User blog comment:Vynellin/Veldrin The Cursed Dragon Knight./@comment-26523781-20151206213709/@comment-24385282-20151211235620

@PrimusMobileVzla: Like I said, I agree with pretty much everything KHO said about the champion and champion design in general. I just completely disagree with the idea that an identity can come from more than model and looks. Poppy's identity is, according to Riot (though note that I'm just paraphrasing things from the champion update discussion) is supposed to be a small but mighty character who uses CC and disruption on multiple enemies. Aside from the identity that is literally nothing but gameplay (i.e. disruption and CC on multiple enemies could be referring to a frost mage that chains slows and stuns with ice or be a general description for most tanks and some fighters or supports), she's just a small but mighty yordle.

And they emphasize that her small size, large hammer, and heroic nature are the defining characteristics of her identity, which I agree with entirely. The issue is, this is completely based on her lore and appearance. Okay, yes the large hammer is there in gameplay given her ult, but any number of different visual effects could have been applied to an ultimate with the exact same purpose (i.e. a champion who utilizes a giant rocket to push their enemies huge distances), plus her other use of her hammer, Hammer Shock, is quite small in range, not to mention having the minimum basic attack range. The only indication of a large hammer is in her splash art.

Her size, obviously, is present only in model. As for being a mighty hero, her abilities don't really reflect this. Her hammer pushes enemies way out of a fight rather than being a tool for jumping into the fray or dealing lots of damage. It can't even be used to push enemies towards teammates (barring a few special cases) because it forces them towards their own base. Sure she has her charge, but other than that she seems focused on keeping enemies at bay, not fighting them head-on. Her passive is almost a representation of cowardice - you're meant to be intimidating and heroically charge into fights despite being a short little yordle, but instead you can just throw your little shield at them from afar.

Now, Poppy is only one case, but similar logic can be applied to basically any champion. 100% of Poppy's intended identity is, in my opinion, shown in lore and appearance, while her gameplay and kit actually seem to, for the most part, indicate the opposite.