Some of League of Legends’ best performing champions will be taken down a peg in the game’s upcoming update.
Gameplay design director Mark “Scruffy” Yetter outlined all the tentative balance changes coming in next week’s Patch 11.2. And some overpowered champs, like Olaf, Nunu, and Akali, are getting hit by the nerf stick. Dr. Mundo, on the other hand, is getting some love, along with eight other champs.
Even though Riot extensively nerfed Bami’s Cinder items in a November hotfix, Nunu continues to dominate the jungle meta. The Boy and his Yeti are extremely tanky, have excellent sustain, and can out damage most carries. Riot may consider lowering the damage on some of his abilities or simply attacking his base stats to make him less beefy in the early stages of a match.
Scruffy alluded to Olaf and Aatrox changes last week, explaining that the two bruisers’ healing amps would be the focus in a future patch. Olaf’s Vicious Strikes (W) have already been updated on the PBE, according to Surrender at 20, increasing the ability’s lifesteal while decreasing the amount of healing received based on missing health.
While Aatrox will also be tweaked, Scruffy says it’ll be “more of a neutral shifting power away from the healing amp.” Akali’s nerfs may limit her strength during the laning phase, making her more of the mid-to-late game assassin she’s supposed to be.
Dr. Mundo is set to receive buffs, potentially making him tankier. Though many beefy champs have seen success with the item system overhaul, Mundo isn’t one of them. And with Riot gearing up for his champion rework, now’s probably a good time to give him a little boost.
Darius, Maokai support, and Elise also made it on the nerf list. Trundle, Shaco, Nocturne, LeBlanc, Caitlyn, Varus, Senna, and Soraka are slated for buffs. Scruffy will likely expand on the buffs and nerfs tomorrow.
The patch preview is tentative and liable to change before hitting the live servers, however.
Make sure to follow us on YouTube for more esports news and analysis.
