PhreakRiot

FWIW I can see that being intentional: If you're on the League subreddit odds are you're a long-time player and this has no impact on you.

And even if you're a not-yet-player, I can't imagine the marketing tagline, "Now you get more champions quicker!" is going to push you over the edge.

I'd expect this is probably a "show, not tell" type of change.

Source: I don't work in marketing at all. Well, I guess Champion Spotlights count, but still.

Unlike most episodes, I didn't have the ability to react to how the patch actually landed: This was recorded on Wednesday morning, basically the same time the patch itself came out. So without a way to see how big the changes were outside of guesswork, I erred on the side of "people don't tend to play this champ in pro, so that's probably going to remain true."

I think Riot will generally be committed to finding ways to get Sylas's win rate and pro playrate both to acceptable levels. This is probably going to be quite difficult: He does have about 5 auto-attack resets after all.

But things like removing him from one role (flex picks are pro-specific) and opening up counter-picks are often effective.

No guarantees it gets perfect, but they've made headway on champions like Ryze and Azir.

Thanks! :)

Yes, I agree 40% presence is quite high. Malzahar was a meta pick (mostly as Support, but still) up until Worlds. But he wasn't in meta for Worlds itself. That's the distinction I'm making: Players clearly knew Malzahar existed, they all picked and banned around him all year long. But when Worlds came along, despite being familiar with him, most teams decided he wasn't worth picking.

One thing to point out is that these videos are the result of ~30-60 minute sit-down interviews, and they cut down to the pithy parts and make a 5-minute video. In talking about SSG at Worlds that year, Crown was the only person I'd call a "Malzahar player." Both Caps picks were last-pick mid lane after several bans and picks pinched his pool. Crown is the only player who said, "Yes, Malzahar is a good pick." And I completely stand by that. SSG was the only team that actually valued Malzahar. That's undeniably true.

I write the script for these videos.

Except Malz was absolutely a sleeper pick. This is a champion who had a ~40% presence across the entire year of 2017. And yet at Worlds, it was really only there because of Crown. Of the 10 Malzahar picks at Worlds, 6 of them were Crown. Everyone else had ditched it.

Xiaohu didn't play it until after Crown did. Caps is the only other player who played the champion at Worlds that year In fact, in the entire playoff bo5 between the only other two Malzahar players, it was picked once and never banned. The only other two players to play the champion didn't even care. This is a champion that disappeared from pro play and Crown is the one who brought it back. It was not in consideration for basically any other mid laner and yet was a championship-winning pick.

Malzahar even went on to remain a relative pro staple with 20% presence across the entire next year.

Malzahar was a completely under the radar OP mid laner at Worlds 2017.

And there ...

Look at them, they come to this place when they know they are not pure. Tenno use the keys, but they are mere trespassers. Only I, Vor, know the true power of the Void. I was cut in half, destroyed, but through it's Janus Key, the Void called to me. It brought me here and here I was reborn. We cannot blame these creatures, they are being led by a false prophet, an impostor who knows not the secrets of the Void. Behold the Tenno, come to scavenge and desecrate this sacred realm. My brothers, did I not tell of this day? Did I not prophesize this moment? Now, I will stop them. Now I am changed, reborn through the energy of the Janus Key. Forever bound to the Void. Let it be known, if the Tenno want true salvation, they will lay down their arms, and wait for the baptism of my Janus key. It is time. I will teach these trespassers the redemptive power of my Janus key. They will learn it's simple truth. The Tenno are lost, and they will resist. But I, Vor, will cleanse this place of their...

I'm

I mean I already have and we almost released it a few years ago.

Maybe one day I'll perform it somewhere.

I feel personally attacked.

I'm just bad.

Yep. And then when I joined him on the tiebreaker cast I was ready to pop off with him.

Big Dhokes is here to stay.

His whole discography*

Relevant flair

Thanks! You too :)

Doughn't tell me how to reply to posts or I'll give you more than just a pizza my mind.

Don't quote me if I'm wrong, I'll eat a pizza either way.

Holding you to this.

Yeah, one of my favorite streamers! I watch a lot of HS.

Turns out Vander is pretty good at League of Legends.