It seems like the River King is far from royalty in the bot lane.
League of Legends fans are up in arms after Patch 9.19 aimed to scrape off some of Tahm Kench’s thick skin for Worlds 2019. The nerf utterly destroyed the toad’s support win rate, with the number dropping to 35.8 percent in higher elos, according to Blitz.gg.
Patch 9.19 skinned Tahm Kench, changing the amount of Grey Health heal he receives from his Thick Skin (E) from 75 percent at all ranks to 30 to 100 from levels one to 18. Essentially, Riot wanted to diminish the River King’s early-game presence in the bot lane, trading it for a higher percentage in the later stages of the game.
“Tahm Kench is one of the best champs for protecting teammates from being picked off by enemies, and he should therefore be more vulnerable to poke,” according to Riot.
The Worlds patch attempts to balance the meta, hoping that one champion doesn’t dominate a specific lane and become a constant pick-or-ban choice. During patches when Tahm Kench is a popular pick, the frog is virtually unkillable. And his Devour (W) makes one of his teammates unkillable as well.
Although fans may understand why Tahm should be tuned down for Worlds, many believe the changes are too harsh.
“I really understand that Riot wanted to not have Tahm Kench at worlds as he isn’t exciting to watch, but it is utterly ridiculous to nerf a champion to the point of a 38 percent win rate,” one fan said.
It’s unlikely that Riot will give the River King a last minute buff with Worlds 2019 kicking off next week on Oct. 2. Tahm Kench fans will simply have to chant “Unbench the Kench” in hopes that Patch 9.20 is nicer to the toad.
