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 is sturdier as the game goes on and gets more chances to start ganks, while Alistar moves between lanes faster, so support roams arrive sooner than you expect.
On the damage side, Kai'Sa scales harder and is more reliable in late fights. Meanwhile early snowball picks take real hits: Locke, Naafiri, Riven, and Sylas all have a harder time winning early fights that used to decide the lane.
Biggest Buffs
Biggest Nerfs
What This Means for Ranked
If you want reliable engage, pick it. 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 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 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 loses R damage, Riven loses R bonus Attack Damage scaling, and Sylas loses Q damage early—expect fewer clean kills before first items.
Plan for scaling carries and faster clears. Kai'Sa gets more passive damage as levels rise, so she is a better late-game marksman if you can reach two to three items. 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, and check our per-champion breakdowns at baronbuff.com/champions.
See you in the Rift — LP
Affected Champions
See how these changes affect your draft
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