LoL Patch Notes Analysis — Champion Changes

League of Legends Patch 26.21 is a direct hit to early snowball junglers and early assassin kills. Lee Sin, Nidalee, and Qiyana all lose early reliability, so more games reach mid game without a lane being decided at minute five. Jinx also takes a clear hit to early safety and scaling damage, so greedy late-game drafts are easier to punish.

On the other side, this patch gives you stronger, clearer win conditions in teamfights. Taliyah clears the jungle faster and hits harder when enemies dash through her E, Miss Fortune has much stronger lane poke and crit ultimate damage, and Nunu & Willump gets a large R damage bump. Orianna also gains late-game damage, making grouped fights end faster when her combo lands.

Biggest Buffs

Taliyah BUFF

Miss Fortune BUFF

Nunu & Willump BUFF

Orianna BUFF

Biggest Nerfs

Lee Sin NERF

Jinx NERF

Nidalee NERF

Qiyana NERF

What This Means for Ranked

If you want the simplest climb plan: pick Taliyah jungle more often. Her E now deals 225% damage to monsters, so your clears are faster, and her E base damage is higher, so ganks punish enemies who use dashes to escape. If you prefer teamfight ultimates, Nunu & Willump R now has higher maximum damage (750/1100/1450), which means a full channel is more likely to decide a fight.

If you are still first-picking early playmakers: think twice before locking Lee Sin or Nidalee. Lee Sin’s W cooldown is longer, so he has fewer safe exits after he goes in, and his R deals less damage, so early skirmish kills are less reliable. Nidalee’s cougar W deals less damage and her E gives less attack speed, so clears and early duels are weaker.

In bot lane, adjust your expectations: Miss Fortune is a stronger lane bully now because her E deals more damage, and crit builds make her R hit harder. Meanwhile Jinx has less health and lower attack damage growth, so she is easier to punish in lane and her late-game damage ramps up slower. If you play mid, Orianna is a safer “scale and teamfight” pick, while Qiyana has lower Q damage, so early all-ins fail more often.

For the full context, read the patch notes at Riot's official website, and browse the per-champion breakdowns on baronbuff.com/champions.

See you in the Rift — LP

Affected Champions

Caitlyn ADJUST Weaker crit headshots, stronger early Q

Lee Sin NERF Longer W cooldown, lower R damage, E reveal removed

Locke ADJUST Lower mana sustain, higher scaling damage

Taliyah BUFF Higher E damage, added monster damage modifier

Varus ADJUST Q charge damage increased, W on-hit and execute reduced

Jinx NERF Lower base health, lower AD growth

Miss Fortune BUFF Higher E damage, stronger crit ultimate

Nidalee NERF Lower W damage, lower E attack speed

Nunu & Willump BUFF Higher ultimate maximum damage

Orianna BUFF Higher AP scaling on Q and W

Qiyana NERF Lower Q base damage

Rammus NERF Lower W resist bonuses

Ryze BUFF Higher late scaling on Q bonus and move speed, W damage up

Sion BUFF Higher health growth, higher charged ultimate damage

Tristana NERF Lower early Q attack speed

Vel'Koz BUFF Higher passive true damage

Viktor NERF Lower move speed, weaker Q shield

Wukong ADJUST Higher health regen, lower early passive armor per stack

Xin Zhao BUFF Higher Q bonus AD scaling, better E attack speed scaling

Azir BUFF Higher mana growth for lane spells

Darius BUFF Lower late cooldown on Q

Taric ADJUST Spells now cast on untargetable allies

Twisted Fate ADJUST Ultimate now reveals untargetable units

Yone NERF Lower Q AD scaling

Zyra BUFF Lower W seed ammo cooldown

See how these changes affect your draft

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