League of Legends: The Biggest Changes of Patch 13.24
The forecast for patch 13.24 on December 6th brings a blizzard of changes to League of Legends and a 100% chance of Hwei-n. (haha)
Alongside this frosty arrival, the Winterblessed skin line adds a wintry touch to champions. Riot's generosity is evident with buffs for many champions, while only a select few receive the 'season of giving' nerfs. Join us as we unwrap the biggest changes this patch has to offer.
Hwei
Let's start with the obvious biggest change coming in 13.24. League of Legends 166th champion will join the roster with one of the more unique kits ever introduced to the game. Hwei will have 10 different abilities 9 of them being basic, and 1 being his ultimate. You can read all about his abilities in our article covering Hwei here.
Hwei's designated role is set for the mid-lane, where he'll serve as a highly adaptable AP mage with versatile abilities. As per usual with all new champions however, it might take some time for the game developers at Riot to make sure they're just right in the game. So, if you're excited about playing Hwei, give it a go and let Riot know what you think about how Hwei plays. Your feedback can help make Hwei even better!
13.24 Champion Buffs
According to a tweet from Riot Phroxzon, they aim to implement lasting improvements to champions despite the changes in items. These changes include fixing champion role issues, making life easier for players, adjusting power distribution, and improving how champions feel overall.
Here are the most notable changes coming to the rift this coming patch 13.24.
Credit: Riot GamesBraum
According to Riot Phroxzon, Braum has been on the weaker side for a while now, except for some specialized Pro picks from dedicated Braum fans. They believe Braum is a fantastic champion who could become more popular because he adds enjoyment for everyone while reducing damage for both teams. They're reviewing the changes made to Braum over time that may have made him less enjoyable to play.
- Mana regen: 6 ⇒ 7
- R minimum/secondary knock-up duration: 0.3 ⇒ 0.6
This change will definitely make his engages a lot more effective, and the mana regen is a small change but should assist a lot during the laning phase. One of the biggest factors to consider when choosing a tank support is reliability. Champions like Maokai, Rakan, and Alistar have been great picks thanks to their reliable CC. With this update to his ultimate's knock-up duration looking closer to a full second, we can expect bigger plays on the rift in 13.24.
Credit: Riot GamesGragas
Riot Phroxzon mentioned that Gragas hasn't been as strong or enjoyable to play since they tweaked the passive. Bringing back some of that without making it as powerful in the early game could spice things up a bit.
- Passive Cooldown 12 ⇒ 12/10/8/6
Look forward for Gragas to be a lot more resilient in battles as the game progresses. Early on, it won't change much, but as he levels up and invests in his abilities, his sustain in fights will improve significantly. Similar mechanics have affected champs like Mundo or Vladimir, making them tougher nuts to crack in later stages. If you're running into a Gragas this patch, you're definitely not going to want to skimp out on Grievous Wounds.
Credit: Riot GamesMordekaiser
Riot Phroxzon noted in his tweet that they're planning to buff Mordekaiser's Q ability. They also highlighted that the ratio on that ability is currently the weakest, and they believe it needs adjustment to encourage more frequent AP builds. Additionally, they referred to the change in Mordekaiser's ultimate (R) as a quality-of-life improvement that dedicated Morde players have been requesting for some time.
- Q AP ratio 60% ⇒ 70%
- NEW: R reveals his target at start of cast (bush doesn't cancel ability)
One of the biggest complaints with Mordekaiser enjoyers is how easily canceled his ult is. Merely walking into a bush with no prior vision cancels the ability. Well, this upcoming patch you can say goodbye to those frustrating days, in 13.24 his R reveals targets!
On top of that QoL update his Q is getting a 10% damage ratio increase. This buff seems like a necessary one as Mordekaiser has been falling out of the meta, as his win rate continues struggling to reach 49% in the top lane. The single target damage on his Q is going to be packing a punch this upcoming patch. Some changes that we may be seeing, especially with the growth of melee champions top side, is unfortunately an increase of Vayne top. Goes to show that all things come with a price.
Credit: Riot GamesZeri
Riot Phroxzon added that with Tri-Force Zeri out and Pro's season wrapped up, they're considering giving back some of Zeri's AD growth. They plan to assess her performance using the new items and keep a close eye on her progress.
- AD Growth: 1.3 ⇒ 2
- W Damage: 20-180 ⇒ 30-190
It should come as no shock that Zeri is a champion Riot has been struggling to get right. Zeri has been sitting at a 46% win rate for a while. Though the W damage is notable, The AD growth change is going to be showing the biggest results. Zeri mains who have been pushing through these times are finally going to pay off. We'll see if this update will finally get Zeri back to a comfortable win rate closer to 50%.
Credit: Riot GamesK'Sante
It was mentioned that they're considering boosting K'Sante's power in W slightly, aiming for a moderate increase without going too far. They highlighted the desire for more strength in W over the long term since it significantly influences varied matchups and stands out prominently within his abilities. Additionally, they noted that W currently appears overly costly, especially given the altered paradigm and its susceptibility to being hit.
- W Mana: 60/.../80 ⇒ 40/.../60
- W resist damage ratio: 30% ⇒ 50%
Showmaker won't be happy about this one. K'Sante has fallen out of favor the past few months, to the joy of many. Considered to be a champion that simply does too much, however, it does seem that Riot may have gone too far. Giving back his resistance will certainly do K'Sante players nicely. All mana reductions across the board are welcome to make laning a lot easier as well. This adjustment might just be the push K'Sante needs to regain some standing in the meta without him being picked or banned.
13.24 Champion Nerfs
In this patch, only two champions are receiving nerfs. However it seems two individuals with somewhat unconventional lifestyles—let's say one with a penchant for sap and the other with a taste for something less… photosynthetic—are in for some well-deserved balance changes in 13.24.
Credit: Riot GamesIvern
Riot Phroxzon highlighted that the adjustments targeting Ivern involve fairly straightforward nerfs, primarily concentrated on his early game impact.
- Base Health: 655 ⇒ 630
- E slow: 50%/.../70% ⇒ 45%/.../65%
Ivern has been really strong lately, even seeing in pro play! But it does seem like the time is right to start tuning him down slightly. This shouldn't affect Ivern too hard in the long run, but likely makes him more susceptible to invades early game. If you're an Ivern enjoyer, this shouldn't hold you back too much!
Credit: Riot GamesBriar
According to Riot Phroxzon, efforts are being made to narrow the gap between her overperforming Lethality builds and the worse-performing Bruiser builds by converting some spells to magic damage. Even though she's received a lot of nerfs in a row, it's mainly to keep up with her extremely steep learning curve.
- Atk Speed Ratio: .644 ⇒ .669 (lvl 1 Atk Speed unchanged)
- Armor: 32 ⇒ 30
- Q Damage: 60-200 ⇒ 60-180
- W Atk Speed: 60%-120% ⇒ 55%-115%
- E Damage Reduction: 40%-35%
- R Damage: 150-450 (+75% BAD)(+110%AP) Physical ⇒ 150-450 (+50% BAD)(+120%AP) Magic
They're tweaking her attack speed ratio, reducing her armor, and toning down the damage on her Q and E abilities. Additionally, her ultimate damage type is shifting to magic, aligning with efforts to address the disparities between her Lethality and Bruiser builds. This has been preceded by a series of attempts to balance Briar since its release, and hopefully this can be one of the final changes to Briar.
That just about wraps up the biggest changes of the patch 13.24 that's going live on December 6th, If you would like to read more about the changes from Riot Phroxzon, you can read his tweet here.
League of Legends 166th Champion makes his debut on the rift and is joined by the new line of winter-blessed skins, Stay Frosty!