definitely has about a 30% win rate in solo queue and is getting buffed.”
Furthermore, whether a champion is strong or weak depends heavily on the user. Take T1, for example, with cases like Gumayusi’s Senna fluctuating in performance, and Twisted Fate having a very low win rate in Zeus’s hands… Therefore, if the game situation is unfavorable, the strategy doesn’t meet expectations, or performance declines, then even using meta champions can hardly secure a win.