League of Legends Pre-Season: Balance Changes Incoming
The 2019 pre-season for League of Legends is in full swing, and that means it’s time for some much-needed balance changes. Riot Games is on the hunt for overpowered champions as they continue to fine-tune the game.
In a recent tweet, game designer Richard “RiotMapleNectar” Henkel revealed the target champions for Patch 9.4. Yasuo, Urgot, Karthus, and Lucian are in the spotlight for some nerfs. These champions have been dominating the meta and need to be brought down a notch.
Lucian, in particular, stands out as a top priority. He was already strong before the 9.3 crit item update and has become even more powerful since. As one of the few marksmen who can perform well without crit items, Riot held off on nerfing him until after the update. However, now that he’s still overpowering the game, it’s time to rein him in.
Yasuo, on the other hand, hasn’t been historically strong in recent months. However, Riot’s reasoning for nerfing him is justified. The buffs he received last summer are no longer needed with the changes to bot lane items and the addition of the new Phantom Dancer. Therefore, these nerfs will essentially revert the buffs from the summer.
As for Karthus and Urgot, it’s a no-brainer. Aatrox and Urgot have dominated the top lane meta, and Aatrox has already been heavily nerfed. Karthus, on the other hand, has been a nuisance in the jungle, requiring less strategy and knowledge to succeed. It makes sense to nerf him as well, although it may not be as severe as the others.
If these changes pass player testing on the PBE, they should be implemented in the live game within the next week.
League of Legends, pre-season, balance changes, Riot Games, champion nerfs, Yasuo, Urgot, Karthus, Lucian, marksmen, crit items, Phantom Dancer, Aatrox, Akali, live game.