Written in partnership with Gamer Sensei.
has partnered with Gamer Sensei to provide an in-depth analysis of the latest League of Legends Patch 12.6. Coaches Nicholas “NicoThePico” Korsgård and Rhys “Kybet” Williams from Gamer Sensei share their thoughts on the balance changes and how they will impact the meta.
Champions
Azir
- Health growth increased from 92 to 105
- Health at level 18 increased from 2,116 to 2,337
Gamer Sensei coach insight: These buffs won’t have a significant impact on Azir in solo queue. They are more targeted towards professional play to encourage him getting picked again. The increase in HP at level 18 will help him survive engages easier, but overall it shouldn’t change his playstyle too much since he’s a long-range control mage.
Darius
R – Noxian Guillotine
- Minimum true damage increased from 100/200/300 (+75% bonus AD) to 125/250/375 (+75% bonus AD)
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The increase in minimum true damage is a welcome buff for Darius players. However, he is still unlikely to be picked in professional play due to his vulnerability to kiting. The damage boost will help him secure early kills and snowball, but he still struggles to reach enemies.
Hecarim
Q – Rampage
- Base damage changed from 60/97/134/171/208 (+85% bonus AD) to 60/90/120/150/180 (+85% bonus AD)
E – Devastating Charge
- Minimum total damage changed from 30/50/70/90/110 (+55% bonus AD) to 30/45/60/75/90 (+55% bonus AD)
- Maximum total damage changed from 60/100/140/180/220 (+110% bonus AD) to 60/90/120/150/180 (+110% bonus AD)
Illaoi
R – Leap of Faith
- [Update]: R – Leap of Faith now casts with Illaoi facing toward your cursor, allowing for more favorable Tentacle spawn locations
Gamer Sensei coach insight: Despite there being no balance changes for Illaoi, seeing her in the patch notes may encourage more players to try her out. The bug fixes and quality-of-life changes may attract both mains and one-tricks, improving the overall experience. The removal of delay in tentacle spawns and the ability to buffer spells during combos may also benefit dedicated Illaoi players.
Jax
- Base health increased from 593 to 615
W – Empower
- Magic damage changed from 40/75/110/145/180 (+60% AP) to 50/85/120/155/190 (+60% AP)
Nidalee
Human Form
W – Bushwhack
- Mana cost changed from 40/45/50/55/60 to 30/35/40/45/50
E – Primal Surge
- Mana cost changed from 50/60/70/89/90 to 50/55/60/65/70
- Cast range increased from 600 to 900
Cougar Form
W – Pounce
- AoE damage radius increased from 225 to 250
Gamer Sensei coach insight: Nidalee receives quality-of-life improvements and mana cost reductions in Patch 12.6. These changes enhance her utility and safety in extended fights. The increased range on her heal allows her to reach priority targets more easily, resulting in better sustaining capabilities. These changes may also pave the way for Nidalee to be played in the mid lane again.
Rengar
Passive – Unseen Predator
- [Update]: Rengar’s next leap now grants one Ferocity upon losing all Ferocity stacks, instead of requiring zero stacks
- [Update]: Rengar can consistently leap after 0.35 seconds in brush or camouflage
- [New]: Rengar now has a Ferocity resource bar
- Ferocity stacks fall off after 10 seconds out of combat
- Bonetooth Necklace takedown timer changed from within 1.5 seconds to three seconds of damaging an enemy champion
Q – Savagery
- [New]: Rengar’s next basic attack after casting Q – Savagery will always be a critical strike
- [Update]: Q – Savagery now applies to basic attacks against towers, but no longer applies to basic attacks against plants
E – Bola Strike
- [Update]: Rengar can now instantly throw his E – Bola Strike during leaps
- [New]: E – Bola Strike grants true sight and normal vision around the enemy for two seconds
R – Thrill of the Hunt
- [Update]: R – Thrill of the Hunt grants true sight and normal vision around the nearest enemy
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The reworked Rengar brings new opportunities in solo queue. Understanding the changes and adapting to them can give players an advantage and lead to easy wins. The new passive and Q changes require players to invest time in learning and understanding the champion’s new mechanics. Historically, Rengar players tend to climb after significant changes.
Tryndamere
E – Spinning Slash
- Cooldown reduction per critical strike changed from one second (two seconds against champions) to 0.75 seconds (1.5 seconds against champions)
R – Undying Rage
- Cooldown changed from 110/100/90 seconds to 130/110/90 seconds
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The nerfs to Tryndamere may lower his priority in solo queue, but they won’t have a significant impact overall. Players may need to pay more attention to managing the cooldown of their ultimate in the early game. The changes aim to promote more strategic play and discourage mindless gameplay.
Items
Immortal Shieldbow
- Life steal reduced from 10% to 8% (12% to 10% for Ornn Masterwork item, Bloodward)
- Shield amount increased from 275 to 650 to 275 to 700 (same applies to Bloodward)
- Mythic passive grants five bonus AD and 50 bonus health to Legendary items changed to five bonus AD and 70 bonus health (same applies to Bloodward)
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The nerf to Immortal Shieldbow decreases life steal, impacting attack speed carries. However, they will still benefit from the additional HP provided by Legendary items. Some ADCs may consider taking Resolve as a secondary rune for extra base health instead of relying on healing.
Eclipse
- Life steal reduced from 10% to 8% (same applies to Ornn Masterwork item, Syzygy)
Blade of the Ruined King
- Life steal reduced from 10% to 8%
Vampiric Scepter
- Life steal reduced from 10% to 8%
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The nerfs to Eclipse, Blade of the Ruined King, and Vampiric Scepter aim to weaken champions that heavily rely on these items. Champions like Irelia will experience a substantial decrease in power. ADCs will be more affected by these changes. Taking Resolve as a secondary rune can mitigate the impact on ADCs, while the Eclipse nerf will affect champions like Ezreal, Senna, and Xayah.
Runes
[Removed]: Ravenous Hunter
[New]: Treasure Hunter
- Gain 70 gold when you claim a Bounty Hunter stack. The bounty increases by 20 gold for each stack.
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The new Treasure Hunter rune provides a significant advantage for snowball champions. However, the removal of Ravenous Hunter affects many champions that rely on its sustain. Bounty Hunter provides a substantial amount of gold per stack, but players must ensure they make the most of this gold since they lose a rune slot after claiming it. Assassins and champions who want to reach their power spikes quickly, like Corki, will benefit greatly from this new rune.
Fleet Footwork
- Healing when fully energized reduced from 10 to 100 (+40% bonus AD) (+30% AP) to 10 to 100 (+30% bonus AD) (+20% AP)
Legend: Bloodline
- Life steal per Legend stack reduced from 0.6% (up to 9% at 15 stacks) to 0.4% (up to 6% at 15 stacks)
Gamer Sensei coach insight: The healing nerfs to Fleet Footwork and Bloodline align with other healing adjustments in Patch 12.6. The reduction in healing power attempts to address the excessive amount of healing in the game. However, this emphasizes the damage creep in the game and may result in more one-shots and vulnerable squishy champions.
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