Ekko Returns to the Jungle as an AP Assassin
The upcoming patch 7.21 is bringing some interesting changes to the League of Legends meta. One notable change is the return of Ekko to the jungle, but this time as an AP assassin. This change is expected to shake things up and provide new opportunities for players who enjoy playing Ekko in the jungle.
When the changes to Ekko and Galio were first introduced on the public beta environment (PBE), many were unsure if these changes would actually make it to the live servers. However, most of the Galio changes stayed and Ekko only had one change that will be implemented with tomorrow’s patch.
Ecko’s Jungle Comeback
Ekko’s viability in the jungle has been a topic of debate for a while. Despite having a kit that seemed suitable for jungling, his camp clear speed was slow and he took too much damage from jungle camps. The rise of tank Ekko as a jungler last year was mainly due to his ability to survive hits and slowly clear camps, but Riot eventually nerfed his base damage and increased his AP scalings to push him back into the AP assassin role. This made it difficult for Ekko to remain in the jungle.
Riot wanted to make Ekko a viable jungler again, without making him too strong in the mid lane where he currently sits at a reasonable spot. To achieve this, they are giving Ekko’s passive, Z-Drive Resonance, double damage against monsters. This change should significantly improve his jungle camp clear speed. While it may not instantly skyrocket him to the top of the jungle meta, it will at least make him a viable option for jungle players.
Galio’s Transformation into a Burst Mage
Galio’s changes are a bit peculiar. While he has been dominating the professional stage and the Worlds meta, his performance in normal games is lackluster. He excels in the hands of coordinated professional teams but struggles to deal enough damage to survive in solo queue. In tomorrow’s patch, Riot is addressing this issue by nerfing the base damage on Galio’s abilities, including Winds of War and Justice Punch. The utility of Shield of Durand will also be reduced, but it will receive a boost against magic damage, while its effectiveness against physical damage will be cut in half.
To compensate for the decrease in tankiness, Galio’s AP scalings are being increased across the board. His passive, Q, and E abilities will now scale with a higher percentage of his AP. These changes were tested on the PBE and have shown promising results. With the right AP items, Galio is now capable of dealing massive bursts of magic damage, even when built full tank.
For a full list of champion changes in tomorrow’s patch, refer to the official patch notes.