Our starting point for balance is Plat+ solo queue. We take balance states in other contexts into account too though, primarily when something is really dominant. If someone like Master Yi is extremely strong in Bronze we might nerf him, even if he’s not necessarily a problem in higher MMRs. Or, at the other end of things, it might mean we nerf someone like Ryze if he’s way out of line in pro play and is therefore creating a poor spectator experience, even if he’s not an issue in most other contexts.

In many cases champions are balanceable across a range of skill levels. Where that’s not the case, we’ll work to tweak their kits so they can be balanced for everyone. In some cases that’d clash with their core as a champion though (Kalista with her passive and ally interactions, for example), so sometimes we’ll end up balancing specific champs more for some audiences than others.