The new patch notes 14.18 of League of Legends have come out and it is the patch that will be used for World’s. As expected of Riot Games, there are plenty of changes which include nerfs and buffs to over 25 champions with item and rune changes as well.
League of Legends – Patch Notes 14.18 (World’s Patch): Quick Hits
Champions Nerfs in Patch Notes 14.18:
Azir:
It’s Worlds, so you know what that means, it’s time for Azir balance changes! This time it’s nerfs. According to Riot, they are pro-skewing these nerfs so that Azir can keep a reasonable win rate for normal players without taking over the mid-lane game champion pool in Pro play. They’re also taking down some of his early laning power as pros being pros, currently manage to squeak out of laning phases with a minimal farm deficit, which they are hoping to grow. But we still know that Faker’s gonna pick Azir no matter what Riot does.
Aurora:
Aurora’s win rate as compared to other newly released champions has been through the roof. Riot is nerfing her to bring her power down a bit so that she doesn’t become a must-pick or ban champ in Worlds.
Her Ultimate (Between Worlds) received the following nerfs:
- Maximum Jump Distance: 400 ⇒ 250
- Wall Jump Forgiveness: 700 ⇒ 450
- Duration: 3/3.5/4 ⇒ 2/2.5/3 seconds
Corki:
Corki has been making major highlights in all the regional splits as one of the strongest mid-laners. Riot is hitting him with major nerfs so his priority could drop in Worlds.
Corki received the following nerfs:
Q – Phosphorus Bomb:
Damage: 70/120/170/220/270 (+120% bonus AD) (+100% AP) ⇒ 70/115/160/205/250 (+120% bonus AD) (+100% AP)
R – Missile Barrage:
Damage: 80/180/280 (+80% bonus AD) ⇒ 80/160/240 (+70% bonus AD)
Ivern:
Ivern has really been popping out in pro play due to his shielding. The 2 to 3 adc meta works perfectly for Ivern, so Riot is nerfing Ivern to reduce his popularity in pro play.
He received the following nerfs to his E ability:
E – Triggerseed Shield Strength:
85/125/165/205/245 (+50% AP) ⇒ 75/115/155/195/235 (+50% AP)
Slow:
45/50/55/60/65% ⇒ 40/45/50/55/60%
Leona:
Leona’s priority has always been high and she has been performing great. Riot is looking to reduce her sustain a bit by reducing her base armor.
Base Armor: 47 ⇒ 43
Lillia:
Lillia has rapidly risen to the top of the jungle role in professional play and is dominating across various skill levels in solo queue as well.
With the jungle becoming more favorable for AP champions and itemization improving for Lillia over time, Riot is continuing to make adjustments to her core kit.
Riot’s again targeting her clear speed, as newer items offer significant advantages in that area, and they are also applying a nerf to her ultimate’s crowd control duration, aimed specifically at higher-level play.
Passive – Dream-Laden Bough:
Monster Damage Cap: 70-100 (based on level) ⇒ 65 at all levels
R – Lilting Lullaby:
Sleep Duration: 2/2.25/2.5 seconds ⇒ 2 seconds at all ranks
Lissandra:
Lissandra’s nerf is really surprising for all players. Due to her recent buffs, her winrate increased by a bit. Riot is reducing her Q damage.
Q – Ice Shard:
Damage: 80/115/150/185/220 (+85% AP) ⇒ 80/115/150/185/220 (+75% AP)
Maokai:
Maokai is another contender for the top jungle spot at Worlds this year, and while it’s great that tanks are performing well, the goal is to see a wider variety of them in play.
That’s why they’re tuning down some of his power that’s particularly strong in pro-level games, specifically his sapling’s vision control, and trimming a bit of his damage. As a tank, Maokai doesn’t really need to deal quite as much damage.
Q – Bramble Smash:
Damage: 65/115/165/215/265 (+40% AP) + 2/2.5/3/3.5/4% target max HP ⇒ 65/110/155/200/245 (+40% AP) + 2/2.5/3/3.5/4% target max HP
E – Sapling Toss:
- Cooldown: 16/15/14/13/12 seconds ⇒ 18/17/16/15/14 seconds
- Sapling Duration in Brushes: 30 (+2.5% bonus HP) seconds ⇒ 30 (+1.5% bonus HP) seconds
Miss Fortune:
Miss Fortune has been a dominant force in both solo queue and professional play for some time now. To bring her more in line, they’re dialing back one of the buffs she received in patch 14.13, as she’s been strong throughout all stages of the game and could afford to lose some power.
Along with Bloodthirster, her go-to first item, also receiving a nerf in this patch, these combined changes should help balance her overall strength.
Base AD: 55 ⇒ 53
Nasus:
Nasus has made a surprising comeback, this time as a mid-laner. While unusual, he’s been performing too well in lower MMR brackets, and his laning strategy in pro play has become problematic.
To address both issues, they’re targeting his traditionally last-maxed ability, reducing his late-game damage, especially in lower MMR games that tend to run longer.
Since this ability is now maxed first in pro-mid-lane, these changes should also help tone down his poke-heavy playstyle that currently lacks counterplay.
E – Spirit Fire:
- Initial Damage: 55/95/135/175/215 (+60% AP) ⇒ 50/80/110/140/170 (+60% AP)
- Damage per Second: 11/19/27/35/43 (+12% AP) ⇒ 10/16/22/28/34 (+12% AP)
Rell:
Rell’s E has been her best ability to max first for a while now. While most casual players aren’t aware, the pros certainly are, which skews her power in solo queue versus pro play.
To balance her for professional games without making her too weak for the average player, they’re slightly reducing the power of her E-max. Although the adjustments are small and intentional, they’ll impact both Rell and her allied teammate.
E – Full Tilt:
- Maximum Bonus Movement Speed: 12/14/16/18/20% ⇒ 12/13/14/15/16%
- Maximum Bonus Movement Speed Toward Enemies or Targeted Ally: 24/28/32/36/40% ⇒ 24/26/28/30/32%
- Initial Bonus Movement Speed: 75% of the maximum (unchanged)
Rumble:
Rumble received the following nerfs:
Q – Flamespitter:
Damage: 80/105/130/155/180 (+ 110% AP) (+6/7/8/9/10% of target’s maximum health) ⇒ 60/90/120/150/180 (+ 100% AP) (+6/7/8/9/10% of target’s maximum health)
E – Electro Harpoon:
- Damage: 60/85/110/135/160 (+50% AP) ⇒ 55/80/105/130/155 (+50% AP)
Smolder:
Smolder is on the verge of becoming a dominant pick in the top and mid lanes at Worlds, though he remains fairly balanced as a bot laner. These nerfs are specifically aimed at his solo lane performance, to avoid taking too much away from his bot lane presence.
However, without making more drastic changes, bot laners may still feel some of the impact. This patch focuses on reducing his early laning strength and self-sufficiency, which have been key to his success in solo lanes.
Health: 605 ⇒ 575
Q – Super Scorcher Breath:
- Damage: 20/30/40/50/60 (+100% AD) (+15% AP) ⇒ 15/25/35/45/55 (+100% AD)
W – ACHOOO!:
- Glob Damage: 50/80/110/140/170 (+25% bonus AD) (+20% AP) ⇒ 45/75/105/135/165 (+25% bonus AD) (+20% AP)
- Minion/Monster Damage: 70/112/154/196/238 (+35% bonus AD) (+28% AP) ⇒ 63/105/147/189/231 (+35% bonus AD) (+28% AP)
Varus:
Varus received the following nerfs:
Q – Piercing Arrow:
- Maximum Damage: 90/160/230/300/370 (+150/160/170/180/190% bonus AD) ⇒ 90/160/230/300/370 (+130/140/150/160/170% bonus AD)
E – Hail of Arrows:
- Damage: 60/100/140/180/220 (+110% bonus AD) ⇒ 60/100/140/180/220 (+100% bonus AD)
Vi:
Vi’s amazing performance in pro play made her deserve some nerfs so Riot is nerfing her.
Q – Vault Breaker:
- Minimum Damage: 50/75/100/125/150 (+ 80% bonus AD) ⇒ 45/70/95/120/145 (+ 80% bonus AD)
- Maximum Damage: 100/150/200/250/300 (+160% bonus AD) ⇒ 90/140/190/240/290 (+160% bonus AD)
Zeri:
Zeri got some nerfs to her passive so she can’t zoom across the battlefield.
Passive – Living Battery:
- Damage: 90-200 (based on level) (+1-15% target’s maximum health) (progression followed stat growth) ⇒ 75-160 (based on level) (+1-11% target’s maximum health) (progression is now linear)
Ziggs:
Riot finally nerfed this piece of annoying bomb squad yordle.
Passive – Short Fuse:
Increased Damage to Structures: 150% ⇒ 75%
Courtesy: League of Legends & LoL Esports
Champions Buffs in Patch Notes 14.18:
Riot did not disappoint as 13 champs received buffs in this patch.
Ahri:
The fox lady is back as her E got buffed this patch.
E – Charm:
- Damage: 80/110/140/170/200 (+60% AP) ⇒ 80/120/160/200/240 (+75% AP)
Gnar:
This patch has two main goals for Gnar. First, they want to make Gnar a more viable pick in the Worlds meta, and second, they want to ensure the recent Fleet Footwork nerfs don’t negatively impact him too much in the solo queue. To address both, they’re increasing his base attack damage, which not only compensates for the Fleet nerfs but also makes last-hitting smoother for him.
- Base Attack Damage: 57 ⇒ 60
Hwei:
They are trynna buff Hwei Supp???? Like Are you sure about this riot??
Anyway his WW got buffed.
WW – Pool of Reflection:
- Ally Shield Strength: Reduced by 50% ⇒ reduced by 25%
Jarvan IV:
Jarvan IV remains a strong pick in pro play but hasn’t seen much action recently, and he could use a bit more strength in solo queue as well. To address this, they’re buffing his passive to enhance his early jungle clear and skirmishing potential. This boost should feel impactful for all players, but it’s especially important for his viability in the professional scene.
Passive – Martial Cadence:
- Current Health Damage: 7% ⇒ 8%
Jax:
Jax’s R is receiving many changes in this patch(buffs).
R – Grandmaster-At-Arms:
- Base Armor Granted: 15/40/65 ⇒ 25/50/75
- Base Magic Resist Granted: 9/24/39 ⇒ 15/30/45
- On-Hit Magic Damage: 60/110/160 (+60% AP) ⇒ 70/120/170 (+60% AP)
- Armor Per Additional Champion Hit: 15/20/25 (+10% bonus AD) ⇒ 20/25/30 (+10% bonus AD) (note: 60% of this bonus is still gained as MR)
Jayce:
Jayce’s Q and E are receiving buffs in this patch.
Q – To the Skies!:
- Slow: 30/35/40/45/50/55% ⇒ 35/40/45/50/55/60%
E – Acceleration Gate:
- Bonus Movement Speed: 30/35/40/45/50/55% ⇒ 35/40/45/50/55/60%
Jinx:
With Arcane around the corner, Riot is buffing Jinx.
- Attack Speed Growth: 1% ⇒ 1.4%
Lulu:
The goal is to give enchanters a better shot at influencing the World’s meta by bringing more ADCs into play, while also providing players with more support options. Lulu, in particular, has some room to gain a bit more strength, so they’re reverting a nerf to her passive and giving her a slight power boost to make her more impactful.
Passive – Pix, Faerie Companion:
- Pix Damage per Bolt: 3-37 (based on level) (+5% AP) ⇒ 5-39 (based on level) (+5% AP)
Malphite:
The rock is getting even more solid as his shield is getting buffed.
Passive – Granite Shield:
- Shield Strength: 9% maximum HP ⇒ 10% maximum HP
Samira:
Lane strength has been a key factor for pro picks, yet Samira has largely been absent from a space where she should be a viable option. While they’re keeping an eye on her solo queue ban rate, the goal is to reintroduce some early-game power into her kit without making her too overwhelming. This way, she can be more competitive in pro play without becoming oppressive for regular players.
Q – Flair:
- Damage: 0/5/10/15/20 (+85/95/105/115/125% AD) ⇒ 0/5/10/15/20 (+95/102.5/110/117.5/125% AD)
Shen:
Shen’s passive shield is getting a buff so he could be a bit tankier when going into fights.
Passive – Ki Barrier:
- Shield Strength: 47-101 (based on level) (+12% bonus HP) ⇒ 47-120 (based on level) (+13% bonus HP)
Viego:
Viego is currently falling short of his ideal power level, so they’re giving him a bit of a boost. They’re increasing his base AD for two main reasons: to make him a more viable option for Trinity Force as an alternate starting item and to slightly enhance his performance in higher MMRs, as early game buffs can help with that.
They’re also aware that his jungle clear is extremely fast, so to avoid making it excessively quick while still providing the early dueling strength from the base AD increase, they’re slightly reducing the bonus monster damage on his Q.
- Base AD: 57 ⇒ 60
Q – Blade of the Ruined King:
- Bonus Damage to Monsters: 20 ⇒ 15
Xin Zhao:
Xin Zhao is a straightforward champion, which often leads to a high win rate for junglers when he’s well-balanced. However, he’s currently skewed towards higher skill brackets and can become problematic if given too much power. To address this, they’re implementing some buffs aimed at lower MMRs by boosting his late-game durability and increasing the rank-up damage on his last-maxed ability.
- Armor Growth: 4.7 ⇒ 5.0
Courtesy: League of Legends & LoL Esports
Item Changes in Patch Notes 14.18:
Bloodthirster update in Patch Notes 14.18:
- Ichorshield Shield Strength: 50-400 (levels 1-18) (aka 194-400 (levels 8-18)) ⇒ 165-315 (levels 8-18)
- Lifesteal: 18% ⇒ 15%
Immortal Shieldbow update in Patch Notes 14.18:
- Lifeline Shield Strength: 320-720 (based on level) ⇒ 400-700 (based on level) for melee champions and 320-560 (based on level) for ranged champions
Luden’s Companion update in Patch Notes 14.18:
- Total Cost: 2900 ⇒ 2850 gold
- Ability Power: 95 ⇒ 100
- Ability Haste: 25 ⇒ 20
Shadowflame:
- Ability Power: 120 ⇒ 115
- Magic Penetration: 12 ⇒ 15
- Max Health Threshold: 35% ⇒ 40%
- Pet/DoT Damage: 30% ⇒ 25% (note: non-pet/DoT damage is unchanged at 20%)
Stormsurge in Patch Notes 14.18:
- Magic Penetration: 10 ⇒ 15
- Passive Movement Speed: 8% ⇒ 5%
- Stormraider Health Threshold: 35% ⇒ 25%
- Squall Ranged Penalty: 10% ⇒ Removed
Rune Changes in Patch Notes 14.18:
Fleet Footwork in Patch Notes 14.18:
Fleet Footwork received several nerfs due to ADCs taking over mid-lane by repeatedly pushing the waves, healing up, and escaping ganks. While we think the rune is now in an appropriate spot for ranged users, it’s become too weak for its main melee users. We’re adjusting tactics here and adding a melee/ranged split to more than just the minion penalty which should preserve the current power level for ranged users while significantly buffing it for melee ones.
- Healing: 5-100 (based on level) (+10% bonus AD) (+5% AP) ⇒ 10-130 (based on level) (+10% bonus AD) (+5% AP)
- NEW: healing is 60% effective for ranged users
- Minion Healing Ratio: 20/10% (melee/ranged) ⇒ 15% for all users
- Bonus Movement Speed: 15% for 1 second (melee/ranged) ⇒ 20/15% for 1 second (melee/ranged) (note: ranged users receive the movement speed bonus at 75% effectiveness)
Turrets update in Patch Notes 14.18:
5-Minute Fortification Damage Reduction:
- Fortification Damage Reduction: 75% ⇒ 85%
Turret Plating and Bulwark in Patch Notes 14.18:
- Bonus Armor and MR per Plate Destroyed: 40 ⇒ 50
- 20-second Bonus Armor and MR on Plate Destroyed: 45 per nearby enemy champion ⇒ 20 per nearby enemy champion
For ARAM, TFT, and Arena changes check here.
Courtesy: League of Legends & LoL Esports
Skins Released in Patch 14.18
