Legends of Runeterrra Elnuk and Shadow Isle nerfs likely in upcoming updates

RNG and dominant regions shouldn’t have a stranglehold over the meta, Riot Games revealed in today’s Legends of Runeterra “State of Open Beta.”

Since the LoR open beta released just over six weeks ago, Riot has collected data that indicates Shadow Isles is an overpowered region. And regarding RNG, the Elnuk package has also been identified as a possible problem. The LoR team has yet to reveal what changes, or when nerfs to Shadow Isles units or champions and Elnuks will take place. But Riot did suggest in the “State of Open” Beta today that nerfs are likely forthcoming. 

RNG should never take the lead in the LoR meta, according to Riot. The Elnuk package is on the watchlist for this reason and will receive a nerf if deemed necessary. 

“RNG has a place, but it shouldn’t take the lead, and good RNG design creates novel circumstances that players can adapt to,” Riot said. “We’re always watching how these designs are received (looking at you, Elnuks), and will make tweaks where needed to bring them in line.”

Dominant regions are also an issue the LoR team plans to address, starting with Shadow Isles. The region has outperformed the others by a “decent margin,” according to collected data. Each region was designed to have specific weaknesses that players could build around, but cards like Mark of the Isles and Frenzied Skitterer have mitigated built-in weaknesses to the Shadow Isles region. 

To prevent future regions from ending up like Shadow Isles, the LoR team is taking preventive measures to ensure future LoR regions have clear weaknesses established early in the design process.

“While we’re making adjustments over time to address these issues, the biggest change is from a development standpoint: we’re going to focus on ensuring regions have clear, distinct weaknesses (and therefore challenges for you to build around) earlier in the design process,” Riot said. 

No announcements were made today regarding what specific cards or nerfs will take place within the Shadow Isles region and with Elnuks. Adjustments are likely to occur in the near future, however, prior to the LoR official launch later this year.