I am really torn on this issue for one I like the changes and I believe they were long overdue (many reason for me is that it makes the game more relatable to the audience) but the real issue of course is not this change in particular... it is all changes in general before playoffs and tournaments and I sympathize with what xpecial in this regard because I have had patches fuck over my champion pool in ranked and I can only imagine what it is like for pro play but at the same time... as you say, adaptation has grown to be a core identity of league and although I am sad IMT lost because of meta and as a fan I feel almost "cheated" in a way, it is true that they did not adapt quickly enough and I am sure they learned a lot from the experience. Riot does like to save big changes for the preseason though... it could be true that this particular change is so big that (bigger than Riot could have ever anticipated that they should have just done it in the preseason however). So I am not sure what my position on this issue is but as a viewer I am extremely excited for play offs that is for sure. One thing is true though, Riot can't take out the requirement to adapt in league of legends it is too ingrained in the game and the fact that they change the game often (outside of competitive and in) is what keeps this game alive and interesting. My brain sides with xpecial my heart sides with change.