Welcome to our patch notes breakdown for League of Legends Season 26.3 (Demacia Season)!
Let’s break down all the new changes in LoL coming this week.
We recommend following along with the official patch notes since we won’t be listing all the specific stat changes, but rather focusing on the impact of the changes and the champions updated place in the current meta.
If you’re wondering how these changes will affect the meta, check out our LoL champion tier list!
Buffs, Nerfs, and Changes
Champion Changes
Ahri (Buff)
- Ahri's W cooldown is reduced at all ranks.
- This is a nice buff, although I do not think it will make much of an impact overall, as she doesn’t max this ability.
- Ahri had a 50.9% win rate on patch 26.2.
Bel'Veth (Buff)
- Her HP growth is increased, which will make her tankier as a whole.
- Bel’Veth's Ultimate on hit damage is also increased at ranks 2 and 3.
- I think that Bel’Veth might be a bit stronger and her pick rate will increase on this patch.
- Bel'Veth had a 50.4% win rate on patch 26.2.
Braum (Nerf)
- His base health is reduced, which will make him weaker overall, especially in the early laning phase.
- Braum’s Q damage is reduced in the later ranks. He maxes this ability first, so it will impact his trading in lane.
- While I think these changes will be impactful, I don’t think they will severely reduce his play rate or win rate, as his kit has so many good spells and tools, and he is basically OP in Season 26.
- Braum had a 53.1% win rate on patch 26.2.
Briar (Buff)
- Her HP growth is increased, and so is her armour growth, and these will make her tankier as a whole.
- Her ability costs are also reduced slightly, which will make her better as a whole.
- I think these changes to Briar will be impactful and beneficial in 1v1 trades.
- Briar had a 50.2% win rate on patch 26.2.
Diana (Nerf)
- Diana's Passive damage to monsters is reduced.
- This will make Diana Jungle less viable and her clear speed a lot lower.
- This combined with Dusk and Dawn nerf will make Diana’s win rate and play rate drop dramatically.
- Diana had a 51.7% win rate on patch 26.2.
Draven (Buff)
- His AD growth is increased.
- Draven isn’t as strong compared to many of the S-tier ADCs. This buff will definitely help him and make him a better/more popular ADC now.
- Draven had a 49% win rate on patch 26.2.
Ekko (Nerf)
- Ekko's Passive AP ratio is reduced, and its damage to monsters is also lowered. This hurts his burst and his jungle clear.
- This is a big nerf for Ekko Jungle, and I expect him to be picked a lot less. This combined with Dusk and Dawn nerf, will make his win rate and play rate drop dramatically
- Ekko had a 51.4% win rate on patch 26.2.
Ezreal (Buff)
- Ezreal’s AD growth is increased.
- His E bonus AD is also increased.
- I think the AD bonus will be helpful, as he is weaker than many ADCs. I don’t think these changes will make him pick or ban, though.
- Ezreal had a 46.6% win rate on patch 26.2.
Hecarim (Buff)
- Hecarim's Q damage is increased at max rank. This will help with his Jungle clear, his trading potential, and his kill pressure.
- I don’t think it will increase his win rate or play rate, though.
- Hecarim had a 48.9% win rate on patch 26.2.
Heimerdinger (Buff)
- Heimerdinger gets more HP per level on this patch.
- His first W rocket deals more damage. This will help with his poke and wave clear.
- I really do not think these buffs will make him much better.
- Heimerdinger had a 49.7% win rate on patch 26.2.
Jayce (Changed)
- Jayce's Melee Q damage is buffed late-game, but his Ranged Q damage and ratio are nerfed.
- His Q bonus monster damage is reduced, and his Cannon R shred is significantly increased.
- This is an adjustment aimed at reducing his poke while making his melee form stronger. This is going to have a major impact on Jayce's playstyle in both the Jungle and the Top Lane.
- Jayce had a 48.4% win rate on patch 26.2.
Kayn (Buff)
- Kayn's Q base damage is increased at later ranks.
- This buff will increase his clear speed and increase his 1v1 potential.
- I think this buff will be significant, and we will see Kayn more often in the future.
- Kayn had a 49% win rate on patch 26.2.
Maokai (Buff)
- Maokai's Q base damage is increased at all ranks. This will help him in both the Jungle and Top Lane.
- I actually think this buff is good and we will most likely see him more often in the Top, Jungle and Support roles moving forward, especially with the Braum nerfs.
- Maokai had a 50.6% win rate on patch 26.2.
Mel (Changed)
- There is a lot to unpack with Mel's changes on this patch.
- Her Passive damage is reduced.
- Her Q damage now deals more damage, but deals reduced damage with the more enemies it hits.
- Mel's W no longer provides damage immunity, but you can still reflect abilities.
- Her E radius and damage is changed, making it deal more damage, but making it more constrainted.
- Her Ultimate damage has higher scaling.
- Mel was pick or ban in LoL, and I expect her to remain pick or ban even with these changes.
- Mel had a 46% win rate on patch 26.2
Naafiri (Buff)
- Naafiri's passive damage against monsters is increased. This is targeted at making him a better Jungler.
- I think we should expect to see Naafiri being played more often in the jungle role.
- Naafiri had a 52.3% win rate on patch 26.2.
Nilah (Nerf)
- Nilah's base AD is reduced, and her armour growth is lowered.
- These nerfs are not great and will make her a weaker and squisher ADC as a whole, and they will impact her win and play rate.
- Nilah had a 54% win rate on patch 26.2.
Nunu (Buff)
- Nunu’s W and E damage are both increased.
- This will increase his ganking, dueling and clearing power.
- Expect Nunu to be picked more often, and expect him to be a bigger threat moving forward.
- Nunu had a 50.6% win rate on patch 26.2.
Riven (Nerf)
- Her Passive ratio at later levels is reduced.
- Her Q bonus AD ratio is reduced as well.
- These changes are going to impact her all-in and kill potential; however, I do not believe it will reduce her pick rate.
- Riven had a 51.6% win rate on patch 26.2.
Ryze (Nerf)
- Ryze's W damage scaling and bonus mana are reduced. This lowers the burst from his root.
- This will make him weaker as a whole, but I don’t think it will be a massive difference to Ryze, as he isn’t picked that much anyway.
- Ryze had a 48.1% win rate on patch 26.2.
Trundle (Buff)
- Both Trundle’s armour and AD per level are increased.
- This will make Trundle a better champion in the Jungle and Top Lane.
- While these buffs are nice, I doubt they will make much of a difference in his pick rate.
- Trundle had a 47.2% win rate on patch 26.2.
Tryndamere (Buff)
- Tryndamere's AD growth is increased.
- This will be a nice buff for him, but like many other champions, this buff will not make a huge difference, and his win rate or pick rate will increase dramatically.
- Tryndamere had a 48.2% win rate on patch 26.2.
Varus (Nerf)
- His armor growth is nerfed.
- Varus’ W on hit and max HP ratio is decreased, which will make him weaker as a whole.
- These nerfs target AP and on-hit Varus, so they will significantly impact those builds and make these ones weaker. It is a shame, as he just got nerfed, so I think they will not be picked as much.
- Varus had a 50.2% win rate on patch 26.2.
Volibear (Nerf)
- Volibear's Q base damage is reduced at later ranks (though the ratio is increased).
- His E damage vs non-champions is reduced, and the cooldown is increased. This will impact his jungle clear, making him a weaker Jungler.
- I think this will heavily impact Volibear Top and make him a really weak Jungler moving forward.
- Volibear had a 52.8% win rate on patch 26.2.
Vi (Buff)
- Vi will get more health and AD per level. This will be useful at increasing her damage output and durability.
- While these will help her, it’s not exactly going to make her an S-tier Jungler.
- Vi had a 48.4% win rate on patch 26.2.
Xin Zhao (Buff)
- Xin is definitely not as strong as he once was, and that's why Riot is buffing him. His Passive healing is increased, which will increase his sustainability in the late-game team fights.
- His E attack speed bonus now scales, which will help him in the later parts of the laning phase/game.
- I think this could increase his play rate in the future, especially with some other Jungler nerfs this patch.
- Xin Zhao had a 49.2% win rate on patch 26.2.
Yone (Buff)
- Yone's Q ratio is increased. This will make his Q deal more damage in trades and all-ins.
- To be honest, while this buff is helpful, I doubt it is going to make a big difference to him as a whole.
- Yone had a 47.8% win rate on patch 26.2.
Zaahen (Buff)
- Zaahen Q damage against monsters and his E bonus monster damage are increased.
- I think Riot is trying to make Zaahen better in the Jungle with these changes, and we might start seeing him play more in that role.
- Zaahen had a 50.4% win rate on patch 26.2.
Zed (Nerf)
- Zed's E damage cap against non-champions is lowered, and his Passive damage against monsters and epic monsters is severely reduced. This is going to make his clear speed much slower.
- This is a massive nerf to Jungle Zed, likely intended to push him back to the mid lane.
- His jungle viability will be severely reduced.
- Zed had a 50.6% win rate on patch 26.2.
Item Changes
Actualizer
- The cost is reduced slightly
Dusk and Dawn
- Damage is changed, but the health it provides is increased.
Endless Hunger
- The cost is increased, but it does give 5 more gold.
Protoplasm Harness
- The recipe is changed, and it is now 100 gold more expensive. It also provides 5 additional AD though.
Armored Advance
- The shield is changed.
Chainlaced Crushers
- The shield is changed.
Rune Changes
Cash Back
- The amount of gold this rune refunds is reduced.
Phase Rush
- The effectiveness for ranged champions is changed.
Triple Tonic
- The adaptive force elixir is reduced.
Thank you for reading. We hope you enjoyed this patch breakdown. How do you feel about this patch? Let us know in the comments. As always, if you have any questions, find us in our Discord!