League of Legends Patch 13.18 Preview: Changes and Updates for the 2023 World Championship
The highly anticipated 2023 World Championship is just around the corner, and with the arrival of League of Legends Patch 13.18, players are gearing up for the big event.
This latest update focuses on champion changes, with a total of 11 adjustments – five buffs, five nerfs, and one adjustment. Additionally, there are several tweaks to items in order to shape the meta for professional play. While the development team at Riot Games is generally satisfied with the current state of the game, balance boss Matt Leung-Harrison mentioned that there are still some “small adjustments” that need to be made.
One of the main focuses of this patch is controlling power picks like Kayn, Jarvan IV, and Tryndamere, as they have been dominating the competitive scene. Nerfs will be implemented to these champions in order to bring them in line with the rest of the roster. The AD carry metagame will also be addressed, with Stormrazor and Statikk Shiv being closely examined by the development team.
In addition to these changes, a new champion named Briar the Restrained Hunter will make her debut in this update cycle. Players can look forward to her grand entrance onto the Rift.
No League patch is complete without cosmetic updates, and Patch 13.18 delivers with the introduction of the new Street Demon skins.
When will League Patch 13.18 go live?
League Patch 13.18 is scheduled to go live on Wednesday, September 13th. The update will begin staging in Australia at 10am AEST and will roll out on other servers throughout the day.
Here are the patching times for different regions:
- 3am PT (NA)
- 5am GMT (EU West)
- 3am CET (EU North East)
- 8am KR (Korea)
Please note that there will be several hours of server downtime during the staging process. Matchmaking will be disabled across all League queues three hours before the update goes live.
What’s in League Patch 13.18?
Briar arrives on the Rift
Briar, the highly-anticipated new champion, will make her debut in this patch. She has unique abilities that have already been discussed in detail by . The League developers are making some slight adjustments to Briar before her release to ensure she is balanced and ready for gameplay.
Tryndamere, Jarvan spike too sharply
Tryndamere and Jarvan IV have seen unexpected boosts in power due to previous changes. Riot is looking to bring these champions back to a more balanced state by addressing these spikes in power. A total of 12 champions will undergo tweaks in this patch, including buffs for Irelia, Gwen (jungle-focused), Kennen, Senna (focused on critical hit builds), and Thresh. Nerfs will be applied to Jarvan IV, Kayn (red), Rell, Tryndamere, Zeri, and Xayah.
Four League items see smaller adjustments
Some items that are commonly used by AD carries, such as Stormrazor and Statikk Shiv, will be adjusted in this update. Riot also plans to make changes to Spear of Shojin and Crown of the Shattered Queen. These adjustments aim to create a more balanced gameplay experience for players.
Splashy ‘street’ skins hit the store
The new Street Demon skins will add bright, bold, and flashy neon colors to the game. Brand, Rengar, Neeko, Zyra, and Dr. Mundo will all receive new skins in this release. Additionally, there will be a new essence skin called Crystalis Motus Taliyah, which gives Taliyah an emerald style.
For more details on the patch, you can refer to the official patch notes for League Patch 13.18.
League of Legends, Patch 13.18, World Championship, champion changes, item tweaks, new character, Street Demon skins