Photo of author

These League champions will be heavily impacted by the early 2023 item update

Changes Coming to Powerful Items in League of Legends

League of Legends is about to undergo some major changes in the beginning of next year that will have a significant impact on the game.

The lead designer for the game, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, recently announced a set of updates that are scheduled for release in early 2023. These updates will focus on four items: Rod of Ages, Jak’Sho, The Protean Seraph’s Embrace, and Radiant Virtue.

Two of these items, Seraph’s Embrace and Jak’Sho, are commonly used in League. Seraph’s Embrace has a pick rate of 2% in over 250,000 matches, according to statistics from Mobachampion. Jak’Sho, on the other hand, is popular among tanks and bruisers and has a pick rate of 2.2% based on over 278,000 matches.

Rod of Ages and Radiant Virtue are both important mythic items in the game, and Riot Games wants to make changes to shake up the meta in the new year.

Predicting the Impact on Champions

It’s difficult to say exactly how these changes will affect champions without more data, but based on the current statistics, we can make some assumptions about which champions will be most affected.

Jak’Sho, being an item designed for tanks, has been effective on tank champions like Rammus and Singed. However, it has also been a core item for fighters like Aatrox, allowing them to excel in other lanes as well. With Riot aiming to make it neutral for tanks and a viable option for fighters, the item could see significant updates that may change the build paths for top lane and jungle-oriented champions.

Radiant Virtue, while a viable item for many tank champions, has been overshadowed by others. If Riot succeeds in broadening its usage, it could become a replacement for a few tank champions.

Implications for Mages

Rod of Ages, a preferred pick for mana-based mid-laners and mages like Kassadin and Anivia, hasn’t made a particularly impressive comeback. It requires players to also build Seraph’s Embrace. However, Riot plans to make tweaks to both of these items, potentially making them more damage-focused or removing the need for them to work together. These changes will undoubtedly have an impact on mages in the game.

Overall, these changes to powerful items in League of Legends are eagerly anticipated by the community, as they have the potential to significantly alter the meta and gameplay dynamics.

Related keywords: League of Legends, powerful items, game changes, champion impact