TFT Set 6 Patch 12.1: Full notes and updates

The new year rings in a decent size Set Six Teamfight Tactics update, focusing on trait-linked Hextech Augment effects, along with over-performing traits, items, and champions.

Scheduled to drop on Jan. 5, Patch 12.1 makes a number of adjustments to Heart and Crest Hextech Augments that were buffed in Patch 11.24 with the addition of an added champion. Items like Morellonomicon and Guardian Angel were hit with major nerfs, along with champions like Kai’Sa and Urgot.

Buffs to keep an eye on are an extension to Heimerdinger’s range, increased Tyrant bonus damage within Imperial, and three-star Tahm Kench. The next scheduled TFT Set Six update will take place on Jan. 20.

Here’s every balance change within Patch 12.1, according to Riot Games.

Hextech Augment balance changes

Trait Augments like Hearts and Crests were updated with new champions that are granted. Lifelong Learning, a Scholar Augment, was reworked. Nerfs were applied to Stand United and Cybernetic Implants. Sunfire Board and Weakspot are “no longer mutually exclusive,” according to the TFT team, and Smoke Bomb (Assassin) was slightly nerfed, along with tooltip changes that will get used as “a balance lever” moving forward.  

• Lifelong Learning (Scholar): Reworked to now grant Scholar units two ability power after each combat and an additional two ability power if they survive combat
• Cybernetic Implants: Bonus health for equipped units nerfed from 200/300/400 to 150/250/350
• Portable Forge Armory option: Death’s Defiance will now grant 20 percent omnivamp
• Stand United: Attack damage and ability power per active trait nerfed from 3/4/5 to 2/3/5
• Smoke Bomb (Assassin): The Set Six tooltip was updated to now show the damage reduction applied to the excess damage from the instance of damage that triggers stealth
• Smoke Bomb: Damage reduction nerfed from 100 to 80 percent
• Makeshift Armor: Magic resistance and armor buffed from 30/45/60 to 35/55/75
• Ardent Censer: Bonus attack speed increased from 40 to 50 percent
• Ascension: Bonus damage reduced from 65 to 50 percent
• Duet: Bonus health decreased from 500 to 400
• Sunfire Board: Maximum health burn reduced from 20 to 16 percent
• Spellblade: Ability power on hit buffed from 200 to 225 percent
• Woodland Charm: Clone health buffed from 1,500 to 1,600
• Shrug it Off: Health regeneration per second increased from 2.5 to three percent

Trait Heart and Crest Hextech Augment balance changes

With a goal of making trait Augments “more consistent,” according to the TFT team, champions were switched up via Heart and Crest Augments. In addition, overperformers like Mutant Crest and Protector Heart trait Augments were nerfed. 

• Arcanist Heart: Granting a Swain 
• Challenger Heart: Changed from granting a Warwick to a Quinn 
• Protector Heart: No longer granting a Blitzcrank
• Scholar Heart: Changed from granting a Lissandra to a Zyra
• Scrap Heart: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Blitzcrank
• Twinshot Heart: Changed from granting a Graves to Kog’Maw
• Assassin Crest: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Talon
• Arcanist Crest: Changed from granting a Twisted Fate to a Swain
• Challenger Crest: Changed from granting a Warwick to a Quinn
• Chemtech Crest: Changed from granting a Zac to a Warwick
• Imperial Crest: Changed from granting a Talon to granting a Swain
• Mutant Crest: No longer grants a Kog’Maw
• Scrap Crest: Changed from granting an Ekko to a Blitzcrank

Trait balance changes

The Tyrant was given a buff within the Imperial trait while Socialite two was hit with a mana-per-second nerf. Chemtech’s early game was nerfed but buffed at nine and Innovator five was improved with buffs to the mechanical bear. And spawn odds for the Yordle trait were adjusted, decreasing the chance of a two or three-cost appearing.

• Imperial: Tyrant bonus damage increased from 75/125 to 80/150 percent
• Imperial: Units bonus damage buffed from 0/75 to 0/80 percent
• Chemtech: Damage reduction reduced from 25 to 20 percent
• Chemtech: Health regeneration increased from 3/4/7/12 to 3/5/8/15 percent
• Chemtech: Attack speed adjusted from 20/50/80/125 to 15/50/90/135 percent
• Socialite: Mana per second reduced from five to three
• Innovator: Mechanical bear health buffed to 850
• Innovator: Mechanical bear armor and magic resistance buffed from 60 to 70
• Syndicate: Syndicate seven power increased from 33 to 50 percent
• Yordle: Mana reduction increased from 0/20 to 0/25 percent
• Yordle: One-cost spawn increased from 60 to 70 percent
• Yordle: Two-cost spawn decreased from 25 to 20 percent
• Yordle: Three-cost spawn decreased from 15 to 10 percent
• Mutant: Metamorphosis ability power and attack damage increased from 1/2 to 2/4

Champion balance changes

A number of major changes for TFT Set Six champions were applied within Patch 12.1. Caitlyn was nerfed at three-star while Tahm Kench was buffed at three-star when getting fed an allied unit. Urgot had his spell nerfed to every third shot counting as a basic attack, previously every second shot, reducing damage output with items like e Runaan’s Hurricane and Guinsoo’s Rageblade. Kai’Sa was slightly nerfed and Heimerdinger’s range was increased.

One-cost

• Caitlyn: Ace in the Hole damage reduced at three-star from 800/1400/2250 to 800/1400/2000
• Garen: Attack damage increased from 60 to 70
• Graves: Mana adjusted from 80/120 to 50/100
• Illaoi: Spell damage buffed from 175/300/500 to 200/325/550
• Illaoi: Spell healing increased at three-star from 25/30/35 to 25/30/40 percent
• Twisted Fate: Spell damage buffed from 145/190/255 to 155/205/275\
• Kassadin: Spell damage reduction decreased from 30 to 25 percent
• Kassadin: Spell damage reduction duration increased from four to five seconds

Two-cost

• Swain: Death’s Hand healing per enemy hit was buffed from 200/230/300 to 225/250/350
• Swain: Mana buffed from 40/80 to 40/75
• Kog’Maw: Spell damage nerfed at three-star and buffed at one-star from 7/8/9 to 8/8/8 percent
• Talon: Attack speed increased from 0.7 to 0.75
• Zilean: Spell slow duration increased from three to four

Three-cost

• Heimerdinger: Range increased from three to four
• Malzahar: Spell damage adjusted from 700/850/1000 to 650/850/1100
• Ekko: Spell damage buffed from 150/200/350 to 175/225/375
• Samira: Health increased from 650 to 700
• Lissandra: Spell damage buffed from 225/300/500 to 250/325/550
• Vex: Health increased from 800 to 850

Four-cost

• Seraphine: Mana buffed from 80/160 to 80/150
• Seraphine: Spell damage buffed from 250/400/1000 to 275/450/1200
• Urgot: Every third shot from Urgot’s ability will now count as a basic attack
• Orianna: Mana buffed from 50/140 to 50/130
• Yone: Health reduced from 950 to 900
• Sion: Spell duration increased at one-star from 2/3/6 to 2.5/3/6 seconds
• Sion: Spell damage buffed at one-star from 100/200/500 to 125/200/500

Five-cost

• Tahm Kench: Gains 20 times the usual stats at three-star when fed an allied unit
• Tahm Kench: Damage reduction nerfed from 40 to 30 percent
• Galio: Slam bonus damage nerfed from 80/125/1999 to 70/100/1999
• Galio: Base stun damage adjusted from 1.25/1.75/9.5 to 1.5/1.75/9.5 seconds
• Kai’Sa: Health nerfed from 900 to 850
• Kai’Sa: Mana nerfed from 90/150 to 75/150
• Kai’Sa: Spell damage per missle nerfed from 80/100/180 to 70/90/180
• Viktor: Mana buffed from 0/150 to 0/140

Item balance changes

Overplayed items like Guardian Angel were nerfed within the TFT 12.1 patch, along with over-performing items like Morellonomicon. Rapid Firecannon and Zz’Rot Portal were also slightly buffed.

• Guardian Angel: Health on revive nerfed from 400 to 250
• Rapid Firecannon: Attack speed increased from 50 to 60 percent
• Morellonomicon: True damage burn per second nerfed from 2.5 to two percent
• Sunfire Cape: Proc rate changed from 2.5 to two seconds
• Sunfire Cape: True damage burn reduced from 2.5 to two seconds
• Zz’Rot Portal: Health increased at Stages three (1,800), four (2,100), and five (2,500)
• Zz’Rot Portal: Hyper Roll Stage five through seven health increased to 2,100 and Stage eight increased to 2,500
• Chalice of Power: bonus ability power buffed from 30 to 35 percent
• Statikk Shiv: Bonus attack speed nerfed from 15 to 10 percent
• Death’s Defiance (Ornn Item): Grants 20 percent omnivamp

Patch 12.1 bug fixes

• A VFX issue with Eternal Winter that appeared below the frozen unit was resolved
• A Blue Buff equipped on Garen will no longer stop him from gaining mana 
• A Frozen Heart created via the Scrap trait will remove attack speed slow upon the unitholder perishing
• Winning teams will now be visible within Double Up, even if all teams were reduced to zero health during the final battle
• A fix was applied to Seraphine’s tooltip that now states she will cast her spell at the largest group of enemy units
• The Academy Heart tooltip was updated to include that it grants a Katarina