I love champion guides. The amount of effort it takes to write one, the details in which some of these guides go into are truly worth reading over and I often refer to them when playing a new champion or using mechanics that I have yet to adjust to or just plain suck at (I’m looking at you, Fizz). My fellow bloggers have published quite a number﻿ recently and I would be lying if I said that I didn’t find these both useful and interesting coming from people who, in all likelihood, are much better at League of Legends than I am.

But I’ll go ahead and say it anyways: Guides single-handedly ruin the LoL metagame.

Yes, I’m a hypocrite. After all, I am contributing to this “plague” by using builds and methods suggested in some guides, and several of them have stuck when I play particular champions. But there’s a difference in using guides as references and using guides as a predefined law on how to build champions.

Boots and 3 red pots? Clearly a bad Ahri. (Art by Kerumu﻿)

While 93 champions adds much variety to team compositions and game mechanics, the intricacy of item builds and champion utilization add a new layer of complexity to League of Legends. The combination of proper gold management and stat-padding in conjunction with runes and masteries separate the good from the great players. The synergy between smart mechanics and smart champion utilization is what makes League of Legends appeal to the masses, while allowing it to become the subject of theory crafting and role analysis akin to MMO levels.

Therefore, locking into a particular build or champion role creates for a stagnant game. Too often have I played a game where a teammate berates me for building particular items or using an unusual champion to clear jungle (Blitzcrank, anyone?). Though I have mentioned before that I often use guides as a template, I feel that item builds should be fluid, and based around what will do the most harm to the enemy team. So while often my item builds may follow in line of some of the guides available, often times the order in which I build, or methods in how I use my champion, will differ.

I understand that guides are made for ultimate champion optimization, but what does that say about innovation? To give a more practical example, look at AD Kennen. Seldom played before a particular tournament, but thanks to a little creativity, it’s no longer looked down upon as an unviable option in queue. Some may consider such things as another flavor of the month, but even highly regarded “tier lists” such as Elementz are subject to it, showing a little creativity goes a long way in influencing how we play.

AD Kennen, the cool kids all play it.

Guides should remain exact that: guidelines, and nothing more. Human beings are capable of imagination, so why not run that crazy new build you’ve been dying to try, or use a particular champion in a role they’re not traditionally played? If you can find a harder-hitting build or more efficient way of using a champion, that can only lead to advantages over the enemy team. And someone else will undoubtedly try to one-up that build, or redefine how to play that champion. With such constant innovation, a fluid metagame can only invigorate League of Legends and shape the way we play this game we love and enjoy.