League of Legends' Gangplank May Be too Strong Thanks to Kleptomancy

Gangplank is one League of Legends champion that's being watched closely due to his strength, much of which seems to come from the Kleptomancy rune.

While champions are still settling in the preseason and finding their place, some champions like Ornn, Zoe, Leona, and others have stood out as formidable picks. But while Gangplank isn't exactly blowing enemy teams to shreds with his kegs and getting banned every game, he may be in line for nerfs depending on how future Kleptomancy changes affect the champion.

"GP's on our watch list as potentially too strong, from memory a decent amount of that strength is likely Klepto though," Riot Meddler said when asked about Gangplank's performance. "If recall correctly he's performing noticeably better with it than other Keystones, so reducing it's range of effectiveness a bit hopefully puts him in a good spot power wise and opens up his rune choices a bit more (Klepto still a good choice, but not as dominant in many cases)."

Kleptomancy is one rune that was specifically mentioned in the Meddler's parent post about work going into Patch 8.2 with changes to the rune geared towards closing the gap between weak and strong users. Gangplank is one that's almost certainly on the stronger side, but anyone who saw the rune before it was released could've told you that. The pirate champion's harass in lane is dependent on his mana reserves, and being able to get mana potions and other items while earning extra gold thanks to his on-hit "Q" gave the champ an ideal option for a Keystone Rune.

As for the changes to the rune itself, Meddler noted that the changes in 8.2 would change the amount that the Kleptomancy items sell for in the store. When asked about the power of the Elixir of Skill item that can be gained from the rune, Meddler was of the opinion that the item "isn't one of the major issues."