Riot Games has allowed certain “game-breaking” abilities and features to persist in League of Legends, sometimes repeatedly, across its numerous updates spanning over a decade. Over time, players have come to associate certain negative aspects with the game, which remain ingrained in their memories.
It’s surprising to think that Riot Games, with its extensive experience spanning 200 years collectively, would let these mechanics endure in League of Legends. However, let’s delve into the champion abilities that have caused historical uproar due to their overwhelming nature.
Mechanics that got removed from League of Legends
Irelia’s disarmed ultimate
Take the original version of Irelia, for example, which birthed the infamous “Better nerf Irelia” meme within League of Legends. This version of Irelia, with her powerful mechanics, seemed to excel in every aspect a champion needed.
From bonus damage and attack speed upon landing abilities, to dealing increased damage to shielded opponents, and even possessing healing abilities and cooldown resets, Irelia seemed unstoppable. Her kit, featuring reductions in all incoming damage and a disarming effect that left opponents helpless, made her nearly unbeatable in duels. Consequently, Riot Games had to continuously trim her abilities and apply nerfs to maintain balance.
Akali’s smoked bomb
Similarly, the original Akali remake stirred controversy with its overwhelming kit, including high damage output, healing abilities, and the ability to maneuver through terrain. One particularly contentious feature was the stealth mechanism within her Smoke Bomb, making it nearly impossible for opponents to navigate.
Despite player outcry, it took Riot Games several iterations and seasons to address these issues, gradually toning down Akali’s abilities and restoring balance into a normal champion in League of Legends.
Mordekaiser’s pet
The Gladiator of the Bottom Lane, Mordekaiser, introduced one of the most polarizing versions in League of Legends history. His ability to summon a dragon spirit as a pet and push lanes with ease became a staple strategy, dominating professional tournaments with near-perfect ban/pick ratios.
Mordekaiser’s overwhelming strength in the bot lane, coupled with the supportive meta of League of Legends that time, allowed him to snowball to victory effortlessly. Eventually, Riot Games had to remove this mechanic in subsequent versions in preparation for a Mordekaiser rework.
Aatrox revival
The post-rework version of Aatrox tackled the problem of his previously straightforward kit by introducing flashy abilities. These abilities encompassed everything from hard CC, to soft CC like slowing and pulling opponents, and even increased mobility with a dash.
Additionally, he could heal from both basic and ultimate abilities. Perhaps most frustratingly, he gained the ability to transform into an untargetable target (in the first rework) and then resurrect upon his death (in the second rework).
Although Riot Games eventually removed the resurrection aspect from his kit, Aatrox remains a strategic pick in League of Legends, favored by many professional players even today.
Jax ‘doging’ turrets
Jax recently underwent a rework, but his signature ability, Counter Strike, remained unchanged. This ability allows him to dodge all basic attacks (excluding those from towers) for a brief period. However, this ability is now considerably weaker compared to its original iteration.
Initially, Jax’s Counter Strike was a passive ability that granted him a bonus dodge chance of 10-18%. Upon successfully dodging an attack, he could activate the ability to stun nearby enemies. Coupled with items and runes that further boosted his dodge chance, Jax could achieve a dodge rate of up to 34.5%, meaning he could dodge at least one out of every three attacks.
Furthermore, this ability even allowed him to dodge attacks from structures like towers and inhibitors. Recognizing the imbalance, Riot Games removed the passive dodge chance and reworked Jax to prevent him from dodging attacks from structures.