Riot Games is targeting the mid lane in League of Legends Patch 10.13.
League gameplay designer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter broke down the changes coming to the position in an upcoming patch.
In an effort to take power out of the mid lane, Riot plans to change the fundamentals of the laning phase to “bring mid economy” back to season nine.
Mid lane cannon minion spawns are set to be changed from three to four waves for the first 15 minutes of the game, with minions moving “slightly slower” to the lane. This, according to Scruffy, will reduce clear and roam potential for the position.
The changes are a work in progress and may never see the light of the day, but the implications are clear. Riot is keen on changing the pace of the meta and wants to distribute power across the map.
These changes would cause minion waves to crash in all lanes at the same time, theoretically reducing the room to roam. Mid laners would have the option to push their lanes at an easier rate, but they’d have to consider their sidelanes. The nature of the changes will give enemies the opportunity to clear their waves and back off, reducing the chance of being ganked.
The reduced minion speed would also give mid laners the ability to leash for their junglers in the opening stages of the game. This could change gank and invade timings and give less priority to the scuttle. Junglers could potentially leash the raptors for mid laners, too, giving them a level advantage in the early game.
The ramifications of these changes are massive and could completely sway the meta.
League’s Patch 10.13 is scheduled to hit the live servers on Wednesday, June 24.
