Riot dev hints at role changes coming for Pantheon in League of Legends

A Riot Games developer has hinted at a possible role change for Pantheon in League of Legends after the 2021 preseason, following concerns from fans of the champion.

Pantheon’s major rework in July 2019 saw him receive way more power than Riot had initially expected and he quickly became the most banned champion towards the latter half of Season 9.

However, since the champion’s nerfs in the following months, the Unbreakable Spear has yet to truly find his place back in the League of Legends roster, appearing as an off-meta pick in different roles throughout 2020.

In the lead up to Worlds 2020, he has surprisingly been seen as a support pick more than any other position, but many Pantheon mains are unhappy with his current state.

As he has previously been seen as a competitive jungle and solo lane champion, fans have been calling for Riot to make him a viable pick in other roles once again.

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League of Legends dev Riot Phlox responded to one Pantheon fan during a Solo Q match and claimed that he was eyeing up some possible changes to give him more strength as a jungle or top lane champion.

The dev’s response was shared to the ‘Pantheon Mains’ subreddit on September 11, where Phlox later followed up with a full update in regards to the popular champion.

“We’ve been looking at Panth for a little bit now in terms of top being brought down by other roles,” Phlox explained, revealing plans to work on the champ when the opportunity arises, “there’s no guarantees anything will get done, since this isn’t a must-be-done project but I’m interested in doing it when I have time.”

However, with a major item overhaul due to arrive in November, including the addition of new Mythic Items, many of the current champions will be indirectly affected by this change in the coming months.

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As a result, Riot Phlox explained that the changes “wouldn’t start until after the preseason” to make sure they can still balance the champions ahead of League’s Season 11.

While the champ is still not guaranteed to receive a change anytime soon, the fact that Riot are aware of Pantheon’s recent struggles will likely come as good news to those who play him.