In this episode, we sit down with Riot Phroxzon, Lead Gameplay Designer at Riot Games, for a deep-dive into the future of League of Legends.

We cover what Riot learned from the 2025 champion releases (Mel, Yunara, and Zaahen), why some designs missed the mark with players, and how those lessons are shaping champion philosophy going forward. Phroxzon breaks down Zaahen’s kit design, community reaction to Mel, and whether Riot is satisfied with Yunara’s long-term impact.

The conversation then shifts to Summoner’s Rift changes, including what worked, what didn’t, and why Atakhan is being removed. We explore Riot’s evolving vision for macro gameplay in 2026, including split pushing, objective control, and how the overall pace of the game is changing.

We also tackle one of the most controversial topics in League right now: role balance. Why does Riot believe jungle is overtuned, why ADC and top lane are struggling, and how jungle lost its identity in 2025. Phroxzon explains Riot’s internal data, the goals behind role quests, and what role balance will look like moving into 2026.

Later in the episode, we discuss matchmaking and Solo Queue, including autofill philosophy, what it actually takes to climb, and how Riot plans to reduce time to get into games. We also touch on bringing back old items, Aegis of Valor, duo queue across ranks (excluding Korea), and what Riot learned from WASD movement testing.