How LoL Champs Have Changed in 10 Years

By | January 23rd, 2019 | Categories: League of Legends

Welcome to the Summoner’s Rift, boys and girls!

2018 was an absolute whirlwind for the League of Legends community, from the introduction of perhaps the greatest number of new LoL Champs we’ve ever seen in the game to the massive overhauling the rune system. League of Legends is arguably the most popular competitive multiplayer game in existence today, but it’s been through a long journey to get to that point. Love or hate it, League of Legends certainly had an innovative year in 2018, and we can look forward to more of the same this year. With the pre-season going underway, there have been some unusual picks from high elo and pro-players in-game during solo queue as well to adjust to the patch updates.

How many LoL Champs were there during the start?

Since the game’s initial alpha launch back in 2009 when it had a mere 17 champions, the playable character pool has expanded to its current list of 142 champions. The most recent of these was added to the last patch update of 2018, namely Neeko, the Curious Chameleon. What’s more, there’s a new champion coming out as well to start 2019 off with a bang: Sylas the Unshackled.  It’s fascinating to see how much a game and its champion pool change shape from its original incarnation, and Riot Games seems to have no intention of slowing down any time soon.

For more League of Legends, check this out: League of Legends Jungle Guide to Climb Better

Which Champs changed the most?

  1. Galio
  2. Irealia
  3. Taric
  4. Urgot 
  5. Yorick

Almost every champion that was released during the early phase of the game saw changes ranging from the minute adjustments to major makeovers. Small changes included skill ratio and effect alternations–while larger changes include major redesigns to some champions’ skills. Out of the many that were updated to become relevant in-game, there are a couple of champions who were heavily altered.

1. Galio: The Colossus

Galio is a champion that’s quite popular in both ranked and professional play these days. However, he was quite a rare sight before he was reworked. After being treated with contempt for a considerable amount of time, Galio saw a complete makeover and came back as a completely new champion, with his character design being the biggest and most positive change. With his new skill set, a tanky composition followed by a massive AoE ultimate, Galio has been a consistent pick for high ranking players as well as in the competitive scene.

2. Irelia: The Blade Dancer

Tranquil as the sea—and furious as the tempest, Irelia is that one champion that’ll leave you having a gray screen in one fell swoop if she’s on the enemy’s side. With her Bladesurge, she can easily dance around you in a 1v1 situation if there are creeps nearby. This is due to the fact that if a creep dies due to her ability, the cooldown will reset, making it hard for you to land skill shots since she’ll be all over the place. She’s not a slacker during a 5v1 situation either. With Vanguard’s Edge, her blades will form a barrier around the opposing team, disabling them for a short amount of time, disabling them from making basic attacks and slowing them down in the process as they pass through it.

3. Taric: The Shield of Valoran

If we told you that Taric Jungle was a thing and a force to be reckoned with, would you believe us? The old Taric was definitely an oddball of sorts, but his obsession with gems is still there up until now. The memefied champion is now a tanky support that can change the course of the game with his ultimate. With the help of his second skill, Bastion, he can link himself to one ally and “loan” his AoE skills to them. With Bastion connected to your ally, you get to cast Starlight’s Touch, Dazzle, and Cosmic Radiance for your Bastion buddy as well, creating two AoE zones. Namely, his ultimate Cosmic Radiance can change the tide of the game—given it is cast at the right time and position, of course!

For more League of Legends, check this out: Things to Know About League of Legends Champion Mastery

4. Urgot: The Dreadnought

Before the rework, many were downright disgusted by the sight of Urgot. Considered as perhaps the ugliest champion in the entire league, his concept involved him having a half-mechanical body.  He lacked normal legs and his entire character design was sewn up in patches. Despite having a fairly useful kit, no one really played him. But then again, even the “useful” aspects of his kit were really situational at best, and there are a lot better champions out there during a counter situation.

Lo and behold! After his rework, League of Legends introduced him as a merciless, 6-legged killing machine. He now shows actual effectiveness in combat and his new character design coupled with his newfound ability to mercilessly grind up the enemy with his ultimate turned people’s heads and lent him the attention he sorely needed.

5. Yorick: The Shepherd of Souls

While Yorick isn’t a champion that was neglected half as much as Urgot, he was a creation of Riot that was still cast aside for a very long time. There was once a time when he was highly regarded as one of the best top laners—but the problem was that harassing lanes were all he could do. In addition, many new champions were added one after another and The Shepherd of Souls fell behind the more powerful and popular champions.

But now, he’s a completely new champion. While the rework didn’t exactly take his popularity to new heights or even make him a stronger champion, it’s still great to see Riot caring about him nonetheless. The old Yorick who had looked like the Swamp Thing’s little brother is no more.

What’s the future for old and upcoming LoL Champs?

With the e-sports industry growing, the Rift of League of Legends will continue to prosper, with their colorful champions in tow. League of Legends is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re gonna get. We’re just glad that Riot still shows love to the old LoL Champs by keeping them relevant. This, coupled with the fact that they routinely crank out new ones, can deliver a fresh experience for both veterans and newcomers alike.

For more League of Legends, check this out: League of Legends Champion Tier List for Both Queues

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