User blog comment:PurpleWii/The Evolution of the Tank archetype./@comment-4091261-20160425195544/@comment-28230442-20160426163511

Thanks for your input! I'm resonating with a majority of what you've typed up, expect for a couple things I'm confused about.

God damn Off tank terminology; the bane of my literate existence. I was waiting for something bring that up, and looks like it's you!

'Bruisers wish to charge into glorious battle. Offtanks wish to protect their legion of troops.'

So, what I'm inferring from this statement is this; Bruisers(Or by Riot's terminology, Vanguards; you used the term Diver, so I assume when you say Bruiser, you're referring to one-and-the-same.) are the offensive tanks. Their definition of "tanking" is jumping into everyone and being a constant nuisance, but not really a true threat(like say, an Assassin/Skirmisher). This would be the more traditional style of tanking; first one in, last one out.

Offtanks (or Warden's, by Riot terminology), are defensive tanks. Rather than jumping into the heart of battle, smacking anything that moves, they play the more reactive role of staying by their carries, and showing aggression to anything that get close to them. They often position themselves in a way that they can "tank" the enemy carries, but are still close enough to their own to peel if needed ,unlike Bruisers, who simply go hard.

If anyone ever believed protecting the team was just for people who didn't want to give a significant influence to the game, champions like Illaoi, Cho'Gath, and Sion exist to prove otherwise.

The only reason why people didn't play offtanks that protect their allies is because the items used in such a manner are either used better for diving or are already built by the support.

I don't really like your examples. Sion has always felt more like a Bruiser/Vanguard tank to me/ Illaoi is honestly in all forms, a Juggernaut in my opinion; she's just not a very offensive one, say like Olaf. Cho'gath has been through so many builds and play styles since his Season 2 tank days, that calling him a "tank" is weird(even if he was designed to be that).

The items thing is one reason in a bucket full of problems as to why diving has been traditionally better than protecting/peeling.