League of Legends Patch 11.8 brings Jungle Changes
Jungle changes are coming to the Rift in the upcoming Patch 11.8 of League of Legends. However, don’t worry junglers, your role is not being nerfed again.
According to gameplay design director Mark “Scruffy” Yetter, new champions will be added to the existing jungle pool. In addition, a few underwhelming outliers like Lee Sin and Aphelios will receive buffs.
New Champions in the Jungle
Scruffy revealed that five champions—Zed, Darius, Mordekaiser, Morgana, and Diana—will now be able to join the jungle cast. While the exact changes weren’t explained, these champions are expected to deal more damage to jungle camps, allowing for better scaling and stronger gank potential.
Expanding the Jungle Champ Pool
Riot previously acknowledged the low play rate of the jungle position, especially in lower Elos. In an effort to make the role more popular, they have been adding beloved champions to the jungle pool. However, the complexity of the role continues to deter many players.
Buffs for Lee Sin and Aphelios
Popular jungler Lee Sin has struggled to adapt to the new item system in season 11. Despite receiving buffs to his abilities, he still falls behind in the meta. Aphelios, on the other hand, has had balancing issues since his release and is due for another round of buffs.
If Riot wants to make Lee Sin viable again, they may need to increase his damage output and improve his clear speed. This could potentially give him a clearer identity as a bruiser or assassin. As for Aphelios, his win rate in Platinum ranks and above shows that he needs further adjustments.
Other Champion Changes
Other champions like LeBlanc, Zac, Cassiopeia, and Vladimir will also receive buffs in Patch 11.8. On the other hand, Annie, Thresh, Gnar, Orianna, and Yorick are getting nerfed. The Rammus mini-update is expected to ship as well.
Note that these changes are subject to revision before the patch goes live on April 14.
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League of Legends, Patch 11.8, Jungle Changes, Champions, Buffs, Nerfs, Meta, Esports news