In League of Legends, there have always been numerous champions that have been, are, and will be released. Recently, Riot has introduced a new champion named Aurora, who is expected to be a Top Lane Mage. However, as has become routine, Riot plans to adjust or completely rework old champions when releasing new ones. In fact, in recent years, many champions have been reworked or newly released but have not met players’ expectations. Among these, there are two champions with opposing fates who are both regarded as “failures of Riot,” namely K’Sante and Naafiri.
It can be said that in the history of League of Legends up to now, there have been many “overpowered” names, but it is rare that even Riot has included a timeless meme about this champion in the loading screen. Indeed, K’Sante is still considered a “broken” product of Riot. No matter how disadvantaged he is in the laning phase, by the late game, K’Sante can still single-handedly dominate amidst the encirclement of 3 or 4 enemies at once. If K’Sante loses a match, it can only be because the opponent was too superior.
Specifically at MSI 2024, K’Sante appeared 63 times (51 picks, 12 bans). While K’Sante only has a win rate of 51%, he is the only champion picked over 20 times. He also has the third-highest win rate among champions with 10 matches or more (first is Camille with 10 matches – 70%, Zac is second with 11 matches – 66.7%).
The other name, however, has a completely opposite fate to K’Sante. While the Top Lane Fighter is criticized for being too strong, Naafiri is viewed as a failure simply because… she is too weak and does not fit into any meta. A champion Assassin, with a skill set resembling a combination of Vex and Talon, Naafiri has been deemed a failure since her introduction due to an illogical backstory that even ruins the lore of the previous Darkin champions. When this champion was released, the community faced another disappointment.
In the professional arena, Naafiri was released in the second half of 2023 but was banned only 2 times and picked once, with a win rate of 0%. In 2024, so far, Naafiri has not appeared again. She also has the lowest pick rate (0.71%) for ranks from Platinum and above.
Two champions, two fates, but both are considered “failed” products of Riot. Therefore, it is understandable that Riot would rework these two names. However, whether they will be improved or not remains something even Riot and the players cannot predict.