When you watch a lot of LoL you might come across the term "stat check". What does this mean though and why do players hate or love stat check champions in LoL?
League of Legends is a complicated game with over 160 champions. Some champions have kits with huge amounts of skill expression, just like one of the newest champions K'Sante who is able to switch between his tank form and a bruiser form with the push of a button.
There is another type of champion in the game though that many call 'stat check' champions. These express a whole different side of League of Legends. You've probably heard the term 'stat check' in LoL before, but wondered what it meant, right? Well we're going to go over that right now.
Stat Check in LoL: What Champions Qualify as Stat Checkers?
Must-Have's for Stat Checkers in League of Legends
First of all, before we make a list of stat checkers in League of Legends we have to define what a stat checker is and what must be included in their kits. So, what guidelines must be followed when identifying stat checkers in League of Legends?
Stat check basically refers to champions overpowering their opponents through stats. This means that if a champion has better stats than their opponent they win automatically. Take the Pokémon games for example. If your Pokémon is level 5 and you're fighting a level 20, you will lose simply because you've got under powered stats.
This might not be stat checking, but you can include some of the stat checkers in your favorite wombo combo:
Of course, any champion can technically be a stat checker, when they have more items or levels than their opponents since they'll basically have better stats, but we're going to talk about those champions that innately have stat checking abilities in their kit, which differentiates them from other high skill expression champions in the game.
Stat check champions in LoL have some specific identities. They are champions that either get free stats just by levelling up or that directly interfaces with stats – either buffing or debuffing stats. But it's important to also include that stat checkers abilities will only do this one thing and one thing only. Therefore, champions like Gwen, who technically have 'stat checking' in her abilities, since they are quite multi-layered she does not count as a stat checker.
Which Champions Count as Stat Check Champs in LoL?
Stat check champions in League of Legends are also all melee champions. Ranged champions have the extra well... range which means they have to be aware of distance and spacing management when they play, something melee champions don't need to do.
So, who are the champions that fall into the category of space checkers in League of Legends? These are probably the most obvious choices:
- Dr. Mundo
- Garen
- Jax
- Malphite
- Mordekaiser
- Tryndamere
- Trundle
- Olaf
- Nasus
Are Stat Check LoL Champions Overpowered?
If a champion gains free stats, then that would mean they should be completely and utterly overpowered, right? But in the case of stat check champions, they're just too simplistic and can therefore only be adjusted with numbers.
Stat checkers gain huge amounts of free stats in their kit, but that is mostly due to their inherent weaknesses. Basically, the abilities of a stat check champion don't do much. For example, looking at Trundle, his Q and W give him insane move speed and damage because all they do is empower his next auto attack. That's it.
Compare this to newer champions where abilities are much more multi-faceted and can just do a lot more damage on the rift. Fiora, has similar properties to Trundle with her anti-tank properties and duelling potential, but she also has more mobility, as well as a way to block any and all opposing abilities.
Stat Check Champions Are Difficult To Balance
Due to the simplicity of stat check champions, they're actually very difficult to balance. While a champion like Fiora might get nerfed, a player's skill level can still make her a viable champion even when she isn't at her best stat-wise due to the outplay potential she has in her kit.
A champion like Tryndamere, who is basically a 'run it down and press a button to rage' champion is much harder to balance, since he doesn't have as much – if any – skill expression and therefore, nerfing the stats in his kit means nerfing him out of existence since he won't be able to do anything due to the lack of options in hit kit.
Each Stat Check LoL Champ Has Built-In Weaknesses
So, while stat checkers have insanely high stats in their kit and makes it feel like it's impossible to duel them, they also have insane weaknesses as mentioned before. Dr. Mundo, for example, is a tank with high AD, but he has no crowd control (CC) nor does he have much AoE damage compared to other juggernauts in the game.
So when casters talk about stat checking in League of Legends, they often refer to champions who will simply go straight at their opponents and try to overwhelm them with stats. Irelia, Volibear and Pantheon were all stat checkers ahead of their reworks and it seems that Riot is slowly working on taking these champions out of the game completely.