League Of Legends Pros Can't Play as Ornn During Worlds
and he's got a lot of distinctive stuff on his kit that could take a bit longer than usual to [...]
The upcoming League of Legends champion Ornn definitely has the potential to shake things up with some powerful new mechanics, but the blacksmith won't be tinkering with pro play since he's been disabled during Worlds.
While it's not uncommon for newer champions to have their debut on the international stage postponed if they're released during professional tournament series, Ornn actually has more time than champs usually do to be tested. Worlds will be played on Patch 7.18 that drops 3 weeks after Patch 7.17 that will release Ornn, but even with that atypical 3-week gap, the decision has still been made to delay his primetime release.
Riot Meddler confirmed on Friday that Ornn wouldn't be seeing play during Worlds through a recent Gameplay Thoughts post.
"Been seeing the question crop up occasionally of whether Ornn will be playable at Worlds or not," Meddler stated. "It's an issue we went back and forth on a lot ourselves, our conclusion at the end though was that he shouldn't be available."
While those who enjoy watching the high-level games would've definitely enjoyed seeing the fiery Ornn building and ramming all over the Rift during Worlds, it does make sense that he wouldn't be released for the pro players just yet. With his no-recall shopping and the potential to upgrade certain teammates' items, there are plenty of ways that Ornn could alter in-game balance, much like any new champion or rework could.
"His release is only a couple of patches before the Worlds patch (7.18) and he's got a lot of distinctive stuff on his kit that could take a bit longer than usual to assess the impact of, upgraded items for his allies especially," Meddler continued. "We're really excited to see him in pro play, want to make sure we've had time to do any polish that's needed though."
Ornn is scheduled to be released next week during the upcoming Patch 7.17, so even though you won't see him at Worlds, you'll have plenty of time to try him out yourself. You can expect plenty of pros to be trying him out and showcasing the Vanguard on their personal Twitch streams as well, so keep an eye on those mediums if you're looking for tips and tricks.