The second patch of League of Legends’ Season 2022 is on the way, and it will be toning down some areas that avoided heavy nerfs in Patch 12.1, specifically a handful of assassins and map objectives.
Riot Phlox, designer on the Summoner’s Rift team for League, provided a list of champions, items, and objectives that are being changed for Patch 12.2. Among these changes are nerfs to various aspects of the game that have proven too strong with the start of Season 2022, with a particular interest in the mid lane and jungle.
Multiple assassins are listed as recipients of nerfs this patch, likely due to their flexibility in multiple roles compared to other champions of the same class. Zed, Qiyana, and Talon can each be flexed in both the mid lane and the jungle, carrying consistent win rates in both roles while dishing out tremendous damage in short periods of time. For Talon, specifically, these nerfs likely target his ability to clear camps. For Zed and Qiyana, they may have straight damage decreases in their immediate future.
After the Teleport changes in Patch 12.1, Shen’s usage became much more prominent, now becoming one of the only champions to freely traverse the map prior to 13 minutes. While his R may be nerfed, he may also see some changes to his numbers that enable him to deal massive damage while taking very little, despite many builds for him preferring tankiness.
Lulu has long sat at the top of the support leaderboards thanks to her W, rendering all abilities of her enemies useless for a short period of time. Her methods of sustain have also aged very well, making the small Yordle a force to be reckoned with in the bot lane. While her damage may not be nerfed, the cooldowns on her abilities—particularly her W and ultimate—may be much higher in Patch 12.2.
This patch also revisits Rengar, Tahm Kench, and Janna, offering them tools to better succeed in their respective roles, or in new ones. Rengar will gain a new passive to his ultimate, allowing him to jump out of camouflage—perfect for both Chemtech Rifts and Senna’s E. Tahm Kench will no longer be slowed when ulting an ally, instead of gaining a brief speed boost with other changes centered on bringing back his supporting capabilities in testing. Janna’s changes were detailed earlier today, aimed at making her less of a poke enchanter and more focused on utility.
The Precision Keystone Lethal Tempo, which was reworked during the preseason, will be nerfed due to its prevalence among ranged and melee champions alike. Both the Hextech and Chemtech Souls are also planned to be nerfed, as these newest additions to League have been the recipients of numerous criticisms from fans in terms of their power compared to the other Elemental Dragons.
League’s Patch 12.2 is expected to hit live servers on Jan. 19, with these nerfs set to be live on the PBE soon. All of these changes are subject to alterations before their release to live servers.
