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The biggest buffs and nerfs in League of Legends patch 9.5
League of Legends patch 9.5 just dropped, with big changes to champions and items. We take a look at which champions were buffed, which were nerfed, and how the meta will change as a result.
A new patch has hit the Rift, just in time for the last few matches of the regular pro League of Legends season. Some champions got the buffs they needed to compete again, while others were toned down a bit, evening out the playing field in the process.
The biggest changes with patch 9.5 are the reworks of Kayle and Morgana. Both champions have been in the game since launch and were in dire need of an update. Kayle's changes have been substantial, but we'll be discussing some of the bigger changes that the latest patch has given to other champions, like buffing Akali, Vi, and Gangplank. It wasn't just champions that were tweaked, either. One of the biggest changes is Relic Shield's healing nerf, which might change the support meta significantly.
Join us as we run through the latest changes to the LoL meta, and discuss which champions you should be picking, which you should be avoiding, and which you should be banning with patch 9.5.
Biggest buffs and changes
Picking Vi, the Piltover Enforcer, before patch 9.5 dropped was not a good idea. Fellow champion Nocturne did everything Vi could do, but better. In the latest patch, Riot have tried to address this. Not only have they buffed her clearing speed, but also her late game teamfighting. Hitting Vault Breaker (her Q ability) now does more damage to players, so Vi is rewarded for hitting her engagement skill shot. Her ultimate now does as much damage to secondary targets as to her main target, and has a longer knock-back for those secondary targets, too, making her a lot stronger in late-game teamfights.
Finding a good engage with Vi is pretty difficult once you're in the later stages in the game, since you'll have to Q through the front line before you can reach the enemy backline. With this change however she should feel a lot more rewarding to play, and her win rate already shows a small one percent spike (From 51.77 to 52.42 percent). Vi is relatively easy to pick up and play, and with these new changes her win rate should rise in the process.
Akali was hit pretty hard in patch 9.3, as one of her main mechanics (true stealth from turrets while she was in her shroud) was removed. Her solo-queue win rate dropped pretty hard, while her pick rate remained quite high, meaning that she's a popular and fun character to play in the community. With 9.5, Riot have buffed Akali again to a more healthy state.
They didn't completely revert the blow from 9.3, but she's regained some of her strengths in other parts of her kit. For example, she now has a 20 second cooldown reduction on her Level 1 ultimate. Akali is a playmaker, and her ultimate enables this the most. Every Akali player knows that it's almost impossible to make a good escape, or assassination, without good use of your ultimate, and those 20 seconds will definitely make a big difference in the way Akali plays.
She also had a couple of other small changes regarding the rest of her kit, Now she's only visible in her shroud when she comes in the attack range of the turret, while in 9.4 enemies could spot her when she was in the sight range of it.
The last big change was made to Skarner's spires. The location of the spires now covers both Krugs and Raptors, making it easier for Skarner to clear those with his passive buff. The spires are also removed from the minimap, which makes it harder for the enemy team to spot if Skarner is invading their jungle (and the other way around). The range of the spires has also been buffed.
This change is a massive boost to Skarner. He already had an extremely fast early clear, and with this change it's even faster. Now that the spires are gone from the minimap, invading is suddenly a lot easier. Skarner is at his strongest in the early to mid-game, after he hits Level 6. With this change, farming becomes faster, so Skarner will hit Level 6 quicker. For now, his winrate hasn't really changed much, but this will change once pros figure out his optimal clear path. This change is what Skarner needed in order to be played at the highest level of competition, so expect him to show up once 9.5 hits the LEC and LCS.
Relic Shield and tank supports
Relic Shield, the tank support item, is getting its healing ability nerfed. The nerf is mainly targeted at the highest level of play (think LEC and LCS), so you won't really see the difference in solo queue play, but it's definitely well worth keeping in mind.
The biggest reason for this is that champions like Braum and Alistar have an extremely high priority, so this nerf is mainly implemented to increase the support variety in professional games. In solo queue, supports like Janna, Soraka, and Sona have seen an increase in play rate and win rate, so we might see them show up in professional play.
What to pick and ban
As usual, picks and bans mostly depend on your level of play. For lower ELO players, it's always a smart idea to ban snowball champions, like Jax, Yi, and Yasuo. The meta right now is very snowball-orientated, and champions that benefit the most from it can carry the hardest.
If you're at a higher ELO, it's smart to think about what you would like to play, and ban your biggest counter. There don't seem to be any overpowered changes to champions in 9.5, other than the three previously mentioned. That said, Cho'Gath, Gangplank, and Dr. Mundo have received small buffs, which should make their early game a bit more stable against strong early game champions such as Riven.
With 9.5 dropping into pro play shortly, expect to see the upcoming Playoffs played on 9.6 once the current Split wraps up, while you can expect more changes to the game once the Mid-Season Invitational rolls around. Stay tuned for more insights as we head deeper into the season.
