For about two years, one class of champion was tanky, hard-hitting, easy to play and had almost no weaknesses. Everyone played it. Breaking it took a ton of systems and content work.
class shapes
Every class has a hole
Click a class. Each one spends the same power budget, and its weak stat is how the enemy beats it.
power budget
Numbers are illustrative 0 to 10 scores, not real game stats.
why it spread
Strong + easy = everywhere
Strong champions get picked by good players. Easy champions get picked by everyone. Push the bruiser into the corner and watch the lobbies fill up.
10 solo-queue games: each dot is a top or jungle pick ( bruiser, anything else)
no single fix
Breaking the meta
Turn on the fixes one at a time. Notice how little any single one moves the needle.
Bruiser share of top & jungle picks
Effects are illustrative. Dates point at real Riot changes from different eras.