New champion Samira gets nerfed just one day after release

William Davis Published 23/09/2020

It didn’t take long before Riot Games stepped in to deliver a hotfix nerf to new marksman Samira.

Samira made her debut in League of Legends recently, but despite being tested on the Public Beta Environment (PBE), she was way too strong on release. The new marksman is a mix between a ranged and melee champion, with a lot of mobility and damage available in her kit. 

Players quickly realized that her damage output was way too strong, which had Riot act quickly. Lead gameplay designer Mark “Scuffy” Yetter announced on social media that Samira received an immediate hotfix nerf, toning down the damage on her Inferno Trigger (R) and lowering her base HP. 

Scuffy also admitted that Samira clearly looked too strong based on Riot’s estimates and goals so they acted fast. 

“We’re still very committed to releasing new champions long term balanced,” Scuffy said. “Sometimes we get lucky and nail it exactly on launch, but most of the time it’s about fast follow up,”

Samira gets nerfed after release

As Riot quickly realized, the damage of Samira’s ultimate was the biggest problem during the first day after her release. Clips of Samira dominating team fights with her ultimate quickly started trending on social media. The clips included everything from quick assassinations to pentakills. 

Professional players and streamers have also been showcasing Samira in her most broken form, with carry performances that are rarely seen in solo queue. Evil Geniuses bot laner Bae “Bang” Jun-sik in particular had fun with her live on his stream, proving to the whole world that Samira needed the nerfs. 

The hotfix nerf will hopefully put Samira in a more balanced spot. Samira won’t be available during the 2020 World Championship, so she won’t see her debut on the professional stage for quite some time.

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