Riot forced to nerf “broken” Samira in League Patch 10.19 after backlash
Riot GamesRiot has already pulled the trigger on a hefty set of nerfs for new champion Samira in LoL patch 10.19, after a wave of backlash from the League of Legends community about her “broken” abilities and overpowered state at launch.
Samira has only been out on live League of Legends servers for a day, but Riot has already been forced to reign in the power of the gun-loving Desert Rose.
Riot game developer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter confirmed the fast-tracked League patch 10.19 nerfs in a tweet on September 22. The lead designer also admitted they had to “act fast” due to her mountainous early win rates on the ladder.
Riot GamesThe new Samira nerfs were shipped onto the live server immediately. They include a huge drop for the Desert Rose’s base health — 530, down from her original 600 stat line — as well as a hefty decrease in overall damage for her ultimate.
LoL’s newest champ will now deal 0–200 (+500% total attack damage) when she activates her ultimate, “Inferno Trigger”. The style-based ability originally dished out between 100 and 300 damage, with +600% total attack damage added to the burst.
“We’re still very committed to releasing new champions long-term balanced. Sometimes we get lucky and nail on launch, but most of the time it’s about fast follow-up,” Yetter explained.
“Based on estimates, she looked too strong on day one, so we’re acting fast.”
We're still very committed to releasing new champions long term balanced. Sometimes we get lucky and nail it exactly on launch, but most of the time it's about fast follow up.
Based on our estimates and goals she looked clearly too strong on day one so we're acting fast.
— Mark Yetter (@MarkYetter) September 22, 2020
League fans furious over “broken” Samira release
Riot’s fast-pace LoL patch 10.19 hotfix was, in part, due to the backlash the champion had already been receiving online. Many believed Samira had been released in a “broken” state; something her win rates seemed to back up too.
Samira has had a 49.28% win rate in platinum and above, according to popular LoL stat-tracking website Lolalytics. On top of that, the Desert Rose has been picked in 2.52% of games.
That may not seem like much, but considering some new LoL champs have been released with win rates as low as 40%, including last year’s Worlds debutant Qiyana, to land with her overall win rate so high had Riot’s camp worried.
Riot GamesRiot have also confirmed they will be keeping an eye on Samira all the way into patch 10.20: “We will re-evaluate her state in a few more days,” Yetter said.
The new ADC will likely join champions like Katarina, Lulu, Kled, and more in having their kits reduced in power slightly in patch 10.20. Catch up on all the buffs and nerfs in the next LoL update, coming on September 29, right here.
