League of Legends Worlds is finally upon us, as we enter the final patch cycle before the world championship kicks off at the end of this month. Now, balance lead Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison has taken to Twitter to share what we can expect to see on the final pre-Worlds patch with the League of Legends patch 12.18 preview.
While last year’s Worlds patches sought to completely uproot the competitive meta, Riot seems to be taking a more conservative approach this time around. “Most champions are only receiving small nudges,” Phroxzon says, “especially if we suspect recent changes have overshot. We’ve made a significant number of changes since the playoff patches, so we don’t want to completely upend the meta.”
This time only Ashe, Lee Sin, Nasus, and Thresh will be receiving buffs. While we don’t know the full extent of the changes just yet, many are hoping that fan-favourite champion Nasus will not only be a more viable option in the LoL ranks – especially considering his paltry win rate right now – but could be squeezed into a LoL Worlds composition.
On the flipside, Hecarim, Kalista, Kayn’s Rhaast form, Lulu, Miss Fortune, and Nocturne are all set to be nerfed.
Meanwhile, at the miscellaneous end of the patch, Maokai will be getting a role adjustment, possibly shifting some of his power towards the jungle as some on the Maokai mains subreddit have surmised
Finally, Udyr is having his build path tweaked, as Riot seemingly looks to shift The Spirit Walker away from the Sunfire Aegis and Demonic Embrace core combination that makes him a deadly-yet-tanky force.