LoL’s latest rework misses the mark as champ’s pick rate plummets again

The visual and gameplay update for Skarner in League of Legends has proven to miss the mark, as his pick rate plummeted back down to pre-rework levels.

League of Legends has quite the history of updates to its roster. Starting all the way back in 2009, plenty of new champions have been introduced over the ages, adding more complexity and content to the MOBA.

This has left many of the older characters in a bit of a sorry state, many of whom have outdated visuals or kits that don’t mesh well with the more modern version of League of Legends. As such, the devs spend plenty of time reworking their kits, with Skarner being the most recent major visual and gameplay update.

However, it seems that Skarner’s rework might not have been as successful as the developers would’ve liked. The champion’s pick rate has plummeted to similar levels to his days before the changes.

According to League of Legends stat website op.gg, Skarner currently sits at a measly 0.62% pick rate in both jungle and top lane. Skarner, before his rework, was already a rarely picked champion, with a clunky kit that made him undesirable.

The rework did a lot to fix many of his problems, including giving him mobility to gank with. But the immense buffs gained in his rework made him too powerful. So much so that Skarner has been nerfed in five different patches with two hotfix nerfs since his release.

These nerfs have basically made him a bad pick in most situations, especially considering that he was far more successful in higher elos and pro play than lower ones.

The devs have already vowed to fix him after stating his rework had “failed”, and with only very minor changes listed in Patch 14.15, it seems that the scorpion might need to take a back seat until Riot comes up with a way to make the character more viable and popular once more.