League of Legends patch 8.6 is right around the corner. We take a look at the most impactful changes that are going to reshape the competitive meta!
Champions
Duskblade gutted
Duskblade of Drakkthar had its Nightstalker damage reduced from 65-320 to 30-200. To make up for the nerf, Riot Games granted Duskblade users the ability to one-shot wards that were revealed by its Blackout passive. Also, Blackout will no longer activate at the same time as Sweeping Lens or Oracle’s Alteration.
But wait a second, what is this doing in the champions section? Well, the change is accompanied by a string of buffs to the common Duskblade users. Most of them received minor stat boosts, but we’re expecting the likes of Kha’Zix (increased damage to isolated targets), Rengar (increased ratios on most abilities), and Zed (multiple Qs no longer deal reduced damage to the same target) to come out on top.
Kai’Sa overbuffed?
Kai’sa, the Daughter of the Void, received changes to every single ability. And while some of them are inconsequential like the increased AP ratios on her passive and Icathian Rain [Q], the reduced cast time on Supercharge [E] and the increased radius on Killer Instinct [R] will definitely be noticeable.
The biggest change, though, is her attack range getting buffed to 525. She already had a very strong kit that was gated by her lackluster early game. And the added range makes it much easier for Kai’sa mains to fight back in the laning phase.
Lee Sin comes back
There’s no denying that Lee Sin was in a slump. The removal of Tracker’s Knife made him inconsistent, so Riot Games are trying to bring back some power to his kit. With that, his passive will restore more energy at higher levels, and Resonating Strike [Q] will fly slightly further. Plus, the damage from Dragon’s Rage [R] was increased at higher ranks, so Lee Sin will have a reliable finishing move.
Still, the days where the blind monk was the king of mobility are long in the past, and junglers will have to learn how to play around yellow trinkets. Or they could just stock up on Control Wards.
Quinn takes flight
Quinn, the least popular marksman, finally received some buffs! Granted, her base damage was lowered from 62 to 59, but the attack damage growth stat was bumped up from 2.4 to 3.0. And did we mention that Quinn’s autos can now proc her marks even when the latter appear mid-flight? Finally, Behind Enemy Lines [R] channel is uninterruptable, and its damage applies passive marks to all enemy champions hit. Expect Quinn to resurface as the bane of the Solo Queue top laners.
Rakan becomes independent
Simply put, Rakan relied too much on Xayah. Riot is addressing this by buffing the AP scaling on Gleaming Quill [Q] and Grand Entrance [W] by 0.1. More importantly, Battle Dance [E] had its range increased by 100 (the range with Xayah remains unchanged), so the Charmer will have a more reliable escape. Last but not least, Deadly Plumage [Xayah’s W] no longer procs twice while it’s active on both Xayah and Rakan.
Items, Runes & Game Mechanics
Shurelya’s Reverie returns!
Shurelya’s Reverie comes back as the go button for supports. The item costs 2100 gold and grants 40 ability power, 200 health, 10% CDR, and 8% movement speed. The real kicker, though, is the active that provides a brief 40% movement speed buff for the caster and nearby allies. With that, Shurelya might replace Righteous Glory on someone like Rakan.
Guinsoo’s Rageblade rework
Guinsoo’s Rageblade received a rework to push it out of the bot lane. The item now costs 600 gold less while granting 25 AD (instead of 35) and 25 AP (instead of 50). Its on-hit magic/physical damage was also reduced by two thirds, so Rageblade will no longer provide an immediate power spike.
That being said, each passive stack now gives 4% AP, 8% total AS, and 4% bonus AD, so the item will be insane on scaling champions. In the end, we’re not sure what to think of this, as Guinsoo’s Rageblade might be even more out of line compared to its old state.
Ignite and Heal changes
Ignite had its damage bumped up to 80-505 (up from 70-410), and Heal had its cooldown increased to 270 seconds. Rest assured, this change will make League much more bloodthirsty. Especially in the solo lanes.
New runes: Conqueror and Chrysalis
Riot introduced two bruiser runes. The first one—Conqueror—is a keystone in the Precision tree that grants bonus attack damage after 4 seconds of staying in combat. The effect lasts three seconds and converts 20% of your damage to true damage, so you will have an easier times tearing through tanks.
The second rune, Chrysalis, is in the Resolve tree. At the beginning of the game, it grants 60 health, however, once you get 4 takedowns, this bonus in converted into 9 AD or 15 AP (adaptive). Oh, and while we’re at it, a couple of old runes—Iron Skin and Mirror Shell—were removed from the game to make room for the newcomers.
That’s it for top changes of patch 8.6! You can check the complete patch notes here, and we’ll see you on the Rift!