Champion Changes
Ambessa (nerf)
- Her Ult cast time is increased ever so slightly.
- On paper, it is not a lot of additional time, but I guess it could make the difference between life and death. I don’t play Ambessa, so I wouldn’t know how impactful this will be. Only time will tell!
- Ambessa had a 49.3% win rate on patch 26.8.
Briar (nerf)
- Briar’s health growth is reduced, meaning she will be weaker and squishier overall.
- Briar had a 51.4% win rate on patch 26.8.
Ezreal (change)
- His Q, W and R AP ratios are increased. These buffs to his abilities will make AP Ezreal viable again.
- I think people will be playing Ezreal in all 3 lanes now.
- Ezreal had a 47.9% win rate on patch 26.8.
Gragas (buff)
- Gragas’ W damage reduction is increased. This is a good buff to Gragas and will help him in the Top and Jungle roles. I expect we will start to see Gragas a bit more moving forward.
- Gragas had a 50.4% win rate on patch 26.8.
Kennen (change)
- Kennen’s W empowered auto can now crit, and stacks are now consumed on attack instead of when his empowered auto hits.
- His crit strike also empowered his bonus attack speed duration, which will benefit him in extended trades.
- I think these buffs to Kennen are okay, and we could see him being played a bit more in the future.
- Kennen had a 50.2% win rate on patch 26.8.
Shyvana (change)
- Her base attack speed and AS ratio are changed.
- Shyvana’s Q damage is reduced, making her poke and all-in a lot weaker.
- For her W, the cooldown is changed, the shield is changed, and so is the damage.
- Her E cooldown is changed, the damage is changed, and now the slow is 30% and no longer scales.
- Riot doesn’t know what they’re doing with Shyvana. It is clear that they didn’t fix anything in her kit with her rework, and now these attempts to fix her are shocking…
- These changes will not make her much better than she currently is.
- Shyvana had a 50.9% win rate on patch 26.8.
Tahm Kench (buff)
- His grey health storage is increased, which will help him in the Top and Support roles. It will help him in mid- and late-game team fights, too.
- His Ultimate move speed is increased as well. This will help him keep his allies alive longer and get them out of sticky situations more easily.
- I think these are some good buffs to Tahm Kench.
- Tahm had a 49.6% win rate on patch 26.8.
Taliyah (buff)
- Her Q damage is increased.
- This buff will help her in both the Jungle and Mid lane.
- Taliyah had a 48.3% win rate on patch 26.8.
Teemo (change)
- Teemo's E now applies on-hit effects.
- On-hit now scales with bonus AD, and Poison damage tick also scales with extra AD.
- To be honest, these are some nice changes to Teemo, and they allow him to go for more unique builds. I look forward to trying these changes soon.
- Teemo had a 50.9% win rate on patch 26.8.
Udyr (change)
- Udyr’s Q damage is changed, and is stronger the more AD/health he has.
- His W shield and heal now scale with AD, which is pretty cool.
- His E now scales with bonus AD.
- These changes make me think Riot want to see Udyr in the meta again. Overall they are some good changes for Udyr!
- Udyr had a 50.7% win rate on patch 26.8.
Warwick (buff)
- Warwick’s Passive damage is increased. We could start seeing Warwick back in the Top and Jungle in the next split for LoL!
- I am looking forward to playing Warwick Top soon.
- Warwick had a 50.1% win rate on patch 26.8.
Xin Zhao (change)
- Xin Zhao’s Passive heal is changed: it is weaker early but better later.
- His W slow duration now scales with AP.
- Xin’s E AP ratio is doubled, but now gives less bonus attack speed. However, it does now scale with AP.
- It is a buff to Xin Zhao and will allow players to build Xin Zhao either AD or AP, depending on what the team needs.
- Xin Zhao had a 50.8% win rate on patch 26.8.
Zeri (change)
- Zeri’s attack range is increased from 500 to 550, which will help her throughout the game to create distance. It will also make it easier for her to farm against long-range champions like Caitlyn.
- Her Q bonus damage is changed.
- Zeri’s W AP ratio is increased, and the damage is reduced. It will not be as strong as it was before.
- Her E no longer scales with AD, but it still empowers her auto-attacks for 5 seconds. Its damage is also increased.
- Zeri’s Ultimate deals less damage, but gives more movement speed, and the duration is increased as well.
- It will be interesting to see how these changes affect Zeri. There are some good things and bad things about these changes, so let’s just see how they impact her.
- Zeri had a 50% win rate on patch 26.8.
Zoe (change)
- Her W damage is reduced, and so is the AP ratio. This means her W pickups will be weaker overall.
- Zoe’s E cooldown is increased at all ranks, but now refunds a % of the cooldown if you hit an enemy champion. I’m not sure I like this change, but I think it’ll be okay long-term.
- Zoe had a 50.9% win rate on patch 26.8.
Item Changes
Axiom Arc
- Base cooldown is changed to 10% instead of 15%.
- The lethality rate is also reduced.
Dusk and Dawn
- It now gives 50 less health.
- The AP has been reduced, and so is the bonus attack speed.
- It now heals for 10% AP, though.
Endless Hunger
- The Passive is changed to give more passive damage for melee champions.
Hubris
- Hubris now gives 5 less AD, but more passive AD per stack.
- It also gives less AD.
- This is going to be a weaker item early, but stronger when you get more kills.
Opportunity
- Has been removed from the game.
Staff of Flowing Water
- Staff now gives less ability haste, and gives less AP too.
- Rapids now grants additional ability haste, though.
Statikk Shiv
- The recipe has changed to Scout’s Slingshot + Aether Wisp + Pickaxe + 625 gold. It now gives 40 attack damage, 40 ability power, 30% attack speed, 4% movement speed.
- Its energised Passive generates stacks by moving and attacking. When fully energised, your next attack will deal bonus damage.
Trailblazer
- Has been removed from the game.
Voltaic Cyclosword
- The cost is reduced to 2900 gold from 3000.
- It gives only 10 lethality now instead of 18.
- Its Passive now triggers energised effects.
- Its second Passive deals bonus damage from energised effects.
New Items
Doran’s Bow
- It is a new starting item that costs 400 gold.
- It gives 6 attack damage, 15% attack speed and 1.5% omnivamp.
Doran’s Helm
- It is a new starting item that costs 450 gold.
- It gives 110 health, 10 armor and 10 magic resistance.
- Its Passive gives an additional 5 on-hit damage against minions.
Gluttonous Greaves
- This is a new item that costs 950 gold.
- It gives 45 movement speed and 4% omnivamp.
- Its Passive gives you omnivamp per kill. I suppose it will be a good item on champions like Vladimir or Katarina.
- It is a boots item.
Immortal Path
- This is an upgrade for Gluttonous Graves, and you can only unlock this item if you complete the Midlane Quest.
- It gives 45 movement speed and 4% omnivamp.
- Its Passive gives you omnivamp per kill.
- Another one of its Passives is that while you’re above 50% health, you deal additional damage. When your health is below 50%, your healing, shielding, and health regen are increased.
Rune Changes
Arcane Comet
- Base damage is reduced, but the damage is increased depending on the distance.
Deathfire Touch
- This is a new Sorcery Keystone Rune.
- Its Passive causes the enemy to take damage over time and applies a burn. It could be good on Mage Supports like Zyra and Brand.
Hail of Blades
- The bonus attack speed HoB provides is down, but empowered attacks now deal additional true damage.
Phase Rush
- Phase Rush has been removed from the game.
Stormraider’s Surge
- This is a new Keystone Rune to replace Phase Rush.
- Its Passive gives you additional movement speed and slow resist when you deal 25% of the enemy’s max health within 3 seconds.
- This item is intended for champions like Vladimir.
Gameplay Changes
Melee Minions
- Health has changed.
Caster Minions
- The on-hit health ratio is reduced.
Siege Minions
- The on-hit health ratio is reduced.
Controls
- WASD controls are now enabled in ranked queues.
Role Quests
Top Lane Quest
- The incoming XP modifier is changed.
- It now grants 90 bonus XP when you get a kill.
Midlane Quest
- It no longer gives an empowered recall. Instead, it gives bonus AD and bonus AP.
Botlane Quest
- Bonus gold on take down is 40 instead of 50, which is a nerf to ADCs.