League of Legends Gameplay Thoughts: Guardian Angel
that hasn't really proven to be the case. The item is, it turns out, incredibly inefficient in [...]
The new Guardian Angel has only been available for purchase for a few weeks now, and it seems that Riot already believes that it needs attention, according to Meddler's gameplay thoughts.
"We've been testing a nerf to GA on the PBE, exploring an approach where it's less effective on champions doing really well already (higher CD, CD reduced if you're dying repeatedly, thereby bringing the total number of 'deaths' it procs on somewhat closer for winning/losing teams)," Meddler said. "That's shown some promise, we're going to hold off on shipping it or other changes for now though. It's not clear enough GA's a problem, rather than just really popular but overrated. Planning to reassess for the next patch."
While Riot seems to believe that Guardian Angel needs to be toned down, there isn't a whole lot of evidence that such is the case. While it was predicted that the new Guardian Angel would prove to be a game changer by many (editors note: including me...) that hasn't really proven to be the case. The item is, it turns out, incredibly inefficient in terms of stats, and many of the champions that would have used it in the top lane have been kept down by the rise of enormously powerful tanks such as Sejuani. Those that aren't falling pray to the tanks, such as Fiora, have been instead falling pray to the sole champion who has been using the new Guardian Angel to great effect, Pantheon.
Aside from the Leeague's lone definitely-not-a-spartan, there hasn't been any real abuse of the new Guardian Angel, and it hasn't even found it's way into the core items for Draven, who is both extremely popular and quite happy to use the stats that Guardain Angel offers. What do you all think? Does Guardian Angel need a nerf? Let us know your thoughts over on the WWG League of Legends Facebook page!
Want to hear more about the latest gameplay thoughts from the Riot Live team? Check out these other articles on the topic: Gameplay Thoughts: LeBlanc, Gameplay Thoughts: Zac, Gameplay Thoughts: Yasuo, and Gameplay Thoughts: Early Surrender. Keep tuned to WWG for all the most up to date gameplay information!