# Patch Notes Analysis
Analysis of the latest League of Legends patch notes. See which champions were buffed, nerfed, and how the meta shifts affect your ranked games.
Canonical HTML: https://baronbuff.com/patch-notes/
Markdown URL: https://baronbuff.com/patch-notes.md
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- Patch Notes

## Page Content

July 28, 2026

**League of Legends patch 26.15** is a ranked patch where your fights last longer, and your first engage attempt matters more. [Zac](https://baronbuff.com/champions/zac) is sturdier as the game goes on and gets more chances to start ganks, while [Alistar](https://baronbuff.com/champions/alistar) moves between lanes faster, so support roams arrive sooner than you expect.

On the damage side, [Kai'Sa](https://baronbuff.com/champions/kaisa) scales harder and is more reliable in late fights. Meanwhile early snowball picks take real hits: [Locke](https://baronbuff.com/champions/locke), [Naafiri](https://baronbuff.com/champions/naafiri), [Riven](https://baronbuff.com/champions/riven), and [Sylas](https://baronbuff.com/champions/sylas) all have a harder time winning early fights that used to decide the lane.

## Biggest Buffs

Zac
BUFF

Alistar
BUFF

Kai'Sa
BUFF

Maokai
BUFF

## Biggest Nerfs

Locke
NERF

Naafiri
NERF

Riven
NERF

Sylas
NERF

## What This Means for Ranked

**If you want reliable engage, pick it.** [Zac](https://baronbuff.com/champions/zac) is a safer jungle pick because he gains more armor per level (he takes less physical damage later), and his E cooldown is 1 second lower at every rank (he can attempt ganks and teamfight engages more often). [Alistar](https://baronbuff.com/champions/alistar) also benefits from a straight move speed buff, which means faster roams and more consistent timing on mid and river fights.

**Do not draft for early snowball unless you are confident.** [Locke](https://baronbuff.com/champions/locke) loses max health and Q damage, plus W gives less move speed early and less grey health, so he is easier to kill when roaming and less likely to win early trades. [Naafiri](https://baronbuff.com/champions/naafiri) loses R damage, [Riven](https://baronbuff.com/champions/riven) loses R bonus Attack Damage scaling, and [Sylas](https://baronbuff.com/champions/sylas) loses Q damage early—expect fewer clean kills before first items.

**Plan for scaling carries and faster clears.** [Kai'Sa](https://baronbuff.com/champions/kaisa) gets more passive damage as levels rise, so she is a better late-game marksman if you can reach two to three items. [Maokai](https://baronbuff.com/champions/maokai) clears jungle camps faster with higher Q monster damage, and his Q also scales better with Ability Power. For the full context, read patch notes [at Riot's official website](https://www.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/news/game-updates/league-of-legends-patch-26-15-notes/), and check our per-champion breakdowns at [baronbuff.com/champions](https://baronbuff.com/champions).

_See you in the Rift — LP_

## Affected Champions

Bel'Veth
ADJUST
Weaker early duels, stronger scaling

Locke
NERF
Lower burst, less safety

Mordekaiser
ADJUST
More pulls, weaker ultimate steal

Naafiri
NERF
Lower ultimate burst damage

Riven
NERF
Lower ultimate scaling damage

Zac
BUFF
Tankier scaling, more gank uptime

Alistar
BUFF
Higher move speed, better roaming

Kai'Sa
BUFF
Stronger passive damage scaling

Maokai
BUFF
Stronger jungle clear, better damage

Sylas
NERF
Lower lane poke damage

Volibear
BUFF
More frequent gap-close

## See how these changes affect your draft

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

Luke Pace

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