Nerfs, buffs, and new stuff in League’s Patch 8.8

The annual mid-season update is right around the corner, and preparations are beginning with League of Legends Patch 8.8 this week.

Normally, 8.8 would be a larger update in Riot’s alternating big patch/small patch schedule. This week’s patch will instead be a little smaller as Riot gears up for a series of larger mid-season updates to be dealt out over the course of multiple patches. This will be unlike previous years, where Riot dished out all significant mid-season changes in one huge patch.

That doesn’t mean this patch won’t have enough exciting changes, though. There are significant buffs and nerfs for some of League’s problem champions, as well as two small-scale reworks for LeBlanc and Ahri. This year’s MSI-themed Conqueror skin will arrive later in the patch, too.

Here’s our comprehensive list of this week’s changes.

Nerfs

Champions

Irelia

• Base armor increased from 31 to 34.
• Bladesurge (Q): Damage to minions increased by 10 percent.
• Vanguard’s Edge (R): Cooldown increased by 20/15/10 seconds at each rank.
• Vanguard’s Edge (R): Projectile damage lowered by 25/50/75 at each rank.
• Vanguard’s Edge (R): Wall damage lowered by 50/75/100 at each rank.

Azir

• Arise! (W): Damage to non-primary targets (cleave damage) lowered at early levels to 25/50/75/100 percent at levels one, six, 11, and 16 from 40/70/100 percent at levels one, six, and 11.

Braum

• Armor growth lowered slightly by 0.5.
• Stand Behind Me (W): Resistances provided lowered by 7.5/6/4.5/3/1.5 at each rank.

Galio

• Hero’s Entrance (R): Cooldown increased by 20/30/40 seconds at each rank.

Janna

• Base movement speed lowered by five.
• Zephyr (W): Base damage lowered by five at all ranks.

Kai’Sa

• Base health regeneration lowered by one.
• Health regeneration growth lowered by 0.2.
• Icathian Rain (Q): Bonus AD scaling lowered by five percent, six-missile scaling lowered by 12.5 percent, and 12-missile scaling lowered by 21.5 percent.

Ryze

• Spell Flux (E): Mana cost increased by 20/15/10/5/0 at each rank.

Sion

• Decimating Smash (Q): Base damage, total AD scaling, and max-charge AD scaling lowered at early levels.

Tahm Kench

• Devour (W): Tahm Kench no longer gains movement speed when moving toward an enemy champion while an ally is in his belly.
• Thick Skin (E): Percentage of Grey Health recovered lowered by 10 percent at all ranks.

Taliyah

• Base health lowered by 30.
• Threaded Volley (Q): Cooldown raised by 2/1.5/1/0.5/0 seconds at each rank.

Xayah

• Base health regeneration lowered by one.
• Clean Cuts (P): Pass-through damage lowered to 30/40/50 percent at levels one, seven, and 13 from a flat 50 percent at all levels.

Items

Archangel’s Staff

• Mana to AP conversion lowered from three to one percent, which is the same as it is on Seraph’s Embrace.

Buffs

Champions

Graves

• Health growth raised by eight.
• Collateral Damage (R): Cooldown lowered by 10/15/20 seconds at each rank.

Lissandra

• Ice Shard (Q): Mana cost lowered by 10 at all ranks.
• Frozen Tomb (R): Cooldown lowered by 10/5/0 seconds at each rank.

Nautilus

• Base mana raised by 66.
• Base AD raised by 3.46.
• Dredge Line (Q): Cooldown lowered by 4/3/2/1/0 seconds at each rank.

Runes

Lethal Tempo

• Attack speed raised from 30-80 percent depending on level to 40-110 percent.

Trinkets

Sweeping Lens

• Removed. Now starts game as the Oracle Alteration.

All

• Swapping trinkets now retains the same percentage cooldown as your previous one.

New stuff

Reworks (and reverts)

LeBlanc

Mirror Image (P)

• When LeBlanc drops to below 40 percent health, she becomes invisible for one second and creates a Mirror Image that deals no damage and lasts eight seconds.

Sigil of Malice (Q)

• Name changed from Shatter Orb to Sigil of Malice.
• Applies mark to target. Damaging the marked target detonates the mark to deal more damage.

Distortion (W)

• Base damage raised significantly at all ranks.
• AP scaling raised by 40 percent.
• Cooldown lowered at early levels.
• Speed lowered by 150.
• Reactivation delay lowered from 0.85 seconds after cast to 0.2 seconds after finishing dash.

Ethereal Chains (E)

• Latch-on AP scaling raised by 20 percent.
• Root base damage lowered significantly at all ranks.
• Root AP scaling raised by 20 percent.
• Mana cost increased by 30.
• Tether range lowered by 20 units.

Mimic (R)

• Now repeats LeBlanc’s last ability by pressing R.
• Repeated spells deal more damage than their counterparts.

Ahri

Vastayan Grace (P)

• Updated effect: When Ahri lands two spells on enemy champions with 1.5 seconds, she gains 20 percent movement speed for three seconds.
• Has a nine-second cooldown.

Orb of Deception (Q)

• No longer grants movement speed.
• When Ahri lands nine spells, she gains Essence Thief, which causes her next Q to restore health for each enemy struck.

Fox-Fire (W)

• Mana cost lowered by 10.
• Now prioritizes enemy champions under Charm’s effect and the target that Ahri most recently struck with a basic attack.
• Delay for priority targets still 0.25 seconds, but delay for non-priorities increased to 0.4 seconds.

Charm (E)

• Base damage lowered slightly at later levels.
• AP scaling lowered by 20 percent.
• When Charm strikes a champion, Ahri’s abilities deal 20 percent more damage to that target for five seconds.

Spirit Rush (R)

• Base damage lowered at all ranks.
• AP scaling raised by 10 percent.

Varus

Living Vengeance (P)

• Bonus attack speed on champion kill lowered by 20 percent.
• Bonus attack speed on minion kill lowered by 10 percent.

Blighted Quiver (W)

• New active ability: Activating this ability now causes Varus’ next Piercing Arrow to deal heavy magic damage equal to 6-10 percent of the target’s missing health, increasing by up to 50 percent based on charge time (can reach 15 percent missing health damage at max charge and max rank).
• Passive on-hit damage lowered at all ranks.

Vi

Base stats

• Base armor lowered by five.
• Armor growth raised by 0.5.
• Base health regeneration raised by one.
• Health regeneration growth raised by 0.1.

Blast Shield (P)

• Cooldown lowered by four seconds at level one, but evens out by level nine.

Vault Breaker (Q)

• Cooldown lowered by 4/3/2/1/0 seconds at each rank.

Excessive Force (E)

• Mana cost lowered by 14/13/12/11/10 at each rank.

Skins

Conqueror Varus – 975 RP (Legacy)

Badlands Rumble Chromas

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