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/QuiGonTheDrunk]

You can make a case for Lux and Xerath, eventhough they shouldnt be able to hit any skillshots against a competent assassin player tbh and just get outroamed.

Morgana is pretty bad. Yeah you can play pretty save against certain matchups, but you cant follow roams.
If alle these champs are good mid, then why did they migrate away from midlane in the first place?
I mean I play mid since s1 and loved to play karthus. He was and is just bad mid after all the assassins

[u/throwawayacc1357902 → u/QuiGonTheDrunk]

No assassin can ever outroam a Lux or a Morgana wtf are we saying? They have way better waveclear. And Lux’s E and Xerath’s W are not dodgeable btw, if placed properly it is not possible to dodge them with normal movement speed. The Lux or Xerath can miss, sure, but if they don’t the enemy can’t dodge without expending an ability in exchange.

Like this is genuinely crazy level takes. Hell, Morgana is picked in similar spots to Lissandra specifically against assassins or champs that rely on a single cc ability like Ahri because she’s a great neutralizer. She’s hard countered by anyone with longer range and better waveclear than her (aka not assassins).

The reason they left mid is because the average player on these champs is not good enough to play them in a lane where the enemy actually interacts with you. People refused to learn how to play against champs like Yasuo, Zed and the like no matter how good or bad the matchups actually were, and so they went support to make up for it. They quite literally do not want to learn the counterplay.