In League of Legends the Croatian Perkz is the most successful player that Europe has ever produced. He has won the LEC 8 times and has been playing professional LoL for 9 years, but even at 24 years old, he can still make mistakes. A lapse in attention has now landed his team Vitality with a fine, which could have been even worse.
What did Perkz do? The star mid-laner Perkz played a forbidden combination in a professional match against Fnatic:
- He selected the champion Ryze – the mage was long considered the weakest champion in LoL, but received a buff before the World Championship and is now popular in the mid-lane again.
- He used the rune “Waterwalking” with Ryze – this grants a champion increased movement speed and attack damage or ability power (AP) when they are in the river. The “river” is a part of the LoL map: it is often where fights between teams take place.
An exploit allows players to regenerate mana faster with Ryze
Why is it forbidden? The components of this combination are both allowed in professional play, but using Ryze and Waterwalking together is not allowed because of a glitch that can be exploited during the laning phase.
The bug results from a strange synergy:
- Ryze’s mastery increases his mana by 10% for every 100 points in AP
- When Ryze enters the river with Waterwalking, his AP increases. Due to a glitch, his mana regenerates faster than intended when he repeatedly leaves and re-enters the river
Mid-laners exploit this to gain additional mana regeneration with Ryze to clear mob waves faster, which is particularly useful during the laning phase
What is the penalty? The head of LoL Esports for the EMEA region, Maximilian Peter Schmidt, announced on Twitter that Perkz’s organization will receive a fine because the combination is forbidden in professional play.
However, it was decided that Perkz did not gain any significant advantages from the rule violation. Therefore, it seems that the fine will remain within the range of previous fines from Riot.
A Twitter user calls for an example to be made of Perkz
How is this being discussed? Opinions vary:
- Some find it humorous, stating that such things happen to the best. The exploit is only useful in the first 5 minutes of a match anyway.
- However, one user states: The penalty is ridiculous, and even for the slightest violation, Team Vitality should have their victory revoked. It should be the same in every other sport in the world. The league must make an example in the first game to ensure players adhere to the rules.
- Others say the problem is more that the bug has been in the game for ages and should be fixed instead of relying on fines.
One of the strangest fines in LoL was once given to a former teammate of Perkz: Wunder, who is known for his love of the Blizzard game World of Warcraft:
LoL imposes a $1000 fine on G2 Esports for a pro playing WoW Classic
