Thank god for armor nerfs. I’ve been suffering.
League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of LoL patch 14.20.
In the tweet, he shared that there’s a notable decrease in snowballing, with game times remaining fairly stable. Champions are also dying 3-5% slower compared to the last patch (LoL patch 14.19), allowing for greater skill expression.
The game devs are still monitoring which roles are emerging as the strongest. It seems that AP champions are trending upward in power.
Preview: LoL patch 14.20 notes rundown
How the game developers are assessing AP itemization in LoL patch 14.20
AP champions have shown significant strength, with Stormsurge and Penetration builds gaining prominence again. However, the game devs don’t intend to implement a major nerf like before. They’ll keep examining some of the proc damage values, as a few appear to be a bit too high.
Additionally, Riot Phroxzon shared that Liandry’s Torment has proven quite effective for junglers while remaining balanced for other roles. This effectiveness is partly due to the slower pace of combat, making the burn damage more impactful against camps and champions.
How the game developers are assessing ADC itemization in LoL patch 14.20
“ADC first item space needs work. Despite being a more powerful option in many cases, IE first has proven to be pretty unexciting and not really an item that players are excited to buy,” wrote Riot Phroxzon.
The team is planning to adjust the first item options to better balance Yun Tal Wildarrows, Statikk Shiv, and The Collector against one another. They recognize that the overall system requires more work to make Crit and Non-Crit builds more appealing and why they’re being picked.
LoL patch 14.20 champion buffs
- Aphelios
- Caitlyn
- Corki
- Lee Sin
- Pantheon
- Riven
- Sivir
- Tryndamere
- Xayah
- Yasuo
- Yone
LoL patch 14.20 champion nerfs
- Anivia
- Aurelion Sol
- Camille
- Dr. Mundo
- Jhin
- Mordekaiser
- Poppy
- Shyvana
- Singed
- Skarner
- Swain
- Traic
- Udyr
- Veigar
- Yorick
System buffs
System nerfs
- Armor itemization
- Grasp of the Undying
- Linadry’s Torment (jungle focused)
- Stormsurge
Grasp of the Undying is currently being used by many champions beyond just tanks. While the team isn’t saying there’s anything wrong with this, their intention was for it to be a more niche option. As a result, squishy fighters and ADCs are boasting too high HP values, hence the nerf.
System adjustments
- ADC itemization (The Collector , Statikk Shiv, Blade of the Ruined King, Kraken Slayer)
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