She's a one trick pony that needs to snow ball to win. No disengage, weak tank, no peel, very limited utility. Even as a fighter, she's not actually better than the top supports.
I remember a year ago. Everyone was freakin' out over her, demanding nerfs, despite the fact that her style is telegraphed and easy to play around.
The nerfs really didn't make that much of a difference, really. It's just sad that they were really unnecessary to begin with.
Because sometimes, you just want to play as the character Leona herself, whether you win or not, or whether Leona is God-Tier or not, that is secondary concern. You want Leona, you play Leona.
You would be surprised how many real pro players carry games on "not meta" champions or even on unconventional roles. Hell, half year ago blitzcrank was considered bronze champion, while leona was top support on every second lcs game, balance and meta changes, deal with it, it has nothing to do with afkers and trolls
Even though I don't play LoL, I know that the "Oh, people don't play what's good, they play who they like" stuff is never really as purely true as people try to make it out to be.
There are far too many characters in that game for people to get interested in any one character JUST because of backstory (who reads all of them at the start before picking a character?) or looks. The ones that are popular at the time are more likely to get chosen as early favorites, and the ones that are popular are the ones that are considered strongest, because people prefer winning to losing.
Sure, some people have loyalty to a character after they've picked it no matter how the game changes, but that doesn't erase the fact that they picked first based upon something other than that they were born liking that character.
There are far too many characters in that game for people to get interested in any one character JUST because of backstory (who reads all of them at the start before picking a character?) or looks.
Now I feel like a complete nerd for actually choosing champs based off that criteria XD
Even though I don't play LoL, I know that the "Oh, people don't play what's good, they play who they like" stuff is never really as purely true as people try to make it out to be.
There are far too many characters in that game for people to get interested in any one character JUST because of backstory (who reads all of them at the start before picking a character?) or looks. The ones that are popular at the time are more likely to get chosen as early favorites, and the ones that are popular are the ones that are considered strongest, because people prefer winning to losing.
Sure, some people have loyalty to a character after they've picked it no matter how the game changes, but that doesn't erase the fact that they picked first based upon something other than that they were born liking that character.
Well it wasn't just backstory, but even play style plays a big factor here. I mean, look at this: If they want to play support but prefers locking up your enemy for the kill, they'll take some like Thresh, Leona, Blitzcrank... or stuffs like that. Even if they don't do sustain like Sona, Taric, Soraka, and even if the current meta prefers sustain to the point that sustain is super OP, they will still prefer lockdown supports and no amount of tier list is going to change their mind.
It's all based on preference and play style, so it encompasses more than just looks. When I said all those about Leona, I don't just speak of people who finds Leona hot or likable personality-wise in their opinion, but also for those who actually likes her playstyle, good and bad. Preferring to win is fine, but to value winning as the crux of EVERYTHING... well it's not something I personally endorse. Dunno about you guys.
I mean, me, how many times has Pantheon been counted as super pro pick and winning things? None, I think. I still use him anyway. I like his kit, look and style to stick to him to an unforeseen future. And then Ashe. The ADC with no escape option and super poor laning phase. Still my #2 favorite ADC.
The thing is, there are a lot of people who don't use tier list and pro picks as the crux of everything.
