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Hello everyone, I’m Gaming Xiaodi.

Recently, Xiaodi came across a very interesting topic: some heroes dominate in low-tier matches but become weak links in high-tier ones. This power level is clearly unbalanced. So how should we adjust them? Buff or nerf? This question really hits the nail on the head. Among the hundreds of heroes in Honor of Kings, not every hero performs the same across all ranks. There are many like this with differences between low and high ranks — for example, Consort Yu and Angela are strong in low tiers but weak in high tiers. So how exactly should these heroes be adjusted?

Why do performances differ by rank?

Take Consort Yu as an example. Her late-game power is widely acknowledged to be strong. As long as she doesn’t fall behind early and drags the game into her item spikes, she can almost take over the match. However, the problem is that in high-tier matches, opponents won’t let Consort Yu reach the late game. She has no mobility, is weak in the early game, and requires protection. These three fatal weaknesses are magnified in high ranks. If she is repeatedly targeted, she will struggle to get back into the game for the entire match. Even if she does manage to develop, by then it’s usually time to destroy the enemy nexus, leaving little room for her to shine.

Actually, these types of heroes share common characteristics: once they are frequently targeted and disrupted, and their own mechanical skill ceiling is not high, they become very vulnerable and slump, making it hard to be effective. For example, Daji can one-shot enemies in low-tier matches, but in high-tier matches, it’s already difficult to ambush people. Moreover, her second skill’s crowd control can be avoided by abilities like CC immunity, purification, or untargetability. Once Daji enters her cooldown window, she becomes no different from a sitting duck.

A one-size-fits-all adjustment is wrong; it depends on the situation.

So the question is: should these heroes that are strong in low tiers and weak in high tiers be buffed or nerfed? Obviously, it cannot be simply summarized as just buff or nerf. Overall, there are two approaches.

First, buff the early game and nerf the late game. Heroes that are strong early can gain advantages in laning, so even if they are targeted, they can still perform well and even achieve counter-kills, adding more strategic depth. In the late game, their strength should be appropriately reduced, either by adding usage restrictions or simply lowering their numbers, so that even when the hero reaches the late game, there is room for other heroes to counter them.

Second, raise the ceiling and lower the floor. Heroes like marksmen and mages are naturally meant to be targeted. So if we want these heroes to not suffer too much when targeted, we must raise their ceiling, allowing high-rank players to use them and achieve better results while reducing the times they are targeted. For example, the recent adjustment to Bian Que followed a similar logic: his ceiling has been significantly raised compared to before. Lowering the floor means leaving some counterplay when their late-game strength is increased. Take Bian Que again: although he has been buffed quite a bit, he still lacks strong survival tools, which leaves room for counterplay.

That’s all for today. If you found it interesting, feel free to give a like to support me. If you have anything to say, ask, or want to see, leave a comment below — I’ll read them all!

No game unknown, no event unlearned; I am Xiaodi, let’s chat joyfully!

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