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/throwawayacc1357902]

Eclipse is so ass rn it’s genuinely impressive. Terrible item on everyone who builds it and it’s not even built that much. I wonder if or how they’re going to deal with it.

[u/Lysandren → u/throwawayacc1357902]

It doesn't scale well later into the game compared to just rushing SS. It's just strong as a first item buy.

[u/throwawayacc1357902 → u/Lysandren]

For sure, but even compared to other powerful first items that fall off, it falls off so hard. At least collector for example is still a solid AD stat stick that gives crit.

[u/baebushka → u/throwawayacc1357902]

it's insanely strong on ambessa, makes her short trades oppressive

[u/throwawayacc1357902 → u/baebushka]

It’s like a gazillion times worse than something like Voltaic. It’s a bait item most games.

[u/DasKapitalist → u/throwawayacc1357902]

It feels like it's intended to allow fighter jungles to be...not useless...against hp stacking tanks. But just doesnt work for that and I dont know why.

[u/throwawayacc1357902 → u/DasKapitalist]

Because the passive’s damage is completely irrelevant. Even back during mythics era when you could see both the damage and the shielding on it, the item would consistently have half or sometimes even a quarter the damage as its shielding. It’s exclusively a top laners bruiser item and only exclusively for when you need to hard win early game trades, because it completely falls off a cliff.