Steve Rubin
@RubinZoo
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Senior Game Designer @riotgames @PlayRuneterra MTG (Retired):PT Champ, 14 GP Top 8s, 2 SCG Wins
Los Angeles, California
Joined November 2011
After 7 years on LoR I've been laid off, effective in 2 months. It's certainly a deeply sad time, but the pain of these emotions derive from all the awesome experiences we've created within this community. Thanks for always believing in me, goodbye Runeterra!.
Minutes ago, we shared an important update with Rioters about the future of Riot Games. Here’s what these changes mean for our games and what players can expect from us going forward:
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Patch 3.10 work is coming to a close!. Highlights:. 40+ Individual Card Changes: Including Nerfs to Meta Decks.System Changes: Copies count as played & Generatable Keywords.Buffs to Landmark Removal.Functional adjustments to Disintegrate.
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This is my last week at Riot. After my layoff from LoR, I applied to other Riot projects, but unfortunately it's the end of the road. I've come to terms with it and am energized to pursue new opportunities and finish some juicy side projects. I'll try to keep you updated!.
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I've been promoted to Senior Game Designer!. Working on LoR is an honor of a lifetime. There is so much more to come, including some card Sets I co-designed later this year! . 📸
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Hello Runeterra! I'll be inheriting Game Design ownership of Worlds, Seasonal Tournaments, Ranked, Gauntlets, & Spectate. For the rest of this year I'm ramping up and learning how to take on our current systems, so don't expect many immediate changes!.
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Starbone doesn't quite fit into the Keyword Spell Cycle. While Targon Spellshield was proving tricky during dev, fellow designer Dave Smith's dog Ricky passed away. So we broke our own cycle, with Celestials as a substitute, as a testament to Ricky and other passed doggos.
Commune with the cosmic forces in the Veiled Temple, or summon newfound strength throughout Runeterra.
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Hello Runeterra!. On Wednesday we revisited whether copied spells from Karma, Taric, Jayce, and Mirror Mage should be considered to be "played". We unanimously decided as a design team that they in fact should!.
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Riot didn't hire me because I was a pro M:tG player, they did because of my skills and believed in my growth potential. It's bothered me over the years as it gets repeated by press, players, and even coworkers and ultimately devalues my abilities, hard work and contributions.
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We got a drippy LoR deck, which is instantly my favorite riot gift ever!. The characters we've added to Runeterra, the worldbuilding, and the stories we've told are really LoR's greatest triumphs. Design, Narrative, and Art coming together is my favorite part of the job!
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The changes for this Live Balance were completed before Varus/Samira was an established deck in the meta. The last few days, it demonstrated performance that would’ve put it within a must change territory. As a result, we’ve added an extra emergency change into the patch:
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Viego was a new challenge for us, designing a champ that wasn't in LoL yet!. He's much more thematically driven as a result:. Black Mist, possession, mad carnage rewarding killing allies, slow takeover with scaling stats, and a huge "The Ruined King" power moment at Level 2.
“Hate me if you must. Until she returns to my arms, all will be brought to ruin.”
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If Riot truly aspires to be the most player focused company in the world, we must publicly support their human rights which includes the right to chose.
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While I worked mostly as a Final Designer for Bandle City (minor adjustments, bug fixing, numbers tuning, setting up expeditions), the one Champion I did get to design is being revealed. tomorrow 😎.
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We want to ensure an even playing field for @PlayRuneterra Worlds competitors with fully open information, and relieve the pressure of secrecy. So we're spoiling the ENTIRE World Ender set today! . We're also providing them 2 scrim accounts, and sharing them is allowed.
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With Awakening, updates are coming to Ranked Play!. Our main goal is to enable more satisfying progression, especially in Iron-Gold. Moving between divisions will be smoother at all ranks. Wins will have bigger gains & losses will be less punishing, especially in lower leagues.
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As part of 3.10 work, I played a handful of different meta-decks to see what was up. Certainly learned a ton about them, also made some better versions of existing lists. I wonder if people are interested in a write up of my thoughts on each one?.
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Bandle City creates a lot of cards so we've added a feature to allow you to track what cards your opponent can see!.
Yes, hello hi! .I wanted to take a second and call out a new feature that y'all may have noticed in the champ reveals, the revealed icon! This won't change any core functionality, and is focused on providing better clarity on revealed vs unrevealed cards
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Sucks that Vayne’s not on Twitter to see all these posts about her, since she’s only on tumblr.
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I worked on Final Design for Gwen & Eve, welcome to LoR😍!.
Transformed by darkness, mysterious powers gather. Brave the unknown with Gwen, Evelynn, and Kai’Sa in Forces from Beyond, releasing July 20.
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This upcoming week we'll will be looking at Yordle in Arms and Gleaming Lantern for potential nerfs for our 3.6 patch (using Data both pre & post patch). In case you missed the 3.4 notes, Bandle Tree is being fundamentally reworked (non-numbers) in 3.6.
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I'll be working on the post World Walker 3.10 Variety Patch!. Post card buffs you'd like to see: Number changes only, try not to break the game, and one change submission per person so chose wisely and carefully!. This format would be great:.Badgerbear.3c 4|4.
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These Noxus Aggro staples often overpowered your opponent, deciding the game on Round 1 or 2 in many matchups. We rotated them and added Samira and new Noxus cards. This shifts Noxus aggro from blasting a Nexus to a fresher strategy that challenges you to make precise plays.
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It's probably a good time for me to announce that I've also been working as the Design Lead on our next Champion Expansion this summer - So if the Aphelios Champion expansion is exciting, hopefully yall are ready for more!
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I hope you’re ready to rumble, because I was the design lead on Samira, under set lead @bkopleck!.
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There's one last unrevealed Champion in World Walker, and it just so happens I got to lead the Final Design work for it. Super excited for the reveal, since it's my biggest contribution to this expansion. Be prepared. or run for the hills!.
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Andrew took a chance on me, letting me be the first non-Rioter to playtest a Riot R&D game which was unheard of 5 years ago. Then he doubled down later by hiring me full-time as a Game Designer. If it weren't for him I probably wouldn't be a dev. I'm not crying you're crying <3.
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They told me people who cross their arms like this get promoted
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I got to do some heavy work on the Sion and crew during design! We wanted a new more midrange space for Discard that felt like a meaningful shift, while also adding some new potentially key staples. Overall really proud of the end result and yes, he's an absolute unit.
Noxus looms Beyond the Bandlewood, where Sion’s formidable exploits on the battlefield are the stuff of Yordle nightmares:
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I don't even know what to do with myself after @PlayRuneterra worlds is done. Maybe first ever gameplay stream tomorrow?.
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Starting with Worldwalker expect additional existing archetype support. Each set in development has a small allotment for these Variety Cards now that all 10 Regions have fully released. Please let us know which older archetypes you'd love support for!.
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From the studio who brought you Aphelios, The Veiled Temple, The Fangs, and Stress Testing. .
It's probably a good time for me to announce that I've also been working as the Design Lead on our next Champion Expansion this summer - So if the Aphelios Champion expansion is exciting, hopefully yall are ready for more!
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Since many players have been asking me, we won't be hotfixing Seraphine before Worlds. Of course we do understand how fundamentally game breaking it can be for any given lineup to have the advantage of functionally including 8 emotes. For now we'll be keeping an eye on it.
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Is there widespread interest in this? Gameplay stream could be fun!. I generally like to be a bit lowkey, but since we started publishing decklists in client all bets are kind of off on that front.
@RubinZoo Will we ever see you playing ladder on twitch (few hours, one-day only as kind of special event) or is it forbidden for you? Loved hearing you on streams as a player.
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For each @PlayRuneterra dev you know, there are likely 10 more you don't who are just as passionate and hard working. They are all heroes in their own way, maybe with their permission I can help tell some of their stories!.
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I had the opportunity to return to doing Live Balance work for patch 2.11, under the guidance of @DeadboltDoris. We couldn't include super detailed patch notes due to the size, so we'll be doing a special unnofficial patch review Saturday 11AM PDT on
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I can finally introduce everyone to by far my favorite LoR design yet! Big shoutout to my design partner in crime on this expansion @plinq_uncharted. Akshan is a versatile and crafty champ, tying many of Shurima's sub themes together while forming new ones.
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Champion expansions emphasized a strong regional fit for champs with open new mechanics for deckbuilding! Since which we’ve now adopted this more holistically in set design. Also somehow, no Viego/Akshan expansion cards have been directly changed. It’s my proudest work on LoR!.
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Working on Joraal, we explored Demcia’s anti magic, I had the idea for a spell increase while attacking!. This emphasized the “fair fight” for Demacia to take advantage of, without completely shutting down spells.
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For everyone asking me about LoR's November event - check out the details here as well as everything that's happening across Riot celebrating Arcane and more! .
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Looks like @BoulevardTCG is eternalized as the last competitive article on the LoR website. Well-earned king!
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Found this @PlayRuneterra screenshot from an old slide deck, I remember being quite adamant about these needing adjustments.
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We should do a new skinline for Ascended champs with new Level Ups. The real question though is what would sell better:. Shorter Level Up Animations 😇.LONGER Level up Animations 😈.
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Shout out to @CasterBoulevard, this man is the absolute heart and soul of grassroots tournaments. From aegis league, fight night, seasonals, and all the impromptu worlds regional qualifier casts - he means a lot to the LoR team. Show him some love ❤️ !
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There are some changes in 3.10 beyond the preview!. Nerfs:. Brightsteel Protector.Ezreal (more of an "adjustment" following recent system changes). Adjustments:. Taric/Karma/Jayce (Copies count as Played).Go Hard (Will transform to PyB w/ Karma).
Reuploaded with a small fix! Patch 3.10.0 is coming with adjustments including 40+ individual card updates and nerfs to a variety of meta decks. Copied spells now count as being played, and there will be buffs & QoL updates for some underplayed champions. Full details on 6/28!
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Wow, [card] that just released, in [format] that I don't understand, in [card game] that I don't even play anymore, is so fucking busted I just might.
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We've never had a prolonged stable metagame like this that featured no decks above our winrate metrics. There are ~10 nerfs currently planned for 3.10, which are mostly aimed towards small/medium impact. Hopefully decks remain intact but the top meta decks are more combatable!.
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It was a challenging and amazing year. Worlds was spectacular alongside the World Ender set launch!. I’m super excited about new @PlayRuneterra tournaments coming next year! More ways to play, more frequent tourneys in fresh metas, and more inclusive competitions!. Stay tuned!.
Hello Runeterra! I'll be inheriting Game Design ownership of Worlds, Seasonal Tournaments, Ranked, Gauntlets, & Spectate. For the rest of this year I'm ramping up and learning how to take on our current systems, so don't expect many immediate changes!.
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I worked as the Design Lead on the rules updates for 3.6! . Stay tuned next week for more details, oh yeah and a pretty sizable balance patch.
Here's a special look at Patch 3.6.0 ! 👀. Aside from a few new cards, this patch will focus on gameplay adjustments–including level-up conditions, play/summon effects, new keywords, & more. Look for some rule updates as well; details to come in the full notes on 4/26!
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Deckbuilder is updated to make ideating/playing new formats a bit easier:
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Did y'all just not see this?. Maybe too much information at once. lol
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Samira brings flashiness and finesse to Noxus. First champion to have a level up that resets!.
Shoot first and ask questions later in Glory in Navori, the latest expansion, releasing on March 29.
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The Roiling Sand car dealership has long aided shepherding Shurimans across the vast desert to witness the glory of the Sun Disc. It was established in 3400 BN after emperor Azir began subsidizing Landmarks production.
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It’s really helpful when y’all point out which cards are quite strong with others. It helps a ton since usually I have no clue!.
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Rank 1 Americas!. I suppose playing meta decks for research paid off?
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The World Ender seasonal winners will have direct invites to this years World Championship Final. Directly after with patch 4.1 we'll be launching a Beta for Tournament Seasons. Stay tuned into @PlayRuneterra for more info soon!.
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Player Titles are designed to show off your accomplishments. They level up, allowing you to acquire ultra-rare versions of them!. We are adding some retroactive titles so celebrate some of our most accomplished players!. Here is the full list of titles available in patch 4.1:
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Today is my 4 year Riotversary, 5 including contractor work. My, my how time flies!
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I decided today was the day, 7 Hours and 500+LP later I hit Rank #1 NA. I've now reached Rank #1 in each of @PlayRuneterra three ranked seasons so far!
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My families accomplishments, by generation:. Grandparents: Fought nazis in WW2. Parents: PhDs from Yale. Me: Read both sides of Archangel Avacyn when everyone else was too lazy.
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My first ever article about game design in LoR!.
One of our Game Designers @rubinzoo has dropped some interesting insight into what goes into bringing champions to LoR in this new Dev Insight Article! . ➡️
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Seen some confusion here around new cards:. Scattered Pod lets you chose which spell type to draw. Targeting landmarks doesn’t advance Warlords Hoard/Palace. If an ephemeral unit dying at round end activates Viego, a mist spawns and won’t die until the next round end.
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Surprise patch day!.
➡ Changes 12/14:.Poppy - 3|3 > 2|3 (Level 2 - 4|4 > 3|4).Gangplank - 5|5 > 5|4 (Level 2 - 6|6 > 6|5).Yordle Explorer - Grant +1|+1 > Grant +1|+0.God-Willow Seedling - Countdown 2 > Countdown 3.Kinkou Wayfinder - Summons two 1-cost units > Summons two different 1-cost units
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I'll still be designing cards and doing balance patches! I haven't figured out quite yet how much allocation I'll spend on card design vs competitive systems & features quite yet so stay tuned. I'm both nervous and excited!.
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I'm likely retiring from Pro Magic after MC Richmond. I only regret never pushing myself amply to become a world class player.
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I designed the Jack and Sett for Path of Champions! This was a fun challenge, since it was my first time working directly on Path content. I don't talk LoR design specifics that often on twitter, but figure it could be fun to provide some insight elsewise it won't exist!.
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This is really getting out of hand. Spent two whole hours cleaning & carving an immaculate pumpkin of Tryndamere just for it to turn out like this…
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#mtgstories Last year at a GP while selling cards a dealer offered me 3 dollars for my Gideons AoZ. They were clearly worth more in nostalgia. The next 4 players to ask me for a picture or autograph at that event got a complementary Pro Tour winning Gideon, Ally of Zendikar!.
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Hyped for The Winding Light to finish off Aphelios' Moon Weapon shaped follower cycle. Infernum no longer left behind!
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Apparently last week Sunk Cost was briefly the highest winrate by inclusion card in @PlayRuneterra - as it was the only card included in Ahri Kennen decks that’s winrate wasn’t diluted from being in other decks. Finally time for a nerf?? I’m thinking 9c could be a good start.
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We're likely focusing more on nerfs than usual for our next patch. It's important to circle back and address power creep that arises from new mechanics, regions, and buff heavy balance changes. Hopefully, we can even out the efficiency over synergy meta!.
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2 Week patches + all the future projects I'm working on make it a bit hard for LoR Live Design to keep up. We care immensely about competitive stability, so patch day is incredibly stressful for me. It's possible we made a mistake with Bastion, and we'll work on the proper fix.
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This was kind of a neat version of Guile from back in the day. Stun was initially meant to be up to be bit more of an aggressive mechanic for Noxus. It didn't really turn out that way, but I'd love to work on ways to enable Noxus' stuns as a better fit for aggro decks.
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I love the writing in @PlayRuneterra and wish we had a better way of giving direct credit for making Runeterra so alive!. @Riot_fizzNchips did Pantheon and his followers and wanted to give huge props. When Saga Seeker says "I will die when I'm ready" it really does hit different!
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Hard to believe Riot actually tested Pantheon - How can a level 2 be this incredibly underpowered?
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We're aware of the power level of Quicksand, but it's unchanged in 3.6 given it's hitting the previous change goals of giving Shurima more meaningful interaction. We discussed a knee-jerk change this patch, but we're laying off it for now and generating better long term ideas!.
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