I remember when I first started playing League of Legends, probably around 2013.
Oh, the old days
Back then, I initially fell for Kayle but soon discovered that champions in League are very different compared to other games. Some were truly overpowered, while others weren’t helpful in specific roles no matter what. While Kayle was a great mid laner, I tried to force her too much as a support.
Then I discovered that Rek’Sai was released sometime in December 2014. And boy, oh boy for me even now, Rek’Sai marked an era where new champions were slowly replacing the classic ones, and League would change drastically. I played the hell out of her. One might say I one-tricked Rek’Sai. While I did try all champions and several more than others (Morgana, Soraka, Shyvana, Shen, Shaco), Rek’Sai was my main, and I played her so much that I started trying ranked matches.
Slowly but surely, Rek’Sai was my go-to champion to reach Gold, and once I even got to Platinum! Every time I tried new champions or lanes, or was forced into other roles, I felt uncomfortable more often than not.
Even though I can now play top, mid, and both bot roles pretty well because I have at least two reliable champions, my main area was and still is jungling.
It has its pros, it really feels like your actions matter, even though all five roles do. But when the enemy jungler is better, or the overall enemy team is stronger, it really took a toll on my comfort, and I would often blame myself for not doing enough.
Fast forward another couple of years, and Rek’Sai was changed! In theory, it was a good change, but in practice, I hated it so much. To this day, I don’t really know what to say. The biggest change was to her ultimate, which completely altered my playstyle. Before, I felt like any place on the map was reachable, being able to ult to any existing tunnels. But after the change, I felt like a worse Zed, forced into an assassin or bruiser spec, and having an untargetable execute as an ultimate
New main
Eventually, I left Rek’Sai in the past, although a couple of years later I did try her again for a ranked trial and managed to get up to Gold again. But it was never the same.
Then I slowly gravitated towards Shaco. Then, and even now, he wasn’t really overpowered, but his kit felt timeless. Certain tricks would work regardless of his power level.
So why Shaco? At first, I learned him because even though I would counter him as Rek’Sai, he still managed to outplay me sometimes. Soon enough, I felt a closeness to his kit. Jesters are always fun and compelling, and it resonated with my younger self: always the jester, always making jokes and being fun, while at the same time hiding behind a mask. Never taking it off, because when I do, I am unrecognizable.
But damn, he was a hard champion to master, and while it took a while and I became proficient with Shaco AD and his assassin playstyle, I found that the AP version is even more fun. Suddenly, his boxes would hit hard, and his clone ultimate would hit like a truck after one or two items. It was truly a change of pace, and I had to learn him again—from assassin style to feeling like I was mastering a new champion, a mage. But damn, it was worth it.
I still play him sometimes now, the AD version. I’ve tried them all: Shaco Bruiser, Shaco On-Hit (RIP Skirmisher’s Sabre), and even Tanko. So fun. Out of all, if we ignore On-Hit Shaco, Tanko was so much fun.
Starting the game the same way, after one or two items, the look on other champions when Shaco appears but doesn’t run after he Q’s, he just stays. And better yet, he doesn’t die. He ults and has a beefy clone. Oh man, usually in higher ranks, people would smash me, but it’s still a very fun build.
Back to AP, this has become my favorite build of all, enabling all sorts of traps and plays. Years later, Shaco became my one-trick.
Still, I never forget Rek’Sai, especially when the enemy team picks my Shaco. There’s nothing better than beating Shaco at his own game!
Till next time.
Photo: leagueoflegends.com
