Riot has unveiled what is in store for the next Legends of Runeterra (LOR) patch after the Patch 1.14 release. Patch 1.14 is upon us and it brings some of the biggest balance changes we’ve seen to date. Therefore, today in this article, we will go over the changes in Patch 1.14. Speaking of which, let’s begin with those changes!
Card Changes
Lucian (level 2)
A small but no doubt impactful buff to Lucian’s leveled up effect. This combined with some buffs we’ll be mentioning further on might bring back Demacia Shadow Isles decks that haven’t been doing too well for a while now.
Shyvana
Shyvana’s power goes to 4 from 3. This will help her level up faster and make her scarier on the curve.
Vladimir
Vladimir gets a reduction in the level up requirement, though truthfully this isn’t that impactful, as Vladimir’s level up requirement wasn’t that difficult to accomplish. Only damaging allies on his right is a big deal though. Being able to choose which allies get damaged ensures you don’t kill or damage allies that can’t afford it.
Trundle
Trundle gets a 1 health decrease. It was an incredibly difficult champion to get rid of for some decks so this should better even out the playing field. Ice Pillar is also getting a health reduction.
Ezreal
A straight-up reworks to Ezreal after having been killed off by the previous nerf! Leveling up Ezreal is now a lot easier but his level 2 form has lost pretty much all burst potential. Only dealing 1 to the enemy nexus instead of 2 might not seem like much, but it makes a big difference. It’ll be interesting to see how Ezreal decks will be played now as it’s clear they can’t be played the same way as before.
Jinx (level 2)
Same buff as Lucian. We can presume that now you will get a Super Mega Death Rocket as soon as Jinx levels up. Just like with Lucian this buff is very impactful despite not looking like it. Having to wait till the next turn to potentially get a Super Mega Death Rocket severely slowed Jinx decks. This change is a bit strange though, as discard aggro is quite strong currently.
Taric
Taric receives a 1 power buff. Poor Taric has had a hard time seeing the play, perhaps this could help him be a bigger threat once leveled as well as when played.
Tianna Crownguard and Wyrding Stones
A buff to Tianna and a nerf to Wyrding Stones. Tianna is a card that rarely sees play but is on the edge of it. A +1/+1 to her stats might be all she needed. Wyrding Stones has been consistently in the meta for the past few months so a small nerf was to be expected, especially with all the new ramp options Freljord has at its disposal.
Fuzzy Caretaker and Minah Swiftfoot
Support decks, especially Ionia ones, have fallen off the meta. A small rework to Fuzzy Caretaker might just help. Minah is a card that has essentially never seen play despite looking like a powerhouse. Giving her a +1/+1 and Quick Attack might finally put her on the radar.
Funsmith and Black Spear
More buffs to cards that never see a play! Black Spear getting buff helps Lucian and Kallista decks. Perhaps we’ll see this pair make a comeback. As for Funsmith, she has an interesting effect. Before she was horribly overpriced. Now at 4 mana she has a big chance to make it into the meta, if even only as a tier 3 deck.
Riptide Rex and Eclipse Dragon
Riptide Rex finally gets a nerf. Thankfully, despite the nerf being significant it’s unlikely to kill the card. Eclipse Dragon gets a big buff. A 7/7 dragon with Fury will make it a much bigger threat and not so easily removable.
New Lab: Hexperimentation 101
In this new Lab, you’ll get a choice of four experiments to craft a deck around.
- All Even: If all cards in your deck are even cost you gain Start of Round: Give all allies +1/+0.
- All Odd: If all cards in your deck are odd cost you gain Start of Round: Grant all allies +0/+1.
- No Followers: If your deck contains no followers (it can contain Champions), you gain: When you cast your second spell each round, create a follower in hand that costs less than or equal to your max mana.
- All Common: If your deck contains only common cards, you gain: From Round 7 onwards, Start of Round: Create a leveled up champion in hand.
Changes to Gauntlets
The next two weeks of Gauntlets will be Standard Best of Three. They are doing this in preparation for the first Seasonal Tournament in December. Riot games are also reducing the required wins for each Gauntlet to 4 and adjusting XP accordingly. Additionally, they are also adding an extra restriction, that being winning decks can’t be played again during the same match.
Friend Spectate
Finally, the first appearance of spectator mode! We are getting a rough incomplete version though. You’ll be able to use it in Friend Challenge, vs Player (Normal), vs AI, and Expeditions.
Metagame Snapshot
Lastly, we will touch on what’s known as the Metagame Snapshot. The developers have mentioned that they’d like to periodically share metagame data that they have with the goals being:
- Provide more visibility on the overall metagame framework within which we decide on balance changes.
- Highlight the variety of competitive strategies available to explore at any given time.
- Share some cool deck ideas!
This will be nice for people that enjoy analyzing and exploring the meta!
With this, we’ll conclude our Legends of Runeterra patch 1.14 breakdown. The balance changes are particularly exciting and so is the seasonal tournament which fast approaches. Good luck on the climb and on your Gauntlets!
Are you excited about the Legends of Runeterra Patch 1.14? Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below, We’ll make sure to reply to everyone.
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