[Talk] LoL Classic announced: are the old versions of those champions coming back? Nostalgia and doubts abroad

Riot has announced LoL Classic. The reveal came ahead of a datamined leak, and in short it points to a mode where you can play old champions and past environments. That has set off everyone who felt their favourite was better before its rework. The names that keep coming up are Yorick, Corki and old Poppy.

Why is this landing so hard?

Over LoL's long life, many champions have been reworked. The goal is balance and modernising dated designs, but along the way a portion of the fanbase feels the old character was lost. LoL Classic could become the place to touch that era once more, and that is the heart of the excitement.

Champions people say were better before

Champion	What gets said
Yorick	Fans who loved the quirky old graves and the gargoyle
Corki	The old package and the mana-cannon era's character
Poppy	A stubborn fanbase that still adores the pre-rework version

Reactions from abroad (selected)

• If I can play the old kits, I'll pay for that alone
• Getting to touch the personality that the reworks erased is honestly great
• Though the memory of "it was godlike back then, mediocre now" is probably rose-tinted
• Balance will be a disaster, but that's not what we want from Classic
• Treat it as a party mode rather than competitive and it's perfect
• Deciding which era counts as "the old days" is going to cause fights
• Whether newer players can follow along is a real question
• Given the upkeep, it feels like a limited-time thing

Wrapping up

Nostalgia is the strongest content there is. But memory flatters the past, and which era gets recreated will decide how this is judged. The key is likely whether people can take it as a celebration rather than a competitive mode.

Old Poppy was terrifying. It takes me back to when her partner was old Taric.