Teamfight Tactics Patch 9.23 looks to buff Warden and Crystal, nerf Shadow, Glacial, and Iceborne Gauntlet

Riot Games launched the second season of hit autobattler Teamfight Tactics earlier this month, introducing a new cast of characters, classes, and items. Even though the developer gave fans plenty of time to adjust to the new meta, the first patch since Set Two’s launch looks to stabilize some outliers.

Patch 9.23’s tentative changes seem to balance out Rise of the Elements by giving some unsung heroes the tools to match the competition. And some of Set Two’s most overpowered aspects (cough, Iceborne Gauntlet, cough) will get their wings clipped.

The underwhelming Warden class may finally get a share of the limelight. A Public Beta Environment update on Nov. 6 suggests that Warden’s two and four-unit armor bonus will increase. Pairing that buff with improvements for Thresh, Malphite, and Taric might shift the meta back to meat-shield frontlines with hyper carries in the back.

Crystal units, who have a maximum amount of damage they can take from a single hit, also didn’t quite hit the mark in Rise of the Elements. To compensate, developers are buffing Ashe, Skarner, and Taric, which may further encourage “protect the carry” compositions.

But the real high note of Patch 9.23 will be the nerfs to some of the autobattler’s most broken units, classes, and items. The amount of increased damage units get at the start of combat will be lowered, according to Surrenderat20’s Nov. 8 PBE update. And Nov. 13’s tentative changes suggest that the stun-locking Glacial trait is getting some heat, lowering its chance to stun enemy units.

Summoner units Malzahar and Yorick are also taking a hit. The amount of health of the minions they summon will be lowered, making it easier for opponents to control the onslaught of additional units on the board.

And Iceborne Gauntlet, which creates a zone of ice that reduces enemy attack speed whenever your unit dodges an attack, has proven to be frustrating to go against. The new Wind Elemental Hex has magnified Gauntlet’s power, giving additional dodge chance to units that are placed on it. Riot will address this issue in Patch 9.23.

Patch 9.23 is scheduled to release next week, along with the debut of Set Two’s ranked queues.