User blog comment:Lykrast/Runes: why I hate them/@comment-20434720-20140326212234

Why runes are GOOD: They allow for more customization and personalization, shifting around your strengths to fit your champion in a way that item building can't. They let you further play to your champion's strength or make up for your champion's weaknesses (MS quints on anivia).

Why runes are BAD: They cost ridiculously much, they make the first 30 games of a new level 30 a royal pain in the rear because they're not able to unlock any champions due to being required to blow it all on runes in order to be equal in power to other players without really making the game any more interesting. Furthermore, their high cost actually discourages shifting strengths around as the rune types being "specialized" (looking at you, armor seals) means that it's way more IP-efficient to just get a few certain types of runes. There's simply no point to having anything other than MPen/AD reds, armor yellows, MR/CDR/AP glyphs, etc (though quints have a somewhat better variety - MS, AP, AD, LS are all good options depending on your champ.)

Here's to hoping the upcoming changes will address some of these problems (reduced costs, more variety, etc etc).