# Patch 26.20 League of Legends patch 26.20 is a direct hit to your champion select: the biggest winners are scaling carries and durable solo-laners, while several... Canonical HTML: https://baronbuff.com/blog/patch-notes/26.20/ Markdown URL: https://baronbuff.com/blog/patch-notes/26.20.md Language: en ## Breadcrumbs - [Baron Buff](https://baronbuff.com/) - [Blog](https://baronbuff.com/blog/) - Patch 26.20 ## Page Content Patch Notes • October 6, 2026 • Luke Pace League of Legends patch 26.20 is a direct hit to your champion select: the biggest winners are scaling carries and durable solo-laners, while several early-game lane bullies lose reliability. [Mordekaiser](https://baronbuff.com/champions/mordekaiser/) gets his ultimate more often, so he threatens more all-ins in lane and more picks in mid game fights. [Smolder](https://baronbuff.com/champions/smolder/) also scales harder, and his ultimate now heals him for much more, so he survives teamfights more consistently. On the nerf side, [Yunara](https://baronbuff.com/champions/yunara/) trades worse early and chases worse when your team already has slows, so her “win lane, snowball” games are less common. [Ambessa](https://baronbuff.com/champions/ambessa/) loses damage as the game goes long, and both [Cassiopeia](https://baronbuff.com/champions/cassiopeia/) and [K'Sante](https://baronbuff.com/champions/ksante/) are easier to punish early. Item changes also matter: ranged champions get less value from Experimental Hexplate, and Runaan’s Hurricane deals less damage per bolt. ## Biggest Buffs Mordekaiser BUFF Smolder BUFF Kindred BUFF Lillia BUFF ## Biggest Nerfs Yunara NERF Ambessa NERF Cassiopeia NERF K'Sante NERF ## What This Means for Ranked **If you want a simple climb pick, prioritize the featured buffs.** [Mordekaiser](https://baronbuff.com/champions/mordekaiser/) is a clearer sidelane threat because his R cooldown drops from 140/120 seconds to 120/110 seconds, which means more frequent forced 1v1s and more chances to remove a key target from a fight. In bot lane, [Smolder](https://baronbuff.com/champions/smolder/) is safer in mid-game fights because his R heal jumps to 175/250 at ranks 2/3, so you can commit to fights you used to lose. For jungle consistency, [Kindred](https://baronbuff.com/champions/kindred/) clears faster with stronger W damage to monsters, and E slows for 1.5 seconds, so ganks are harder to escape from. **Think twice before blind-picking the featured nerfs.** [Yunara](https://baronbuff.com/champions/yunara/) has less on-hit damage on Q and her W slow no longer stacks with other slows, so she is less reliable at winning short trades and finishing kills with help. [Cassiopeia](https://baronbuff.com/champions/cassiopeia/) starts lane with less health and mana, so early mistakes cost more. [K'Sante](https://baronbuff.com/champions/ksante/) pays more mana for W and gets less damage reduction, so he is easier to force out of lane. [Ambessa](https://baronbuff.com/champions/ambessa/) loses late-game damage on her passive, so extended fights are less dependable. **Adjust your builds around the item changes, then look for the quiet winners.** If you relied on Experimental Hexplate as a ranged first item, it now gives less attack speed and move speed, so you are easier to punish. Runaan’s Hurricane also deals less bolt damage, which slightly lowers multi-target DPS for users like [Ashe](https://baronbuff.com/champions/ashe/) (who also loses attack damage per level) and can affect late fights for [Vayne](https://baronbuff.com/champions/vayne/), even though Vayne herself is stronger in lane with a flat 30 mana cost on Q. For supports and AP picks, [Neeko](https://baronbuff.com/champions/neeko/) roots longer when empowered and hits harder with E, [Tahm Kench](https://baronbuff.com/champions/tahmkench/) heals much more on Q, and [Lillia](https://baronbuff.com/champions/lillia/) gets a longer sleep at ranks 2/3, which makes late teamfights easier to control. If you play AP divers, Hextech Rocketbelt has less ability haste but more active damage, and [Diana](https://baronbuff.com/champions/diana/) gets a bigger W shield, while [Kennen](https://baronbuff.com/champions/kennen/) gains more attack speed during E for better follow-up damage. For full details, read the patch notes [at Riot's official website](https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/game-updates/league-of-legends-patch-26-20-notes/), and browse the per-champion breakdowns on [baronbuff.com/champions](https://baronbuff.com/champions/). _See you in the Rift — LP_ ## Affected Champions Mordekaiser BUFF More late scaling damage, shorter ultimate cooldown Smolder BUFF Higher crit-scaling magic damage, stronger ultimate heal Yunara NERF Lower on-hit damage, slow no longer stacks Ambessa NERF Lower passive damage, weaker scaling Cassiopeia NERF Lower starting health and mana K'Sante NERF Higher mana cost, lower damage reduction Kindred BUFF Faster monster damage, longer slow Lillia BUFF Longer sleep at higher ranks Neeko BUFF Higher damage, longer empowered root early Swain ADJUST Higher magic resist, lower armor, stronger Vision of Empire Tahm Kench BUFF Much higher Tongue Lash healing Vayne BUFF More lane sustain, cheaper tumble Ashe NERF Lower attack damage growth Diana BUFF Stronger shield with bonus health Kennen BUFF More attack speed during Lightning Rush Lucian BUFF Higher attack damage growth ## See how these changes affect your draft Open Baron Buff for pick, ban, and matchup guidance based on the current patch. 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