With over 12 years of League of Legends history, Ryze stands out as one of the most important champions both in gameplay and lore. In cinematic videos, Riot portrays Ryze as a “superhuman” protector of Runeterra. But when it comes to gameplay, Ryze has become a prime example of Riot’s poor balancing, having been reworked so many times yet still frequently criticized for his power level.
Most recently, with Ryze’s win rate hitting rock bottom, Riot once again disappointed players by rolling out only a minor buff. If you didn’t know, Ryze’s current win rate sits around 40-42%, which is extremely low compared to other champions. Instead of a full-scale buff, Riot is only increasing the power of his E ability, Spell Flux, in patch 12.11.
As soon as Riot announced patch 12.11, players immediately expressed their anger and criticized Riot’s treatment of Ryze. Some even said what was once a tragedy has now turned into a joke. A complaint post on the League of Legends subreddit quickly gained nearly 5,000 upvotes and strong community support.
The biggest frustration for players isn’t just Ryze’s power level but how Riot has simplified his gameplay. Right now, Ryze basically only has one damaging combo: E then Q. Sometimes players use W with E to root enemies, but most of the time it’s just E-Q. For any League player, playing a champion with only two buttons is pretty boring.
Because of this, many players think it’s time for Riot to rework Ryze’s abilities again since they’ve basically broken the champion. No matter what happens in the future, Ryze will likely be remembered as a symbol of Riot’s struggles with balancing champions in League of Legends history.
