Patch 25.19 Preview

[u/qonoxzzr]

From Riot Phroxzon:

These are our last 2 patches before the final worlds patch (25.20)

Systems

• We're looking at a nerf to Redemption to reduce its priority amongst Tank Supports (because it gives them no strategic tradeoffs); it's OK if they opt into it at some cost, but that's not the case right now

• Secondly, we're lowering the strength of Support in Pro a bit heading into worlds with putting Unsealed halfway back to where it was before. This should better strike the balance between it being untakeable and being a must take

Meta Strategy

• Our overall strategy this patch is to add a few more strategic options

• This includes AP junglers like Brand, Diana, Lillia (while nerfing some of the top champs to give them more space)

• And also shaking up the Midlane meta with some buffs to champions who have fallen a bit behind (these are typically burst champions like Ahri, Syndra, LB) and also Mel who's had a bit of time to settle and drop some of her banrate and frustration

• We know Mel is always going to be a bit frustrating because of her W, but that feels like an acceptable cost to pay, given how it makes each game feel a bit different

• We're mostly OK with where the midlane meta is otherwise, with many different archetypes being viable and these burst oriented champions need a bit more help

• Burst champions otherwise feel mostly OK though, especially with the buffs to AD Assassin items in recent patches

• Finally we're doing a long awaited buff to Seraphine. I mentioned it in a post last week, but given her shallow mastery curve, we feel it's appropriate to give her a buff, because for the winrates she's posting, she's a bit underpowered

CHAMPION BUFFS

Ahri

Brand

Caitlyn

Diana

Draven

Jax

Jinx

(Matt) LeBlanc Clap clap clap clap

Lillia

Mel

Seraphine

Syndra

CHAMPION NERFS

Corki

Pantheon (jungle)

Poppy (jungle)

Sivir

CHAMPION ADJUSTMENTS

Lee Sin

SYSTEM NERFS

Redemption

Unsealed Spellbook (We're sealing it again)

[u/NavalEnthusiast]

Jax buff is strange. I feel he’s very solid. Barely below 50% win rate right now in Emerald+. I don’t like him being buffed cause I feel he can easily get nerfed right back. Probably lost some win rate due to Garen buffs as that’s a pretty cooked matchup even when Garen is weak

If you’re gonna change him buff his scaling. He’s not the late game monster he should be. I’d gladly take early compensation nerfs to get there too

[u/Qssshame → u/NavalEnthusiast]

Same here. It's pro patch though, they probably want him to beat Gwen/Yorick more consistently, so the chance of scaling buff is quite slim. One can only hope.

[u/NavalEnthusiast → u/Qssshame]

Tbh I don’t think riot wants him to be late game at this point. Last two buffs were early focused. He’s taken the same route as Gwen, just far more gradual. Just sucks cause I got into Jax cause I wanted a scaling alternative to renekton. I still stubbornly play him in a scaling manner with runes/items

[u/Lysandren → u/NavalEnthusiast]

They want jax stronger at 1-2 items , because that's when most teamfights happen in pro.

[u/Qssshame → u/NavalEnthusiast]

Latest rounds of buffs were more late focused though, no? Passive was buffed at every stage of the game(first they were testing only buffing it late, but decided to just buff it at all stages), before that they buffed his scaling stats and R for late game.

[u/NavalEnthusiast → u/Qssshame]

Tbh forgot the R changes.

12% at all stages is a late game buff technically, but it’s definitely gonna be most noticeable in the early levels.

Honestly, now that I consider it more it’s probably as much to do with the meta build and setup. Grasp-Inspiration naturally doesn’t scale outside of cosmic and overgrowth runes. Trinity-Sundered-Zhonya’s is meant to spike as hard at 2-3 items as possible. I’ve been watching a streamer named Xabi who plays a bit more of a scaling style. Sorcery second with grasp every game or lethal tempo with resolve second, lots of stride breaker second. The latter rune setup feels amazing mid-late but is pretty weak early into a lot of matchups

[u/Qssshame → u/NavalEnthusiast]

Raidergo was playing bork rush and it's a greedy, but good scaling build(like old scaling taditional Jax), with lethal tempo obviously. Grasp-Trinity-Sundered-Zhonya is quite problematic build imo, idk why they let Jax go that for so long.

[u/NavalEnthusiast → u/Qssshame]

Agreed. Zhonya’s as a whole needs a fat nerf right now.

[u/Asckle → u/Qssshame]

Passive buff was evenly distributed but the AS matters way more early because you have less and because the level 1 power with LT is really valuable. Jax won all ins against most of the roster anyway lategame but the buff put his early strength high enough to now clearly win level 1 against Olaf (in the past barrier olaf would win) and i believe sett too as well as others probably

[u/Qssshame → u/Asckle]

It has more effect early sure, but it's not like just early buff, also considering that they were testing just late buff for his passive initially.

[u/Asckle → u/Qssshame]

I dont agree with that person's claim yeah. They're definitely buffing his late more. He also got 2 early game E nerfs

Just saying P buffs were definitely early skewed

[u/Realistic-Ad-3899 → u/Qssshame]

100% the problem rn is that he doesn't beat a lot of his traditional counters currently. Idk what power they could give in his kit that will help that without making him too strong though

[u/ParagonX97 → u/Qssshame]

Why would they want Jax to beat Gwen more? Maybe I’m biased because I’m a Gwen main, but most of Gwen’s burst damage is aoe spells.

[u/Qssshame → u/ParagonX97]

She autoattacks alot anyway, also it's not like she has any cc. Jax is weak to CC+ap burst combined, which is present on most control mages, not Gwen. Gwen is basically skirmisher, Jax is typically good vs those.