That's only because League changes everything every time someone cries about a Champion being OP because the players are too lazy to figure out a counter themselves, so they kind of have to do so. The Dota 2 patch notes are here and you can see some big changes in June, then I got to December of last year and couldn't be bothered to look for the big balance changes before that as there's a huge seven month window there, a huge contrast to League's monthly patch to fix whatever the Flavour of the Month is due to their bizarre need to force a meta instead of let one develop naturally.

tl;dr: League's openness is a symptom of a pretty big problem they have.

Also, on a related note of League's negatives, thought this might be relevant to this blog:

It's about HotS, but he says everything about League's rune system that needs to be said.

And just so this post isn't a complete League hatefest: League will always be a better eSport due to Dota's RNG.

@gunslingerpanda: Oh totally, I was rather talking about the transparency and the openess they are to talking about it rather then hiding behind the veil of 'Icefrog'. Still it does show that there's a big problem when it comes to following public opinion to a degree they do.

Hey man..it's cool to hate, just ask Bane.

The frustation when you lose a game because your team decides to troll and attack the tank and not finish out. DELICIOUS!

Ah yes Nasus. He was one of the early champs I played when I was learning, he's great, tanky, sustains himself with q and if you stack his q you are a goddamn monster by the end of the game. It scales indefinitely so you can be 1 shotting champs and 2 shotting towers late game. It's nuts.

Annie is lots of fun. Her E stacks her stun but doesn't trigger it, only offensive spells proc the stun so you can stack it up on your way to lane and just auto attack and shield till its time to drop it.

Ziggs is the best champ in the game. I love him. Maybe a little too much.

@gunslingerpanda: I really hate that video because its pretty obvious TB made it to once again shout about how he hates LoL. I get it, he's pissed they didn't let him make a champ because he got all the referrals and it was a shitty thing to do, but enough is enough. I like how he talks definitively about how inflexible the rune system is despite having not played for 2 years and using MOBAFire of all things as his research tool, which is a site that doesn't have a stellar track record when it comes to guides. He doesn't like what they are introducing into HotS, and that is totally fine and I'm not really in favor of it either, but he needs to let his hatred of Riot die.

I saw that TB video popup. I didn't think it was relevant to this thread but almost linked it back to the HotS post on this very topic which I echo all of the same issues. But since it was brought up...

Again I haven't found a satisfactory answer to why runes exist in LoL beyond the monetization angle. And the irony is that Blizzard in both Diablo 3 and WoW have recognized the issue with this style of system and have actively moved away from it where moving towards this for HotS. There is a temptation that such systems offer a "secondary advancement" but they turn out to be "maintenance fee" and a "false choice" that seems to screw new players more than anything.

HotS is an interesting little idea on the MOBA game. So far in the main mode it essentially comes down to being a goal/mission oriented game and creep centric where you are completing tasks and goals to buff your creeps and they win the game for you. Killing the other players is fine and helps but securing the bonuses to allow your creep waves to push harder than your opponents is what wins the match.

I was the only support, only warder, only person who bought a courier..it was an experience

I find that this is true for most solo-queue matches, unfortunately.

@extomar: I've seen videos of HoS and I think it looks absolutely terrible..art design and map wise. Haven't played it naturally..so can't comment on that but..it looks like an episode of my little pony crossed with Warcraft and there's enough of that as there is. It's grea that it's trying different mechanics though.

@thesoutherndandy: And new players don't expect the Nasus of doom Q..which is great.

@tbk: oh man..I had my first case of Dota rage yesterday..unfortunately Panda could hear me swearing at this Crystal Maiden who didn't know how to use the Q button. I spent most of that match saying how much I hated the fucking game..and then 3 matches of happiness where everyone was being jolly happy with jolly co-operation. Each of those 3 matches we had mass disconnects on the other team.

Oh and a suciding Pudge..that guy was great.

Just briefly reading through your blog post perhaps I could suggest some champions you might be able to pick up within League.

Jayce - Most Top laners are melee and have very limited range on their abilities you can play safe abuse the range of his ranged form. Suffers because of his limited sustain but can teach the ways to trade, last hitting etc.

Vladimir - Alot of sustain in lane as his q absorbs life and doesn't require mana. His builds are little more flexible in because you can go tanky or glass cannon.

Ziggs - Ziggs is a very safe pick that you can stall out games with. You also have the comfort of staying far back in lane and using your abilities to farm. A very strong pick in proffesional play due to his wave clear and AOE damage.

Note: Been playing for just about a 18 months now. Don't really play ranked but I tend to watch alot of pro matches. http://euw.op.gg/summoner/userName=Mrgreggs

@tn04: Thanks for the suggestions..I hate melee in Dota but I'm happier with it in League. I'll take a look at your suggestions, but you're right about Ziggs..he's a laugh.

Oh, Ziggs. If you want the other midlaner to hate you (you do!) pick Ziggs. He's about as strong as traditional midlaners get.

Jayce is one of my favorite champs, but be careful as he's fairly technical. He starts with a point in his "ult" at level 1, but it's just a transformation between melee and ranged. That means that you have to juggle 6 spells instead of the usual 3 and an Ult. Elise and NIdalee are the same way. I think those champs are super fun to play, but it can be hard, in the heat of battle, to remember your positioning and get all your damage off. His full damage combos start to look like MK strings or something, if you're up for a challenge though, go for it.

@helicopterspy: I will take a look.

New blog is up....link