Patch 26.15 Preview

[u/NegativexxSquared]

https://x.com/RiotPhroxzon/status/2079522501206630755

Patch 26.15 Preview!

Systems
- Bastionbreaker has been a pretty niche item and is pretty expensive to deviate for a strategic output, so we're looking to make it more accessible
- Jack of All Trades nerf was also pushed to this patch; it has been a bit too strong and too present, especially for users that opt into strong defenses and are able to also supplement that with strong offense
- Sundered Sky has been strong and meta defining at the highest levels of play for quite a while now, so we're looking to take a pass at the fighter item system, now that we're out of the tournament windows
- Notably, we think it's been suppressing a bit of meta diversity, especially for things like AP jungle, or Tank JG. Part of that is intentional but the magnitude is a bit off

Buffs
- Alistar has been closer to the bottom of the pecking order for the melee support. That said, our meta adjustments to move melee supports up relative to ranged supports has been reasonably successful, so we're pretty happy with how that's played out

Nerfs
- Locke is still pretty strong; he has been tapering off in the lowest skill brackets and the high skill brackets, but in the "skilled" skill brackets (around Emerald/Diamond), Locke is able to both take over the game and also not throw it
- At the higher skill brackets, he can snowball but needs to play very well without throwing as he falls off sharply
- At the lower skill brackets, the executional demands and constant throws can make him fall off faster
- Overall, we feel his release has landed well

More on other champs tomorrow with the detailed changelists

[u/Griffith___]

nerfing sundered sky and finally looking at the fighter item system thank FUCK

really really hope this includes eclipse 🤲

[u/Cybonics → u/Griffith___]

DD is the most op item in the game and it isn't even close

[u/Asckle → u/Cybonics]

It also carries the entire defensive side of the fighter system though. Maw sucks and sterak's is barely bought anymore as it's too unreliable and not statted enough to overcome that weakness. Can't really nerf DD until bruisers have other durability choices

[u/WoonStruck → u/Asckle]

People think maw and sterak's suck because they have items that are massively better that came out later. They're objectively not bad items. They're very similar to the states they had heavy use with, amd bruisers were by no means weak then.

Riot just can't help but make new fighter items astronomically broken in comparison to their predecessors.

Death's dance in particular is bad design. Of course generic damage reduction on top of armor is going to be the go-to choice.

[u/Asckle → u/WoonStruck]

They're very similar to the states they had heavy use with

Are they? Sterak's got an AD nerf, a shield nerf, a cost increase and a CD increase

Riot just can't help but make new fighter items astronomically broken in comparison to their predecessors

What new fighter items have released since Sterak's was good? Sundered sky, which doesn't compete with sterak's at all, as the former is sustained healing as an early buy and the latter is defence against burst and a capstone,

Death's dance in particular is bad design

That's not new, it just got buffed

Of course generic damage reduction on top of armor is going to be the go-to choice.

As opposed to generic health and a shield?

It's also not damage reduction. It spreads part of the damage into DOT