Photo credit: dotesports.com
This past weekend saw the conclusion of the League of Legends First Stand 2025 tournament, prompting the lead champion designer, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, to reflect on various developments that took place during the event.
Phroxzon, in light of the recent integration of the Fearless Draft as a mainstay in the League esports framework, shared his insights through a comprehensive post on his official X account (formerly Twitter). He delved into notable gameplay aspects, including newly introduced lane-swap mechanics and hinted at pending champion adjustments in upcoming balance patches.
Before the tournament kicked off, adjustments were made to both versions of Atakhan, a new jungle monster. Overall, Phroxzon expressed he was “pretty happy” with the evolution of lane-swapping strategies and the changes surrounding Atakhan. Currently, players who engage in lane-swapping prior to the three-minute mark are penalized with significant reductions in gold and experience points, while also empowering the opposing team’s towers. These measures were initially implemented as a temporary solution to curb the aggressive lane-swapping tendencies witnessed leading up to the tournament, indicating further revisions may be on the horizon.
The adjustments for Atakhan saw it primarily spawning in its more common Ruinous form during games, while the formidable Voracious version only emerged in matches devoid of early lane swaps. Phroxzon mentioned that certain balancing metrics remain unclear, but the changes were geared toward refining gameplay during the tournament.
A significant element of this tournament was the newly introduced Fearless Draft system, which encourages players to select a more diverse array of champions, including those not typically favored. Phroxzon sees this initiative as resembling a strategic chess match, where teams can formulate complex plans around champion selections, ensuring that they exploit their opponents’ prior picks.
In terms of champion dynamics, Phroxzon pointed out two champions that had notably varied impacts throughout the tournament: Skarner and Kalista. While Phroxzon observed that Kalista was underperforming, Skarner proved to be too versatile and effective across many facets, presenting balance challenges. He noted that while Skarner appears formidable in high-level play, regular players may struggle to harness his full potential. This discrepancy has prompted consideration for a mini-rework to amend Skarner’s abilities, although specific changes remain unspecified at this time.
During his reflections, Phroxzon also discussed the stark differences experienced when playing on servers in different countries. He found that players from regions such as Korea displayed an exceptional proficiency with champions like Lee Sin, suggesting that adjustments made for North American players could lead to inflated performance in areas where those champions are mastered.
This feedback, however, was largely anecdotal, leaving open the question of whether such observations may lead to regional balance modifications or if they were simply shared for entertainment.
Source
dotesports.com