Poor Taliyah
Why Doesn't Anyone Play Taliyah?
Taliyah is going to be receiving a mini rework at some point in 2022, but today we're going to check out her current kit and just why Riot has to resort to these measures in regard to the rock surfer.
Taliyah hasn't been a very popular champion since Season 8, but what has changed and why is her kit so unfavourable for the general public. Sure, there are a few players who love playing Taliyah in the jungle, but they are a small minority of League players.
We've looked into why no one plays Skarner and what makes Shyvana such a scarce champion. Today we'll check out why Taliyah isn't played much in the current meta.
What Type of Champion is Taliyah?
Taliyah is a battle mage, and only one of two that can also be played in the jungle. Ahead of Season 8, Taliyah was mostly played in the mid lane, but then Riot made some big changes on her kit to make her a viable jungler.
She's able to quickly move along walls thanks to her passive and with her Q she can quickly deal higher damage than some champions would with their ultimate, but all that comes at a cost which is called Worked Ground... and that's also where the first issue of her kit comes into play.
Taliyah's Worked Ground
Taliyah's Worked Ground is a passive which appears when Taliyah uses her Q – Threaded Volley. This is also her highest DPS ability and lets her unleash 5 stone shards at an enemy whilst moving. All that sounds pretty great, eh? But there is a downfall to it all, which is the circle of 'Worked Ground' which appears.
This area stays for 45 seconds and when Taliyah is in it and recasts her Q, she is only able to fling one stone at her opponent. If you're clearing the jungle and using your ability, that doesn't sound too bad, right? Since jungle camps are so far apart from one another, but it's when you end up in larger teamfights around choke holds that this becomes a problem.
Not only does her Q have it's normal cooldown, the Worked Ground area also has a 45-second cooldown, so players cannot just carelessly use this ability around objectives like Drake or Baron, since a fight could break out and if you've badly placed one Worked Ground, all your DPS is out the window.
In concept, this is a good design choice, since the ability has low cooldowns, high magic damage and scaling, as well as range, but for user experience, especially casual players, this could seem quite awkward to play.
Taliyah's Macro Playstyle
The rest of Taliyah's kit is also pretty unique and fun once you get the hang of it. She's able to use her W – Seismic Shove, to push opponents into a direction of your choice, while her ultimate – Weaver's Wall is a semi-global ultimate, with a similar range to Pantheon's Starfall. Her E – Unravelled Earth creates a slowing minefield that explodes when a champion dashes or is pushed/pulled through it.
These abilities are insanely strong, but to be able to use them properly, players will have to be able to combo them together or know where to place them for the ultimate effectiveness.
Knowing where to position a Weaver's Wall or Unravelled Earth requires insane amounts of game and macro knowledge, similar to Azir who is also one of the most difficult champions to play, which makes Taliyah hard for anyone to pick up without having played her before.
All Vastaya Champions in League of Legends
Taliyah's Match Ups
Taliyah also has some pretty awful match ups, so she isn't a champion you'll be able to pick at any time. Tanks will not be affected by her, since they'll be able to take three or four of her Q shots without so much as blinking.
On the other hand, quick and skirmish heavy champions like Yasuo are just too mobile and can easily evade her Q or W, which could mean that Taliyah is left standing there, facing her death since she has no other counter measures against these champions.
Conclusion: Taliyah Needs a Reworked Q and Passive
That what makes her a great jungler and a unique champion is also that what makes her so lacklustre to play for many. She deals damage, but you need to be able to time her abilities to perfection, otherwise you use your Waver's Wall and skate to your death.
If someone is casually picking up Taliyah, they won't understand how her Q works and when to actually use the ability properly without creating too much Worked Ground. So, please Riot rework these aspects of her kit to make her more fun to play, Thank you!