Image via Riot Games
A wide-ranging set of champions are getting stronger in patch 12.17 as the League of Legends developers poke and prod the game with the World Championship just one month away.
The professional meta is in a relatively exciting and stable place, which is perfect for the high-stakes domestic playoffs in full swing around the globe. But, half the fun of the lead-up to Worlds is how players at the highest level adapt to multiple League patches’ worth of changes in the month of September, and what champions and playstyles will make resurgences at the esport’s yearly competitive pinnacle.
Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, the lead designer on the League balance team, tweeted out the provisional list of changes on Monday evening.
Playoffs have been pretty exciting and we're happy with the state of things. For 12.17, adjusting a few of the outliers, not trying for big swings here, but just trying to tap down a few outliers and add a few situational picks back into the meta. See @TheTruexy for Hec/MF lists pic.twitter.com/8NaVRsiofY
— Matt Leung-Harrison (@RiotPhroxzon) August 29, 2022
Various champions that are receiving buffs of some kind in patch 12.17 have had notable moments in the sun in the League pro scene recently. Graves was a powerhouse in the carry jungle meta of Worlds 2020 and Twisted Fate reigned supreme as a playmaking mid laner for the better part of the last three years.
Champions with a higher degree of skill expression, or if nothing else a more entertaining playstyle to watch as a spectator, are always a welcome sight in this context in the run-up to a major tournament. Kassadin buffs could shake up a relatively stale mid lane meta in an exciting way, and Sett’s ability to be played in four different roles would give draft enjoyers a lot more to get their teeth sunk into.
While we don’t know for sure yet what patch Worlds 2022 will be played on, this expansive list of champions signals the Worlds patch is nigh.
Riot has said Rell is due for a rework, but it’s unlikely this set of changes will be that. Miss Fortune, one of the most high-priority picks at Worlds 2021, has already had the details of her above buffs revaled.
As far as champions and items under the “adjustments” umbrella, whether those changes will be net positives or negatives can be tough to say, but the Maokai PBE changes have been revealed, and they will likely be buffs, especially to top/jungle Maokai.
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