Can League Patch 11.16 shake the already stable meta of League of Legends once more?
Riot is continuing to address which champions have been too oppressive, as well as bringing some old favorites back into the spotlight in League Patch 11.16. While the end of League of Legends season 11 is nearing, but significant balance adjustments are expected to keep players on their toes as the meta shifts.
Jeevun “Jag” Sidhu, the lead game designer for Summoner’s Rift’s League team, explained that in addition to some long-awaited nerfs for champions like Lulu and Lee Sin, other champions are set to receive some favor in League Patch 11.16. Many of these names have been noticeably absent from play in their particular lanes, thus these buffs will most certainly help them catch up to the competition.
While top lane champions aren’t getting much in the manner of buffs, Maokai is about to get some that will likely move one of League’s favorite walking trees from being exclusively viable in the support position to reclaiming his glory up top. Maokai top has a 0.4-percent pick rate in Patch 11.15, according to League statistics site champion.gg, and this has only decreased from earlier channels.
The jungle will be the most excited, as three champions are slated to gain buffs of some form. Jarvan IV, Nunu and Willump, and Shaco have struggled to compete against the likes of Lee Sin, Viego, and Xin Zhao, thus their jungle potential will be improved. Jag further stated that the Dr. Mundo jungle modifications, which had been repeatedly postponed, will no longer be implemented since “when people started skilling/building the right stuff, his win rate has increased a lot.”
Vladimir is the only mid champion who will receive a buff in League Patch 11.16. The extent of his buffs is unknown, but the Crimson Reaper hasn’t been recognized in a viable position on the Rift in quite some time. Similarly, Jhin and Sivir are the only two champions in the bot lane on the buff list, most likely owing to system modifications to the Feet Footwork rune. This rune was widely used on both of these champions, but it has gone out of favor in favor of runes like Dark Harvest, which offer both champions bonuses for being aggressive.
League Patch 11.16 also includes the anticipated Sona modifications, which have been in the works for quite some time. These modifications aim to focus on her position as an enchanter who thrives on performing multiple spells in a short amount of time, as well as adjust her kit to fit better with the mana changes introduced in season 11.
In contrast to previous patches, there will be a three-week gap between Patch 11.15 and 11.16. Patch 11.16 is scheduled to be released on August 11. All buffs and nerfs indicated in this preview are unofficial and subject to change before being implemented on live servers.