S16 trailer receives backlash

Each LOL season introduces fresh content to offer players a different gaming experience. The recently launched S16 season on the Chinese server has sparked extensive discussion and debate. For example, the S16 trailer was widely criticized, with many viewers feeling that Riot’s CG quality has dropped sharply. Numerous champions’ facial models were distorted in the trailer, particularly Sona’s face model, which left many fans frustrated.

Besides the criticism of the S16 season trailer, the new season also brought back many classic items that have stirred players’ conversations. Items like the “Hextech Gunblade” and the blue mana-draining dagger crafted from “Youmuu’s Blade,” which were once removed by designers, have returned this season. However, the most complained-about change is the renaming of “Luden’s Tempest” to “Luden’s Echo,” along with reverting the item’s icon to its original look. Many viewers mocked the designers for such changes, accusing them of trying to fool players.

The most overpowered item of S16 revealed

In addition to the return of classic LOL items, this season also introduced many “overpowered” new items, such as the AD item “Demon Hunter’s Crossbow,”which guarantees 100% critical strike on the next three attacks after using an ultimate. If already at maximum crit, these attacks deal true damage.” Another AD item is “Hextech Lens C44,”which increases attack range by 100 after killing an enemy, dealing more damage the farther the shot travels. The assassin item “Shadow Greatsword” (the ward-clearer)deals additional true damage (50 + 150% armor penetration) on the next attack against an enemy champion if they have been unseen for 1 second, beyond normal ward clearing.

Among these new items, the brand-new mage item “Realizer” is widely regarded by viewers as the most overpowered item in S16. ([Active] Mana Manifest (60-second cooldown): For 8 seconds, your mana is empowered. While empowered, your skills cost 100% more mana, and you gain an additional (15 + 0.005% bonus mana)% bonus to skill damage, shield strength, and healing effects, and your base skill cooldowns recharge 30% faster.)

Faker predicts this item will be nerfed

T1’s mid laner Faker praised this item’s power multiple times during his stream, predicting that the designers will nerf it in the future. The item is currently considered “overpowered” because its active cooldown is very short, allowing it to be fully charged almost every team fight. Moreover, the item provides absurd bonuses to certain champions; for example, the recently popular top lane Ryze, who benefits from the level 20 cap on top lane and this item, has become the highest win rate champion.

There is also a bug with this item where if the player dies during the active effect, the “Mana Manifest” effect remains permanently. (This bug has pros and cons: the upside is extremely high skill damage, but the downside is very high mana consumption when clearing minions. For Ryze, clearing two waves can drain all mana. Designers have not yet fixed this bug, so players should be cautious since the item’s active cooldown is short and there’s no need to intentionally exploit this bug.)

Conclusion

With Ryze topping the win rate charts thanks to the new item “Realizer,” I strongly suspect that the designers’ next patch will first nerf Ryze, then the new item, and once Ryze’s win rate bottoms out, they will buff him again. What do you think— is this new item really that strong? Besides Ryze, which other champions do you think suit this item?