The Question Posed by Riot - A Lesson in Self-Improvement!

Riot Games is the company that created the MOBA game, "League of Legends" and it is almost every League player's dream to one day work for the company. For those who dare to apply for the largely-contested Game Designer role (myself included), there is a question posed for all incoming applicants.

"Name a poorly designed champion ability (NOT a passive) and explain why."

Many ideas quickly flood to the head - but when it comes to putting pen to paper, you realize that it isn't so much poorly designed as being overpowered or unbalanced. It doesn't necessarily mean that the ability is poorly designed per say. It's a question that is simple but tests how well you can analyze a design.

Immediately after graduating from University, I quickly pounced on the opportunity to apply as a Game Designer. When approached with the question, my approach was to quickly delve into abilities I thought were irritating in League of Legends - Morgana's E (Black Shield) which blocked all types of Crowd Control to Urgot's R (Hyper Kinetic-Position Reverser). 

I ended up writing over 1,000 words on why Urgot's Hyper Kinetic-Position Reverser was a poorly designed Champion ability. In the writing, I focused primarily on the lack of synergy with his Lore and Kit.

Looking back on it now, I don't think Urgot's ultimate is that badly designed. It's a somewhat weird ability that has an interesting effect. While I would still argue it doesn't fit with his kit/lore, it is an ability with counterplay that can promote teamwork. 

Since then, I've spent some time to learn/re-learn about Game Design - listening to talks from Game Designers and attending GDC '17. I've spent some time playing around with ideas in my head and drafting (and scrapping) them. I also began to note common trends in Game Design (especially those that competitive multiplayer games) and began to take notes and learn from them. Topics like counterplay began to be a big part of my thought process.

All this led to me re-writing my answer to the question posed by Riot. I use the question as a "test" of my game design ability and analytical ability. My thoughts changed from considering Morgana's Black Shield to considering abilities like Wu Kong's Decoy (W). I began to not just focus on the ability's effects but the opposing enemy's viewpoint as well.

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Re-written version

Pantheon (E) Aegis of Zeonia

Aegis of Zeonia is a poorly designed Champion ability due to its limited counter-play. It is a "point-and-click" ability that allows the Champion to leap to a target, stun the target for 1 second and activate the passive, "Aegis Protection". The passive protects the Champion from the next incoming basic attack or turret attack.

Aegis of Zeonia can be a frustrating ability to play against due to its "point-and-click" nature indicating that players cannot avoid it. The stun for 1 second also prevents the struck enemy to react to the ability. This is further emphasized if the Champion is in a 1 versus 1 scenario (like Top Lane) where the Champion can utilize his passive and it's reactivation from this ability to dive the enemy under Turret with more safety. This can lead to extremely frustrating gameplay for the opposing player who is already behind. 

Following the stun, the passive, "Aegis Protection" further protects Champion from the next basic attack or turret attack. It's reactivation from Aegis of Zeonia can be used as counterplay to attacks and be use it as a damage mitigation tool alongside the passives usual activation process.  This can cause further frustration especially from Top Lane or Marksman Champions that rely on usually rely on Auto-Attacks as their primary damage source. As such, the player can easily utilize his Passive and Aegis to block a lot of damage from the enemy without much skill or effort.

It's also important to note the similarities of the ability to Leona's Q (Shield of Daybreak) that also stuns a target for 1 second. While Leona involves her getting into melee range to utilize Shield of Daybreak usually by hitting the skill-shot E (Zenith Blade), Pantheon has a point-and-click guaranteed leap attached to the 1 second stun. 

In summary, Aegis of Zeonia is a poorly designed Champion ability due to its lack of clear counterplay (especially in a 1v1 scenario). As a point-and-click ability, it cannot be dodged by the player. It has a stun which prevents the enemy from flashing/escaping without taking damage from the Champion's other abilities and it has a passive refresher that can punish certain roles.