League of Legends Stopwatch Removed

League of Legends Players' Prayers Were Heard: The Stopwatch is Gone

Riot Games has finally agreed to remove the Stopwatch item in Season 14 in response to the League of Legends community's feedback. Patch 14.1 has brought hundreds of changes to League, but removing the Stopwatch was by far one of, if not the best-received, changes of 2024.

Introduced during the 2017 preseason, Stopwatch allowed players to access the powerful Zhonya’s Hourglass active at a significantly reduced cost. Despite being a one-use item with no additional stats, its affordability and efficient build path quickly made it a must-have among players, especially in professional gameplay, as it granted a huge boost in “do-or-die” situations that could turn the game around. Adding to this issue, players could get a free stopwatch through the Inspiration rune tree, further reducing the overall cost of getting a Zhonyas Hourglass early on or boosting the chances of survival for any particularly immobile ADC in a match against assassins or burst mages.

The impact of Stopwatch, particularly in the professional scene, cannot be overstated. The availability of such a powerful defensive tool early in the game might have started out as a band-aid solution against aggressive plays like tower dives, but it didn’t fix the real issue with squishy champions versus high-damage combo plays that represented no risk. This, in turn, led to a more cautious approach among pro players due to the high risk associated with aggressive engages and the unpredictability of the item’s usage.

On the other hand, League of Legends players have long been asking Riot to “fix the turrets,” which received a huge nerf a couple of years ago. Lane turrets used to represent a safe haven where a player could safely try to recover or deny snowballing when they found themselves at a disadvantage; however, after the nerfs, even an even-leveled and unfed assassin can easily tower-dive anyone without much risk. Champions like Diana and Zed, who should be “glass cannons," are suddenly unkillable beasts that can ignore turrets and destroy any opponent, and now there’s no Stopwatch to hold them back. Hopefully Riot will boost the turrets in the future to make them have some impact in the laning phase at least.

As for the League community, everyone is satisfied, believing that the removal of this item has contributed to a healthier and more engaging gameplay experience. One player shared their relief in a tweet, saying,

"I’m so glad Stopwatch isn’t in the game anymore. Just watched the LEC games today, and finally, we don’t have wacky 1-button unskilled 'outplays' anymore."

Several other members of the community agreed in the comments, emphasizing the positive impact on both the casual and professional aspects of the game. The absence of Stopwatch has seemingly revitalized the strategic depth and excitement of the game, particularly in comeback scenarios where the balance of stopwatches used to be a cause for frustration and nothing else. While players still have access to an early version of Zhonya’s through the new Seeker’s Armguard, the increased cost and less versatile build path have shifted the dynamics.

Notably, ADCs can no longer rely on it as easily to purchase a Guardian Angel, introducing a fresh layer of decision-making and strategy to the game.

Stay tuned for more League of Legends news and updates!

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