Although Patch 14.20 is still fresh on the live servers, Riot Games has already confirmed that Swain is getting a rework in the upcoming Patch 14.21.
Swain has had a somewhat complicated role in the League of Legends meta ever since his initial rework. His limited attack range and lack of mobility have made him challenging to play effectively, especially against champions who are highly mobile and can dodge his abilities or kite him from a distance.
On the other hand, in tank-heavy metas, Swain has been incredibly difficult to deal with, especially when he builds the right defensive items. His combination of tankiness and healing often makes him nearly unkillable.
This creates a “feast or famine” dynamic for Swain. Due to his short range and the necessity of getting close to opponents, he can either dominate when he’s able to reach his targets, or struggle heavily when opponents use their mobility to keep their distance.
Because of this, Swain has not been seen in high-level competitive play for a while and has had no presence at major tournaments. And so, the upcoming rework seeks to lean further into this high-risk, high-reward style of play.
League of Legends Swain changes in Patch 14.21
Base Stats:
- Base mana reduced: 468 >>> 400
- Mana regen increased: 8 >>> 10
Passive: Ravenous Flock
- Heal reduced: 3-6% max HP (1/6/11/16) >>> 2-5% max HP (1-18)
Q: Death’s Hand
- AP ratio increased: 40% >>> 45%
- Bonus damage per bolt reduced: 15-55 >>> 15-40
- Bonus AP ratio per bolt increased: 10% >>> 11.25%
W: Vision of Empire
- Base damage reduced: 80/115/150/185/220 >>> 70/105/140/175/210
- AP scaling increased: 55% >>> 60%
- Slow duration reduced: 2.5 seconds >>> 1.5 seconds
- Slow increased: 25/35/45/55/65% >>> 50/55/60/65/70%
- Reveal duration adjusted: 4-8 seconds >>> 6 seconds
E: Nevermore
- Outgoing damage removed
- Explosion base damage increased: 35-75 >>> 80-240
- Explosion AP ratio increased: 25% >>> 60%
- Cooldown increased: 10 >>> 14-10
- Mana cost increased: 50 >>> 60-80
- Hitbox increased: 85 units >>> 95 units
- Outgoing missile speed reduced
- Return missile speed increased
R: Demonic Ascension
- Base damage reduced: 20-60 >>> 15-35
- AP ratio reduced: 10% >>> 5%
- Base heal increased: 15-40 >>> 15-45
- Heal AP ratio reduced: 18% >>> 5%
- Heal now scales with 1% bonus HP
- Cooldown increased: 100-60 >>> 120
- R2 can now be cast again on a 10 second CD
- R2 AP ratio reduced: 60% >>> 50%
- R2 base damage increased: 150-300 >>> 150-350
- R2 slow increased: 60% >>> 75%
Riot is giving Swain more power and potency when he manages to get up close to enemies, but they are also removing some of his ability to poke from afar and reducing his sustain.
This means that, while Swain will be stronger in certain situations, particularly in close combat, he will no longer have the same level of healing and durability that allowed him to thrive in prolonged battles. The rework aims to make him more reliant on landing his abilities at close range to maximize his effectiveness, but with a significant downside if he misses.
In essence, Swain’s rework will shift his gameplay style from being a champion that can heal and survive for long periods to one that rewards aggressive, well-executed engagements. He will have higher burst damage potential, making him more dangerous when he manages to get in range of his opponents. However, this also means that he’ll be more vulnerable if he fails to land his abilities, as his survivability will be reduced compared to before.
This rework is expected to be a buff for Swain overall, but it won’t make him universally stronger in every situation. Instead, his success will be more closely tied to his ability to close the gap and hit his abilities consistently.
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