PSA On Balance

There are a few things that I would like to clear up for people in regards to champion balance.

1.  Just because a champion has a low, or high, winrate at a certain ELO does not mean that they need significant nerfs or buffs.

Yes, these trends tell us something about what the champion is capable of but they are NOT the be all end all.

Why is this?

Because their winning is not based on just themselves.  It is not even based on who is on their team alone.  It is based on so much more including player skill, the other team comp, luck, and plenty of other variables that would take far too long to list.

Why is this important?

Because when you look at champion balance through the lens of only ONE variable, you will inevitably make mistakes when you judge their strength.  You need to look at them in terms of a team, in terms of the other team, in terms of long games and short games.  You need to look at them from many different angles, which just looking at a winrate most certainly does not do.

2.  Just because a champion isn't use much does not mean they need buffs and just because a champion is used a lot does not mean they need nerfs.

This goes back to a lot of reasons that I explained for the winrate but it also has explanations of it's own.

A champion few people play can quite easily just be boring, hard to handle, misunderstood or high risk/high rewards.  It does not necessarily need to be underpowered, it can be any of these other things or more.

A champion many play could be safe, easy or fun.  It doesn't Have to be OP if it's played a lot.

It comes down again to having many variables.