League of Legends’ highly anticipated Arena mode finally returned in League Patch 14.9, and while Riot Games is already spruiking how great the numbers have been, some players are already starting to complain about the “boring metagame.”
Balance boss Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison kick-started today’s Arena conversations, sharing the sheer number of League players diving into Arena since it went live again on X (formerly Twitter). This hype is all pretty unsurprising, especially considering the map update, upgraded shop experience (with Anvils and Prismatic items especially), and an even larger Arena size. And that’s before ranked arrives.
While the League developers also plan on implementing several Arena improvements, bug fixes, and balance changes in Patch 14.10, some players are already asking for changes—they are claiming the current tank and bruiser meta is “boring.” “Everyone only plays those [champions],” another disgruntled fan wrote on Thursday.
If Blitz’s League Patch 14.9 Arena stats are correct, they’re not wrong either. According to these early stats from Blitz, six of the top 10 champions in the Arena are tanks or brusiers: Swain, Garen, Mordekaiser, Sett, Singed, and Darius. The rest are high-damage dealers like Briar, Brand, and of course, Master Yi, who is a favorite simply due to his speed, ability to become untargetable, and healing. Unfortunately, there isn’t a place in Arena right now for champs with little to no sustainability and poor defenses and health, unless they’re paired with one of these standout powerhouse champs.
It’s gotten so bad that players have even reported seeing “at least 10 plus tanks in the arena game,” with many saying they’d wish Riot would adjust Arena so matches were based on strategy, outplays, and maneuvers rather than who has the most health. But, in saying that, there are two sides to the Arena coin, and while some League players don’t like the emerging meta, others are thriving; they love “being unkillable” and see this Arena meta as their “chance to finally be a tank” because they don’t play them on the Rift.
It’s sad to see not everyone is happy about Arena’s return. The silver lining is many of these meta-champs are from top lane and don’t often get recognition on the Rift, so it’s nice to see them shining somewhere at least. Come on, it can’t be assassins all the time.
However, if this League Arena metagame does continue when ranked drops on May 15, it may damage the two-vs-two competitive queue just as it begins.
