Ahri has once again become the talk of the town among fans, but this time, it’s for potentially being overly formidable.
Following Riot Games’ latest attempt to bolster her strength in Patch 14.4, Ahri’s presence on Summoner’s Rift has surged exponentially, marking a return to her former winning ways.
According to popular League stats websites U.GG, Ahri’s pick rate has seen a substantial uptick, rising nearly seven percent from Patch 14.3 to a solid 10%. Moreover, she now boasts a 52% win rate, which appears to be gradually stabilizing.
Throughout her tenure, Ahri has grappled with her identity as a hybrid mage/assassin, a trait that adds complexity to her gameplay. The 2023 season saw some relief for the champion with the introduction of items such as Everfrost, providing her with more effective means to immobilize opponents and swiftly drain their health bars.
However, the removal of such items, coupled with the general overhaul of the item system, posed significant challenges for Ahri in maintaining parity with other mid lane champions over recent months.
In response to her declining gameplay performance, Riot opted to buff her with not only a slight increase in durability through enhanced health growth in Patch 14.4 but also a marginally augmented AP ratio on both activations of her Q ability.
In the patch notes, Riot elucidated that the damage was implemented in response to the belief that “Ahri players would appreciate more potent damage,” while also underscoring the “skill expression” requisite for successfully landing both parts of her Q.
Although the buff pales in comparison to the alterations bestowed upon other champions in the same patch, it precipitated a remarkable surge in her win rate and pick rate across all skill levels.
Notably, her preferred build path, highlighted by the introduction of the new item Malignance, has remained relatively unchanged. However, in terms of rune selection, players are now leveraging the damage potential of Ahri’s Q by opting for Arcane Comet over Electrocute, thereby augmenting Ahri’s poke damage during the laning phase.
While the abrupt ascent in Ahri’s statistical performance has captivated the attention of both casual and professional players alike, she currently faces no imminent prospect of nerfs or alterations in the coming patch.