Updated on October 2, 1:02 p.m. (GMT+8): Added more detailed patch notes posted by Riot Phroxzon, added more items to system buffs and nerfs.
League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison posted a preview of LoL patch 14.20 and posted more detailed numbers in a follow-up tweet.
In the tweet, he shared that there’s a notable decrease in snowballing, with game times remaining fairly stable. Champions are also dying 3-5% slower compared to the last patch (LoL patch 14.19), allowing for greater skill expression.
The game devs are still monitoring which roles are emerging as the strongest. It seems that AP champions are trending upward in power.
Preview: LoL patch 14.20 notes rundown
How the game developers are assessing AP itemization in LoL patch 14.20
AP champions have shown significant strength, with Stormsurge and Penetration builds gaining prominence again. However, the game devs don’t intend to implement a major nerf like before. They’ll keep examining some of the proc damage values, as a few appear to be a bit too high.
Additionally, Riot Phroxzon shared that Liandry’s Torment has proven quite effective for junglers while remaining balanced for other roles. This effectiveness is partly due to the slower pace of combat, making the burn damage more impactful against camps and champions.
He also stated that a handful of off-tank AP junglers (Udyr, Zac, Amumu) are not feeling the AP nerfs because monster damage on the burn was unchanged. This has led to a noticeable increase in clear speed after completing Liandry’s. While Liandry’s is effective for non-junglers, it’s proving to be excessive for these specific champions, prompting adjustments.
How the game developers are assessing ADC itemization in LoL patch 14.20
“ADC first item space needs work. Despite being a more powerful option in many cases, IE first has proven to be pretty unexciting and not really an item that players are excited to buy,” wrote Riot Phroxzon.
The team is planning to adjust the first item options to better balance Yun Tal Wildarrows, Statikk Shiv, and The Collector against one another. They recognize that the overall system requires more work to make Crit and Non-Crit builds more appealing and why they’re being picked.
“For AD items, we’re moving Infinity Edge clearly out of the first and second item space by increasing the Gold cost gap to other lower cost AD Crit options like Yun Tal, Essence Reaver and Collector,” he added.
LoL patch 14.20 champion buffs
- Aphelios
- Caitlyn
- Corki
- Lee Sin
- Pantheon
- Riven
- Sivir
- Tryndamere
- Xayah
- Yasuo
- Yone
Eclipse users like Lee Sin, Pantheon, and Riven are being adjusted and balanced for the current version of Eclipse. The changes are mostly straightforward buffs, with Panton’s adjustments particularly aimed at the top lane with percentage HP levers.
For Yone, Yasuo, and Tryndamere, several of their items received significant nerfs, notably Blade of the Ruined King and Infinity Edge. Even in the previous patch, Yone and Yasuo players often chose to forgo Crit, Riot Phroxzon shared.
“The item system for melee crit users doesn’t feel great currently and needs follow up, but in the meantime, giving them a bit of a power injection to tide them over until we do this work,” he concluded.
LoL patch 14.20 champion nerfs
- Anivia
- Aurelion Sol
- Camille
- Dr. Mundo
- Jhin
- Mordekaiser
- Poppy
- Shyvana
- Singed
- Skarner
- Swain
- Traic
- Udyr
- Veigar
- Yorick
Poppy and Skarner’s pick rates are going up, especially in professional play. Poppy, in particular, has gained popularity as a support and jungler. Her damage output, especially with Bloodsong, are a bit too strong, Riot Phroxzon wrote, which is why they’re nerfing her in LoL patch 14.20.
Skarner has rapidly climbed to the top following his recent buffs, so they’re scaling him back slightly.
Mundo, Mordekaiser, Shyvana, Singed, Udyr, and Veigar have “either benefitted from not being as easy to burst after everyone deals less damage (looking at you Singed/Udyr/Mundo) and are finding it much easier to execute their gameplan, or just benefit from not being able to die as easily and get to scale for free (eg. Veigar/Mundo)” so Riot is nerfing them.
System buffs
- Nimbus Cloak
- The Collector
- Yun Tal Wildarrows
System nerfs
- Thornmail
- Statikk Shiv
- Grasp of the Undying
- Fated Ashes
- Linadry’s Torment (jungle focused)
- Luden’s Companion
- Stormsurge
Grasp of the Undying is currently being used by many champions beyond just tanks. While the team isn’t saying there’s anything wrong with this, their intention was for it to be a more niche option. As a result, squishy fighters and ADCs are boasting too high HP values, hence the nerf.
System adjustments
- Rune tooltips
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