PATCH 26.14 ANALYSIS

Patch Notes • July 14, 2026 • Luke Pace

League of Legends patch 26.14 is a direct hit to early-game killers and a clear boost to champions who win long fights. Locke loses burst damage and some early sustain, and Jayce is easier to punish after he commits because he has less movement speed and less durability. Garen also finishes kills less reliably with his ultimate.

On the other side, the patch gives ranked players more dependable win conditions. Mordekaiser threatens kills sooner after he pulls you, Nami adds more damage to lane trades, and Corki gets stronger late-game damage with more rockets in extended fights. If you scale, Yunara also comes out ahead.

Biggest Buffs

Mordekaiser BUFF

Corki BUFF

Nami BUFF

Yunara BUFF

Biggest Nerfs

Locke NERF

Garen NERF

Jayce NERF

Senna NERF

What This Means for Ranked

Draft for cleaner late fights: Mordekaiser is a stronger solo queue top pick because his pull hits harder and his ultimate now steals 13% of the target’s stats, which means he gains more damage and durability during the 1v1. Pair that with a lane like Nami, whose E now adds more damage per hit, and your team has simpler, repeatable fights around one fed carry.

Be cautious with early snowball picks: Locke has less damage on key early trades and a lower grey-health cap on W, so he survives fewer skirmishes he used to live through. Jayce also gets less bonus movement speed and less bonus armor and magic resistance in hammer form, so failed all-ins cost more. If you want safer damage, look at Corki for scaling fights.

Bot lane scaling shifts: Senna deals less late-game critical strike damage and her AP-based Q healing and slow are weaker, so do not rely on her to outscale every lane. Yunara gains more Attack Damage as she levels, so she is a better “farm and scale” carry now. Seraphine also loses damage on Q, so damage-focused bot builds are less threatening.

For the full context, read the patch notes at Riot's official website, and check the per-champion breakdowns on baronbuff.com/champions. If you play Azir, note that his soldiers now apply common item and rune damage more reliably, and his ultimate can knock back jungle monsters, which makes objective control smoother.

See you in the Rift — LP

Affected Champions

Azir ADJUST Stronger on-hit procs, better rune interactions

Locke NERF Shorter recast window, lower damage and healing

Mordekaiser BUFF More pull damage, stronger ultimate stat steal

Corki BUFF Better scaling damage, faster missile uptime

Garen NERF Lower execute damage on ultimate

Jayce NERF Less movement speed, less durability in hammer form

Nami BUFF Higher bonus damage on ally attacks

Senna NERF Lower crit modifier, weaker ability power scaling

Seraphine NERF Lower damage scaling on main poke spell

Yunara BUFF Higher attack damage scaling

See how these changes affect your draft

Open Baron Buff for pick, ban, and matchup guidance based on the current patch.