Hello, Summoners! Welcome to the Patch 12.8 Rundown!!! I couldn’t get enough joy seeing the changes applied in this patch. Lots of champion updates are coming up in the following weeks, starting with Swain's rework in patch 12.8! Also, many control mages have gone through multiple adjustments that might make them more preferable for gamers to play. I hope you’ll enjoy the changes just like me!
My name’s Yoshi and In this Patch Rundown we shall present:
Champion Changes
Item Changes
Upcoming Skins
Summary
So, let’s get to it!
Champion changes
Bard
Passive - Traveler's Call
Bonus Magic Damage On Attack 30 (+12 per 5 chimes) (+30% AP) ⇒ 35 (+14 per 5 chimes) (+30% AP) - Buffed
W - Caretaker's Shrine
Maximum Heal 55/95/135/175/215 (+60% AP) ⇒ 60/105/150/195/240 (+60% AP) - Buffed
Bard is either strong or completely useless. It is a matter of a player picking Bard to make him worth the try. That’s why I think this change will not make a significant impact on the meta as it might make him a bit more viable in the game, but not by much.
Ezreal
R - Trueshot Barrage
Cooldown 120 seconds at all ranks ⇒ 120/105/90 seconds - Buffed
I do not really understand that change. This is because Ezreal is very strong right now, and it is very unlikely that he will leave the meta. His ult isn’t that impactful when played on adc. Usually, it is for wave clear purposes but it is still kind of Riot to buff him. I don’t think that buff was really necessary.
Fiddlesticks
W - Bountiful Harvest
Heal Percentage Against Champions 30/35/40/45/50% ⇒ 30/40/50/60/70% (still always 15% against minions) - Buffed
Fiddle’s sustain might be buffed only due to recent nerfs to healing. However, I think people were still playing Ultimate Hunter and it is not really a necessary change for him. In my opinion, it’s nice but his E’s cooldown should be a bigger target to focus on.
Jhin
W - Deadly Flourish
Root Duration 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds ⇒ 1.25/1.5/1.75/2/2.25 seconds - Buffed
PUPPET PETS Damage against monsters no longer reduced by 25% (damage against minions and summons unchanged)
E - Captive Audience
Trap Recharge Rate 28/25/22/19/16 seconds ⇒ 24/21.5/19/16.5/14 seconds - Buffed
JHINGLE BELLS First Lotus Trap damage no longer reduced by 35% against monsters (damage against minions and summons unchanged)
Jhin’s W is one of the most valuable cc follow-ups that marksmen have. An increase by a quarter of a second seems like a small amount but it is a very strong change, especially since Jhin’s W is very easy to hit at specific angles. I think it will increase his pick ratio significantly.
Jinx
Base Stats
Base Health 610 ⇒ 560 - Nerfed
Well done Riot! Jinx has been extremely powerful for many weeks which caused her to be picked almost every time. Since the beginning, she has been very hard to kill and dominate during the laning phase. That change is a very huge nerf but I think her vulnerability might be the key solution to making her balanced.
Kai’Sa
Passive - Second Skin
Bonus Magic Damage Upon Consuming Full Plasma Stacks 15% (+2.5% per 100 AP) ⇒ 15% (+5% per 100 AP) of target's missing health - Buffed
W - Void Seeker
Magic Damage 30/55/80/105/130 (+ 130% AD) (+70% AP) ⇒ 30/55/80/105/130 (+130% AD) (+45% AP) - Nerfed
R - Killer Instinct
Shield Strength 75/100/125 (+100/150/200% AD) (+75% AP) ⇒ 75/100/125 (+100/150/200% AD) (+100% AP) - Adjusted
That change definitely hurts AP Kai’Sa. However, the AP Kai’Sa that she’s used to playing. Riot doesn’t really want her to be the champion that constantly throws a projectile across the map. Instead, used as an aggressive marksman that requires committing risky plays in exchange for huge damage and the possibility to carry. That is why she received huge buffs on her passive and ultimate. I think it is still good for her though. I suspect she’s going to be played with Nashor’s Tooth and Guinsoo’s Rageblade which might make her a very hard champion to deal with.
Kassadin
Q - Null Sphere
Magic Shield 40/70/100/130/160 (+30% AP) ⇒ 60/90/120/150/180 (+40% AP) - Buffed
E - Force Pulse
Magic Damage 80/105/130/155/180 (+80% AP) ⇒ 80/105/130/155/180 (+85% AP) - Buffed
Honestly, Kassadin stopped being a threat to mid-laners since the nerfs he received. While he was supposed to be an anti-mage, he simply was losing trades. This made him weak in the last 3 patches. These buffs are supposed to give him a little kick to make him impactful again. I think it’s a very good adjustment.
Mordekaiser
Passive - Darkness Rise
Bonus Move Speed 3% at all levels ⇒ 3/6/9% at levels 1/6/11 - Buffed
That change really does the trick when it comes to mobility in the game. Mordekaiser’s been struggling with the increasing amount of mobility in season 12. He was simply falling behind. However, is that not too much for him? Try to imagine moving speed when combining it with a ghost summoner spell.
Poppy
W - Steadfast Presence
Cooldown 24/22/20/18/16 seconds ⇒ 20/18/16/14/12 seconds - Buffed
R - Keeper's Verdict
Uncharged Knock Up Duration 0.75 seconds ⇒ 1 second - Buffed
Charged Missile Speed 2000 ⇒ 2500 - Buffed
Charged Knock Back Distance 2400 ⇒ 3400 - Buffed
Cooldown Refund Upon Canceled Charge 30 seconds ⇒ 15 seconds - Buffed
It’s hard to say how these changes would make Poppy stronger because her kit is not as strong for her as the items you build on her. The combination of Grasp of the Undying with Divine Sunderer keeps her alive for eternity. Of course, that will make her more mobile with additional Move Speed on W but more noticeable in that change is the missile speed. It will be even harder now to sidestep her ultimate, which is one of her key values when you wish to keep an enemy out of the combat zone, like Dragon/Nashor’s pit.
Sejuani
Passive - Fury of the North
Frost Armor Timer Sejuani receives Frost Armor after 12 seconds ⇒ 12-6 seconds (levels 1-18) of not taking damage from enemy champions or monsters - Buffed
I think this is the final margin that could make Sejuani one of the strongest front line champions in the game. If she would be able to re-use her passive in the “combat” by keeping distance with each engagement, then it is beyond broken change. I think Sejuani will very likely appear in many games. Also, I think she will now find her place in the meta because her scaling at this point is so powerful.
Soraka
W - Astral Infusion
Heal 100/135/170/205/240 (+70% AP) ⇒ 100/130/160/190/220 (+65% AP) - Nerfed
Riot thinks Soraka’s healing is very strong right now after removing a huge amount of healing in the league. That is why they are nerfing the heal amount she provides in the mid-late game. In my opinion, she’s in a good state and that change is not really necessary. That little change might subdue not only her winrate but also pick rate.
Swain
Passive - Ravenous Flock
Healing From Soul Fragments 4/5.5/7% of maximum health ⇒ 4/5.5/7%/9% of maximum health (at levels 1/6/11/16) - Adjusted
Maximum Health Increase Per Soul Fragment 5 ⇒ 12 - Adjusted
PULL-E MECHANISMS Swain can no longer use Passive - Ravenous Flock to pull and rip out Soul Fragments from immobilized enemies (see E - Nevermove) - Removed
Q - Death's Hand
Damage 55/75/95/115/135 (+40% AP) ⇒ 60/80/100/120/140 (+38% AP) - Adjusted
Bonus Damage Per Additional Bolt 8.25/15/23.75/34.5/47.25 (+6/8/10/12/14% AP) ⇒ 12/22/32/42/52 (+8% AP) - Adjusted
Maximum Damage (5 Bolts) 88/135/190/253/324 (+64/72/80/88/96% AP) ⇒ 108/168/228/288/348 (+70% AP) - Adjusted
Cooldown 9/7.5/6/4.5/3 seconds ⇒ 7/6/5/4/3 seconds - Buffed
Mana Cost 65/70/75/80/85 ⇒ 45/50/55/60/65 - Buffed
W - Vision of Empire
Mana Cost 70/80/90/100/110 ⇒ 60/65/70/75/80 - Buffed
VANTAGE ADVANTAGE Pinging W - Vision of Empire nows display a list of visible enemies within range in team chat (similar to Twisted Fate and Nocturne ults)
E - Nevermove
PITIFUL PAWNS Can now be recast to pull all champions rooted by E - Nevermove, ripping out 1 Soul Fragment from each of them - New
SILENT SACRIFICES Swain's pulls no longer deal damage - Removed
A TRUE VISIONARY Now grants vision of all rooted targets - New
DEMON DISCOUNT E - Nevermove's cooldown is reduced by 20% during R - Demonic Ascension - New
R - Demonic Ascension
Cooldown 120 seconds ⇒ 100/80/60 seconds - Buffed
Drain Damage Per Second 35/50/65 (+14% AP) ⇒ 20/40/60 (+10% AP) - Nerfed
Drain Heal Per Second 20/35/40 (+16% AP) ⇒ 15/40/65 (+25%) - Adjusted
BIG BIRB No longer grants Swain 125/200/275 bonus health while active - Removed
TWO BIRDS ONE SOUL No longer doubles the health gained from Soul Fragments while active - Removed
ACTIVE DURATION 12 seconds ⇒ Based on Demon Power - Removed
DEMON POWER Activating Demonic Ascension grants Swain 50 Demon Power, which decreases at an initial rate of 10 per second. After 5 seconds of Demonic Ascension, Swain's Demon Power decreases faster at a rate of 15 per second - Adjusted
SOUL STEALER Swain gains 20 Demon Power per second while draining enemy champions - New
BIG DEMON ENERGY After 2 seconds of Demonic Ascension, Swain can recast his ultimate as R - Demonflare. R - Demonflare can only be cast once and does not end Demonic Ascension - Adjusted
R - Demonflare
Damage 100/150/200 (+50% AP) ⇒ 150/225/300 (+60% AP) - Buffed
CONFLAGRATION Demonflare now slows enemies by 60%, decaying over 1.5 seconds - Adjusted
EXPENDED, NOT STORED Demonflare no longer deals additional damage based on health drained from enemies - Removed
Okay, that’s a lot of changes. He definitely creates an open space for people to try him out. Swain hasn't recently been played very often. I could even say that he was very rarely seen on the Summoner’s Rift. A rework was really important for him to make him great again as a great Grand General of Noxus. I think those changes are different and they give Swain many different opportunities to shine in League. I assume it will require around two weeks to see how the changes apply to him. So far, I am so excited to try him out!
Sylas
R - Hijack
Cooldown 100/70/40 seconds ⇒ 80/55/30 seconds - Buffed
Riot wants Sylas to become more playable for people deciding to go with him in the mid lane. That is a very nice adjustment because with a proper Ability Haste, he will be able to cast his ultimate twice! I think that’s a great opportunity to loosen his chains!
Tristana
Base Stats
AD Growth 3.3 ⇒ 3.7 - Buffed
AD at Level 18 115.1 ⇒ 121.9 - Buffed
A little buff for Yordle Rocketeer! Time to remind you that she still exists in League. That will surely help her snowball the game in the early stages of the game
Vel’Koz
Q - Plasma Fission
Magic Damage 80/120/160/200/240 (+80% AP) ⇒ 80/120/160/200/240 (+90% AP) - Buffed
W - Void Rift
Initial Magic Damage 30/50/70/90/110 (+15% AP) ⇒ 30/50/70/90/110 (+20% AP) - Buffed
Vel’Koz was also falling behind in front of the other champions, not only in mid lane but also in support. That change should significantly help him prove his calculations on his enemies!
Vladimir
Base Stats
Base Armor 23 ⇒ 27 - Buffed
That change is pretty much aimed at the way Vladimir is played on the top lane. A small touch to the lord of blood.
Xayah
Q - Double Daggers
Damage Per Blade 45/65/85/105/125 (+50% bonus AD) ⇒ 45/60/75/90/105 (+50% bonus AD) - Nerfed
Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6 seconds ⇒ 10/9.5/9/8.5/8 seconds - Nerfed
It had to be done. The impact Lethality built on Xayah had was enormous. She was one of the most picked ADCs for multiple patches. That nerf was really deserved.
Xerath
E - Shocking Orb
Stun Duration 0.5-2 seconds (based on distance) ⇒ 0.75-2.25 seconds (based on distance) - Buffed
You very rarely get to proc the stun at the max range. But if you do, then it is a very nice buff for him. Still, I think it doesn’t have much impact.
Zoe
Q - Paddle Star
Mana Cost 50/55/60/65/70 ⇒ 40/45/50/55/60 - Buffed
R - Portal Jump
Mana Cost 50 ⇒ 40 - Buffed
Yes, it actually happened. Zoe got buffed! But hey, it’s not a big deal! She will not one shot your level 5, I promise!
Item Changes
Stopwatch
GOLDEN HOUR Stopwatch will no longer be purchasable if you already own Guardian Angel or Zhonya's Hourglass - Nerfed
There was an item combination that you could do if you haven’t used a stopwatch before. It was combining a stopwatch with Zhonya’s, allowing you to stay alive in a teamfight for 5 extra seconds. Unfortunately, that change is not available anymore. This is because many Marksmen were buying Stopwatch with Guardian Angel, causing them to be immortal in the team fights. This became a huge problem for the enemy to kill.
Upcoming Skins
Lunar Eclipse Aatrox & Sun-Eater Kayle
Lunar Eclipse Senna
Prestige Lunar Eclipse Senna
Solar Eclipse Sejuani
Solar Eclipse Sivir
Gangplank the Betrayer
Sea Dog Yasuo
Summary
Even though we didn’t touch that much, most of the champions like Swain received huge changes. Kai’Sa’s and Xayah’s were dramatically changed in the way these champions were played. This was to prevent the game from getting boring. How do you feel about Swain? Do you think he is going to be good? I hope he will because I am so excited to see what he can do! You can share your opinion on our EB24 Socials. We’re curious about how you feel about the changes and the meta we’re going to face.
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That's the end of the 12.8 Patch Rundown! Here is Yoshi, stay tuned to the recent events and content coming up almost every day! Thank you for taking part in this and… See you on the next patch!