Zed may never be a League of Legends<\/em> power pick again, with Riot Games developer August Browning today admitting the balance team deliberately keeps him weak because he makes the game more frustrating and draws a huge number of bans.<\/p>
The shock revelation came on Thursday, Nov. 30, when August was questioned about the Master of Shadows<\/a> and his flagging place in the metagame. Instead of giving hopeful Zed mains something to look forward to, the lead League <\/em>designer delivered a crushing blow: the iconic assassin is being kept weak intentionally\u2060\u2014and Riot\u2019s behind-the-scenes Zed block may stay in place \u201cfor all eternity.\u201d<\/p>
One of the biggest elements Riot looked at before deciding to keep Zed out of the limelight was his ban rate\u2060. It\u2019s hovering at around 24.8 percent, according to League <\/em>stats page U.GG<\/a>, which leaves Zed fourth behind Briar (37.9 percent), Blitzcrank (33.8), and one-half of the wind brothers, Yone (30.4). Some patches though, it even climbs as high as 40 percent, leaving him in clear first place.<\/p>
Zed was originally released in late 2012 and has since remained one of the most iconic examples of the assassin class in League<\/em>. Every player in the last eleven years would have a Zed story, whether it be they were choked out of the game by a dominant player piloting the Master of Shadows to perfection or one incredibly timed Death Mark combo swung the entire course of their ranked game. The champion even boasts some of the most memorable esports plays in history<\/a>.<\/p>
Right now he wins around 48 percent of ranked matches when played in the mid lane<\/a> and 47 percent as a jungler<\/a>. Judging by the League <\/em>balance team\u2019s stance on the Master of Shadows, sitting two percent below parity may be the best Zed mains can hope for heading into the 2024 season and \u201cfor all of eternity.\u201d<\/p>
