Nike solo started running ranked a few weeks ago, and then creeped it's way into the spl. So why did Hi-Rez decide to buff a character that's already doing really well? Like, are they just not paying attention? I really don't understand how they thought this character needed buffs when she's already performing well at high levels.
External link →But if she was good enough already, then why buff her? why dont they just go:
"We're not buffing Nike because she's actually broken, we have no idea why you guys aren't playing her, but y'all are sleeping on nike rn"
Why buff Nike just because people aren't playing her even though she's really good? If a gods secretely op then why not wait for people to realize she's op, don't buff them preemptively, just say:
"This god is actually broken as f**k, you guys are missing out"
Because it doesn't always work that way. Things that players value and statistical win rate don't always align. For example, Hades has been basically top 10 for years at this point. Not a modest amount of time, years. If we nerfed him I don't think people would be fully on board with it.
We tend to evaluate based on win rate (with supplemental stats), popularity, and high level competitive use case. Mattene is basically correct. Nike was generally perceived as underwhelming, seeing a low use at high level and struggling to see play elsehwere even though her stats were solid. Buffs tend to have anywhere from 2 months to 2 weeks of buildup time before we announce them. Perceptions can shift during that time and when they shift as we get very close to a patch it can become tricky.
This often comes down to a debate between Win Rate being a "valid" stat or not. Some feel Win Rate should be the only metric, while others see it as a relatively meaningless stat. The truth is somewhere in the middle (as with most things) and we in the last year have really been more towards players perception as a more important factor that being right in the stats. We do use these stats obviously to validate/inform our decision making but it isn't the only metric we consider.
I think win rate and ban rate matter the most when it comes to the numbers. Sometimes pick rate can mean the god is fun but not that good like Janus.
Also player perception can change in a day based on if a god sees play in SPL like what happened to Nike. But SPL is not normal/ranked play for 99% of everyone else that plays Smite and some gods still feel bad/not that great even when played in SPL.
That being all said, I think you guys have been doing a fine job with making sure gods are fun and have a place. Keep up the good work!
I bundled it into high level competitive use case as ranked ban rate and SPL often have parallels but should have been more specific. Ban Rate is a major stat we look at.
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