The developer is attempting to balance as many champions as possible in League Patch 11.18 before the World Championships begin in just a few weeks.
League Patch 11.18 will be one of the biggest Patch of Season 11 with tons of changes aiming towards Worlds 2021.
Riot Games is delivering one of the year’s largest League of Legends patches. As the 2021 League season wraps up and the game’s competitive World Championship approaches, Riot is making a concerted effort to balance out as many champions as possible on the game’s roster. In League Patch 11.18, 32 champions will be changed, with 23 scheduled to receive buffs.
Jeeven Sidhu, League of Legends’ Lead Game Designer, stated on Twitter today that League Patch 11.18 is “effectively part 1 of our Worlds patches.” ([Patch] 11.19 will finish it.)” Sidhu further clarified that any modifications made to the patch also weren’t limited by the requirement of “matching buffs for nerfs 1 to 1.”
Among the champions that have been buffed in League Patch 11.18, a few have received boosts that exclusively affect their viability in the jungle. The jungle skills of Lillia, Qiyana, Talon, and Zed are all planned to be improved in the next patch. Certain abilities, like Rake (W) for Talon and Contempt for the Weak (P) for Zed, will be boosted against jungle creatures in the upcoming patch. Taliyah is the only other champion who is played in the jungle on a regular basis who will receive benefits in the forthcoming patch.
It remains to be seen if these jungle modifications will make it to the live servers in time for the World Championship, but it is worth noting that Riot strengthened the jungling potential of some lane-focused champions ahead of this year’s Mid-Season Invitational as well.
Aside from the jungle, five different champions will be buffed in League Patch 11.18 for the top lane and AD carry positions, while just four champions will be buffed for the mid lane and support positions.
Regardless of how many changes are done in League Patch 11.18, the patch is just a warm-up for Patch 11.19, which will be used for Worlds 2021. According to the game’s official patch schedule, Patch 11.18 will be available on League servers on September 9.