League of Legends Patch 12.4 to Bring Buffs for Underplayed Champions
In the upcoming League of Legends Patch 12.4, several marksmen and top laners who have been overlooked in recent times will be receiving buffs. Riot Phlox, a designer on the team, recently shared the list of champions set for changes while excluding any item adjustments made in Patch 12.3. This indicates that certain champions in the fighter category, such as Aatrox, Sett, and Illaoi, have not regained their desired prominence and will be directly buffed.
Buffs Planned for Champions in Need
The exact details of the buffs are yet to be revealed. While Aatrox has seen occasional play, Sett’s popularity has significantly declined since its release when it was considered a versatile pick for multiple lanes. Illaoi has been mostly limited to solo queue, where her win rate in Patch 12.3 among Platinum+ players was the fifth-lowest among top laners, according to data from Lolalytics.
Phlox, in a Patch Preview for 12.4 tweet, mentioned the fun buffs and nerfs players can expect in the upcoming patch. The development team is keeping an eye on fighter items for potential adjustments but has nothing immediate planned.
In recent professional play, magic damage junglers have not reached the level of success seen during last year’s Mid-Season Invitational. However, buffs for Rumble and Amumu might help revive their prominence. Despite earlier buffs to champions like Lillia, physical damage junglers have dominated the meta.
A challenge in balancing spellcasting-focused, AP-heavy junglers like Rumble is maintaining a reasonable clear speed, particularly in the early stages. It won’t be surprising if Rumble sees adjustments in his abilities, such as increased damage to minions and monsters, to bring him back into the spotlight. Other changes might even lead Rumble back to the solo lanes.
Buffs for Early Game-Focused Marksmen
Ashe, Kalista, Lucian, and Xayah, marksmen with a focus on the early game, will receive some love in Patch 12.4. Riot aims to reintroduce these champions to professional play. Additionally, Nami, Lucian’s preferred lane partner, will receive buffs through a nerf reversion. However, Riot is being cautious about overbuffing Xayah due to her exceptional late-game potential.
Xayah has received buffs in 10 consecutive patch notes, with the exception of one hotfix in Patch 11.22. The last time she was nerfed was in Patch 9.22, which was released back in November 2019. Another champion, Neeko, is also set to receive a buff in the upcoming patch.
Patch 12.4 is scheduled to release on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
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