Toplane
Systems adjusted
Biscuit Delivery nerfed
Cash Back buffed
Bloodline buffed
Nimbus Cloak buffed
Triple Tonic buffed
movespeed rune shard buffed
Tenacity rune shard buffed
Phase Rush nerfed
Hail of Blades buffed
Champions
Yone buffed
Volibear buffed
Hey Friends,
First, we have only two champion changes somewhat relevant to the toplane. Yone received about a 0.5% win rate buff in d+. This might result in seeing Yone toplane a bit more often as a niche counter pick. These are rare times where Yone might be a better toplaner than a midlaner since the doran shield and second wind nerfs. On the other hand, volibear received up to 1% winrate in diamond+, but this champ is generally still quite weak compared to the toplane standard.
Before moving into the High – Low priority changes we should tackle the rune and shard changes. As it stands, movespeed and tenacity shards have been niche and will remain a niche choice compared to other shards in their respective rows. Though, they are genuinely quite good after buffs and you should consider them as a strategic choice against your lane matchup or the enemy team composition. Flat health rune shard is still the king and should be the default choice you willingly gravitate away from through experience, confidence and awareness of the opportunity cost.
Keystone changes (HoB and Phase Rush) moved the needle for each about +/- 0.10% win rate. Statistically, to an individual player these changes are practically meaningless. On the other hand, sometimes you might lose or get extra utility and get rewarded / punished due to these changes.
Finally, nimbus, cookies and bloodline changes are basically irrelevant. On the flip side, Cash Back and Triple Tonic received a sizeable buff resulting in 1% winrate increase for Cash Back and over 1.2% winrate for Triple Tonic. Triple Tonic is the biggest winner of this patch. While Cash Back buffs create a viable alternative, Magical Footwear will still be the superior choice in the majority of cases.
No changes this patch to the high – low priority list for competitive play. As it stands the lane swaps are still a thing and they continue to be the bottleneck that blocks the powerful ranged champions from entry to the high priority. Triple tonic buffs are another great addition to the arsenal of champions like Jayce, Kennen and especially Rumble who continues to “win” with system changes.
Keep in mind that Triple Tonic now gives about 700 gold worth of stats on level 6. While the use cases are obvious in all in situations, do keep in mind that elixir of force lasts 60 seconds and you should look to maximize this powerful effect whenever possible.
Consider the pressure points and what you can do with waves if playing for all-ins is not possible during the 60 second timer. Try to be strategic when and why you are using the elixir of force. From the defensive point of view, it could also allow you to find recalls that you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
Not too many changes in the solo queue department as well. Most notable changes are depicted with green and red arrows. Consult the first blog post if you’re interested in what each tier means.
until next time o7.