Riot Games to Release Jax Champion Rework for League of Legends in 2023
Riot Games is wasting no time with champion reworks in 2023. When the 2023 ranked season starts on Tuesday, Jan. 10, Jax will receive a series of updates to the majority of his kit.
Jax’s mini-rework will primarily focus on his ultimate, Grandmaster’s Might. During the duration of his ult, Jax will gain bonus Armor and Magic Resist whenever he strikes an enemy champion with an auto-attack. This change will make him more of a tank threat whenever he deals damage. Additionally, Jax’s ability will now cause every other attack to deal bonus damage, instead of every third attack as it currently works on live servers.
The Impact of Jax’s Update on Ranked Play
Jax’s mid-scope update aims to turn him into a well-rounded team-fighter who can also function as a strong frontline champion. While this rework may reduce Jax’s power in one-on-one duels, it will make him a formidable foe in mid-to-late-game team fights.
With the start of the 2023 ranked season, Jax’s fresh rework may attract players who want to try out a “new” champion in their provisional games as top laners.
Currently, Jax has a pick rate of just under six percent in solo queue games, making him the 11th most popular top lane champion according to OP.GG. We expect his pick rate to increase slightly with the release of Jax’s mid-scope update in League Patch 13.1.
Jax’s Impact on Professional Play
Jax has historically been a niche pick in the professional scene, chosen by pro players when their team composition requires a strong laner with split-pushing potential. Moving forward, Jax’s mid-scope update will continue to provide that specific power to team comps. However, we anticipate that other top laners with more reliable crowd control in teamfights will be prioritized in pro drafts during the early stages of 2023.
Despite this, we can still expect to see Jax picks in competitive play as he had a pick/ban presence of 19 percent in major regions during the 2022 Summer Split, with strong representation in the top lane at the World Championship, according to Gol.gg.
A small-scale Jax rework in League could potentially maintain the momentum that the aging top lane champion had at the end of last season.
Riot Games, champion reworks, League of Legends, Jax, Grandmaster’s Might, tank threat, ranked season, solo queue, professional play, teamfight, split-pushing, top lane champion, League Patch 13.1