When it comes to the nerfs, League of Legends patch 10.21 takes heed from the S-tier champions appearing in Worlds 2020. The buffs on the other hand, come with surprises.
The nerfs to meta champions Camille, Graves, Nidalee, Hecarim and Pantheon are not major. They are generally balanced, as Riot takes a conservative approach.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of patch 10.21:
Winner: Aphelios
Passive – The Hitman and The Seer
- Lethality increased from 2/4/6/8/10/12 to 3/6/9/12/15/18
R – Moonlight Vigil
- Calibrum additional mark damage increased from 20/45/70 to 40/70/100
- Severum heal increased from 200/300/400 to 250/375/500
- Gravitum root duration: Targets marked by Moonlight Vigil root duration increased from 1 to 1.25 seconds
- Inernum splash damage ratio increased from 75% to 85% of initial damage
- Crescendum additional Chakrams returned increased from 3 to 4
We never thought we’d ever see Aphelios under the ‘winner’ section, but here he is. His ultimate was buffed overall across all guns, and it will be felt.
After countless of nerfs this year, he drastically dropped in popularity. At the Worlds 2020 group stage he has been played three times, all against Senna, to match her scaling.
While the increase in lethality grows at later levels, its true impact can only be felt once preseason kicks in with new items and changes.
Winner: Udyr
R – Phoenix Stance
- Aura total damage increased from 40/80/120/160/200/240 over 4 seconds to 50/100/150/200/250/300 over 4 seconds
A truly random buff, Riot’s intention is to ” sharpen the difference in style between the two stances (Phoenix’s waveclear vs. Tiger’s dueling potential), and encourage more folks to birdy up”.
A buff to Phoenix Stance is a direct buff to Udyr’s waveclear, and could potentially impact how he performs in top lane as well.
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Loser: Samira
E – Wild Rush
- Cooldown increased from 15/14/13/12/11 to 20/18/16/14/12 seconds
- Attack speed decreased from 30/35/40/45/50% to 20/25/30/35/40%
Called ‘300 years’ after Aphelios’ ‘200 years’, this might be the start of Samira’s nerf train. Her damage output comes from her Q, E and R, and in this scenario, Wild Rush’s bonus attack speed has been reduced by 10% at all levels.
This certainly won’t bump her from being one of the top tier AD carries right now, but at least she’ll hurt a little less… right?
Loser: Pantheon
Q – Comet Spear
- Damage reduced from 75/110/145/180/215 (+1.0 bonus attack damage) to 70/100/130/160/190 (+1.15 bonus attack damage)
- Critical damage adjusted from 155/235/315/395/475 (+2.0 bonus attack damage) to 155/230/305/380/455 (+2.3 bonus attack damage)
- Mortal Will bonus damage ratio increased from 1.0 attack damage ⇒ 1.15 attack damage
Recognizing how support Pantheon can run away with the game due to his durability, reliable crowd control, burst damage, and manliness, Riot nerfed Comet Spear’s base damage at all levels.
Instead, they’ve given him increased bonus attack damage ratios, which means that Pantheon will require items in order to flourish, and will be more favored when played in lane or in the jungle.
For the full 10.21 patch notes, click here. Remember to look out for Seraphine’s arrival in patch 10.22!
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Seraphine, League of Legends’ newest support
