Ever since his release over a decade ago, Skarner has been one of the least-played champions in League of Legends. The Crystal Vanguard has been a niche pick for junglers around the world and currently has the third-least amount of games played in the role among all players Platinum ranked and above, according to League stats site U.GG.
In a new developer blog, Riot Games has broken down why Runeterra’s resident scorpion has dropped in popularity with players, including his place as a bottom-four champion in multiple key categories.
Product manager Lexi “Lexical” Gao confirmed Skarner scored the lowest out of League’s entire roster in visual appeal, character fit, favorite champion, character understanding, and even the champion’s style. He was also bottom-four for power fantasy enjoyment, consistent champion story, theme interest, and emotions for the champion.
In terms of popularity, Skarner wasn’t played by many unique users and he also had the lowest amount of games played throughout a year, making him one of the least popular champions in League in every area that Riot monitors. But there are several different reasons why CaptainFlowers’ favorite Brackern has fallen so out of favor.
First, monster champs are usually not as globally popular as humanoid champions, and unfortunately, Skarner has not been an iconic champion with unique identifiers. The majority of champions on the roster can be given multiple different words that identify them, but for Skarner, a majority of these identifiers remain gameplay related to his ultimate, Impale. The only other identifier is that he is a scorpion.
Related: Skarner’s ultimate is getting the AoE treatment in his upcoming LoL visual and gameplay update
Lastly, Skarner’s theme lacks cohesiveness to attract players, making the champion far too eccentric for the general public to enjoy and appreciate. The Crystals, for example, are regarded as beautiful and magical, whereas scorpions are considered to be sharp, deadly, and menacing—two aspects that couldn’t be more opposite.
As a result, Riot will be aiming to rectify these issues with the forgotten League champion, while still maintaining his own identity as Runeterra’s favorite scorpion.
