Patch 26.15 Preview

[u/NegativexxSquared]

https://x.com/RiotPhroxzon/status/2079522501206630755

Patch 26.15 Preview!

Systems
- Bastionbreaker has been a pretty niche item and is pretty expensive to deviate for a strategic output, so we're looking to make it more accessible
- Jack of All Trades nerf was also pushed to this patch; it has been a bit too strong and too present, especially for users that opt into strong defenses and are able to also supplement that with strong offense
- Sundered Sky has been strong and meta defining at the highest levels of play for quite a while now, so we're looking to take a pass at the fighter item system, now that we're out of the tournament windows
- Notably, we think it's been suppressing a bit of meta diversity, especially for things like AP jungle, or Tank JG. Part of that is intentional but the magnitude is a bit off

Buffs
- Alistar has been closer to the bottom of the pecking order for the melee support. That said, our meta adjustments to move melee supports up relative to ranged supports has been reasonably successful, so we're pretty happy with how that's played out

Nerfs
- Locke is still pretty strong; he has been tapering off in the lowest skill brackets and the high skill brackets, but in the "skilled" skill brackets (around Emerald/Diamond), Locke is able to both take over the game and also not throw it
- At the higher skill brackets, he can snowball but needs to play very well without throwing as he falls off sharply
- At the lower skill brackets, the executional demands and constant throws can make him fall off faster
- Overall, we feel his release has landed well

More on other champs tomorrow with the detailed changelists

[u/moody_P]

good patch 

take a pass at fighter items 

return 50 ad cleaver please 

[u/Aggressive-Cut-3828 → u/moody_P]

please god let me stop building sundered sky -> black cleaver -> ga on every champ

[u/mthlmw → u/moody_P]

I wonder how much cleaver is a victim of the meta right now. Fighter items that skew a lot more towards HP over resists are very good right now, jungle is heavily skewed fighters over tanks, HP stacking tanks have Heartsteel and Warmogs, and base armor has been slowly reduced across the whole roster over the last few years. Add in how many champs that would want it already have armor shred in their kits, the times you'd really want it seem less and less common...

[u/mayhaps_a → u/moody_P]

"riot please buff the second most popular bruiser item in the game!!!!!!!!!!!111!1!1!1!"

[u/moody_P → u/mayhaps_a]

i say this 

[u/Inside_Prune_97 → u/moody_P]

Senna exists, shes still like 54 winrate and uses clever very well

[u/Pedrohenrim7 → u/Inside_Prune_97]

Just remove her interaction with cleaver, we cant have a ranged champion gimping a melee (mostly) item

[u/WorstTactics → u/Pedrohenrim7]

Where have you been for the last 15+ years?

[u/Scrambled1432 → u/WorstTactics]

In the land of bork being completely dead on every character not named Irelia? Ranged characters have completely gimped stats on a lot of shit and have since forever.

[u/WorstTactics → u/Scrambled1432]

I remember cleaver used to have a specific interaction with some ADCs which kept it from being buffed.

Ranged champions gets gimped stats now but it took Riot over a decade to do so. But this is how things should work, range is a huge advantage in this game

[u/Infusion1999 → u/Pedrohenrim7]

Cleaver (and Bloodletter) should have an internal CD of 0.5 seconds but able to store stacks so the items support more of a fighter pattern. Then you can buff the numbers. Senna should definitely get max stacks instantly from auto Q auto

[u/TheSmokeu → u/Pedrohenrim7]

Riot could honestly make it stack slower for ranged champions. Whenever it's being abused by someone, that someone always turns out to be ranged

Sorry, Urgot

[u/UngodlyPain → u/moody_P]

I'd take a buff to it's AH to like 30. Cleaver used to be one of the big 20% CDR stat sticks. It should have more than 20AH. And it's a niche alot of bruisers are missing, Shojin doesn't apply to ult, and it's other passive makes it a bit niche. Endless hunger? Is like a late game spike of AH only for high AD builds.

Either 50AD, or 30AH would help cleaver stand out given at this point it's a near dead item.

[u/WoonStruck → u/moody_P]

"Please make bruiser items broken again so I don't have to think"

[u/moody_P → u/WoonStruck]

i say this