Riot Games has released an initial preview of League of Legends (LoL) Patch 26.23, which will launch next week.
This will be the second-to-last update of the year for the MOBA, as Riot looks to settle the meta for the final Ranked climb.
And in doing so, Riot is buffing a huge host of champions so that players can try to get promoted with their mains.
This includes buffs to recently reworked Mel, who lost her ability to reflect projectiles with her W.
LoL Patch 26.23 Planned Changes
Here is every LoL champion and item that is expected to receive a buff or nerf in LoL Patch 26.23.
- CHAMPION BUFFS
- Akshan
- Annie
- Azir
- Bard
- Ezreal
- Galio
- Gnar
- K’Sante
- Mel
- Vel’Koz
- Vi
- CHAMPION NERFS
- LeBlanc
- Master Yi
- Syndra
- SYSTEM NERFS
- Voltaic Cyclosword
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Phroxzon Explains Mel and Other Buffs
Lead gameplay designer Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Heung-Harrison has explained Riot’s thinking behind these balance changes.
Speaking on why so many champions are getting buffs, he explained:
“Many of the historical Pro staples (like Azir, Galio, K’Sante, Ezreal) are receiving buffs this patch to round out the year for average play.
“Many of these champs feel pretty weak, even in the highest levels of Solo Queue, because they just don’t thrive as much in non-coordinated environments (Ezreal a bit less so).”
And as for why Mel is getting buffed just one update after her rework released, Phroxzon revealed it’s a test:
“So far, Mel has landed in a pretty stable spot, with a decently low ban rate (touch wood).
“That said, at this power level, we aren’t really able to test our hypothesis of whether she is less frustrating when she’s at a power level, so we’re giving her some buffs to let her sit at a normal power level for a champion of her type of shape and mastery curve.”
He also revealed that Mel players are skewing more towards playing her bot, but said that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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An esports journalist for nine years with a focus on LoL Jack has written for national newspapers, interviewed major names, and driven people mad with puns. He's most proud of…
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