Aurelion Sol just received his Comprehensive Gameplay Update (CGU) and after a few days of being live with players testing him out, it's time to decide whether Riot hit the nail on the head or missed the mark with this champion rework.
Aurelion Sol's CGU just went live in LoL Patch 13.3 and after getting a chance to play and test the new space dragon on Summoner's Rift, players have voiced their opinions on the champion and the brand-new kit that plays unlike his kit before the rework.
This CGU was meant to give the dragon a powerful new feel on the rift, something he was lacking before. Did Riot succeed in making him feel powerful and fun, while not alienating his – albeit small – original player base?
Aurelion Sol Play Rate Soars After LoL CGU
Aurelion Sol was one of the least played champions in all of League of Legends for years. Skarner, ASol, Taric... all of these champions were basically forgotten by the community, but with the release of the CGU in League of Lwegends, Aurelion Sol became the hot new commodity on the market.
His kit is supposed to represent him as he is in lore – a giant space dragon that can forge entire worlds. Well, his new kit sure looks and feels like it, which has gotten people hyped for the champion once more, causing his win rate to rise so high that even the Aurelion Sol mains Subreddit is in awe.
Is Riot going to nerf him in the next patch already due to his strength?
Aurelion Sol peaked at a 24% pick rate on February 9, 2023 when Patch 13.3 went live. His win rate also soared up to 54% but has evened out at 51% by the time of writing this article. So, his kit seems to have resonated with the community more than his previous, but how do Aurelion Sol mains feel about the drastic changes to his kit?
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Old Kit vs. New Kit
Aurelion Sol had a lot of issues before the CGU. The general player base felt like he was completely underwhelming, with most players focusing on the wrong abilities according to Aurelion Sol mains when looking at his kit.
Spacing was a key part of his kit thanks to the stars which surrounded him, something which made Aurelion Sol unique in comparison to every other champion. Unfortunately, his oddities didn't seem to catch on with the general LoL community and due to the early power in his stars he was also kept very weak so he wouldn't become too OP.
In comparison, his kit now has power, as well as satisfies the fantasy most players had of him when he was revealed – a giant fire breathing dragon from space. His new Q breathes fire and his new ultimate literally causes a shockwave on Summoner's Rift. He looks and feels strong, but his kit has become a lot more generic, taking some of the things that made Aurelion Sol feel special from the champion.
One Reddit user summed it up like this:
[Riot] could have probably just reworked his E and maybe Q/R [...], I do think the new kit reflects his lore better. And also feels more like a star wielding dragon. The old mechanic is still cool, but might fair better with a different design.
Aurelion Sol mains do hope that someday Riot decides to bring back the champion's main gimmick at some point in a new, better balanced champion if possible. It seems that the Aurelion Sol rework will be much more popular with the general player base, but unfortunately, some of the uniqueness has gone missing.
Overall, Aurelion Sol has reached new heights in terms of win and play rate, so this CGU can't be called a failure since it has brought the champion onto the map and more players will give him a try.