With only a few weeks left until the start of the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, Riot continues to shape the upcoming meta at the tournament with changes to champions in Patch 13.19.
For example, one unique strategy that has quickly picked up steam among pro League players is an AD LeBlanc build that can be flexed in mid and top lane. In South Korea, multiple pros were seen experimenting with the new tech and had fans worried that the champion would take over drafts during the biggest tournament of the year.
As a result, game designer David “Phreak” Turley has outlined several changes on the League subreddit that will address the new build, including nerfs to Statikk Shiv, Trinity Force, and LeBlanc’s mana pool. They will also be applying a small AP ratio buff so that players are more incentivized to build her traditionally instead of choosing the AD split pushing route.
According to Phreak, Statikk Shiv was supposed to be adjusted until it was equally as powerful as other AD options like Stormrazor and Kraken Slayer. The item was considered underpowered by many players in the community, but eventually, players realized how strong Shiv could be in the hands of specific champions, like LeBlanc, who could utilize its wave clear for incredible control over early-game farming.
By building Hullbreaker and Trinity Force, LeBlanc became a split pushing menace who was too slippery to catch while still providing plenty of pick potential with her innate AP damage. She could also tank a good amount of damage after reaching full build since she would also choose the Resolve rune tree with a couple of final tank items to bolster her durability.
This playstyle would have been powerful at Worlds since most top laners would have thrived on a strong early-game bully that could shove waves into the enemy turret and roam the map. A powerful split pushing champion would, however, have led to relatively less interactive games since most teams that draft LeBlanc would focus on allowing her to push while avoiding full-on teamfights.
Patch 13.19 is scheduled to release on Wednesday, Sept. 27.
Published: Sep 23, 2023 11:20 am