League of Legends: Patch 9.3 breakdown – a return of crit ADCs

Critical Item Changes

[NEW] Cloak of Agility

"COST: 800 gold CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 20%"

This was eliminated back in Patch 8.11, but with the critical itemization changes, Riot’s adding it back here.

[UPDATED] Infinity Edge

"TOTAL COST: 3400 gold (unchanged) BUILD PATH: B.F. Sword + Pickaxe + 1225 gold ⇒ B.F. Sword + Pickaxe + Cloak of Agility + 425 gold ATTACK DAMAGE: 70 ⇒ 80 [NEW] CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 25% [REMOVED] CRIT CHANCE DOUBLER: No longer doubles critical strike chance [NEW] CRIT DAMAGE INCREASE: Now increases critical strike damage by 25% [REMOVED] TRUE DAMAGE CONVERSION: No longer converts 10% of critical strike damage to true damage"

Basically, a revert of what IE used to be but with more critical strike chance and crits do more damage. Other than that, it’s basically the same as before the Patch 8.11 changes.

[UPDATED] Essence Reaver

"TOTAL COST: 3000 gold ⇒ 3200 gold BUILD PATH: B.F. Sword + Caulfield’s Warhammer + Sapphire Crystal + 250 gold ⇒ Pickaxe + Caulfield’s Warhammer + Cloak of Agility + 425 gold ATTACK DAMAGE: 75 ⇒ 60 COOLDOWN REDUCTION: 20% (unchanged) [NEW] CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 25% [REMOVED] MANA: No longer grants 300 mana MANA REFUND: Basic attacks refund 1% ⇒ 1.5% missing mana [REMOVED] ESSENCE FLARE: Your next basic attack after casting your ultimate no longer grants Essence Flare for 6 seconds, granting 50% attack speed and 20% basic ability cooldown refund on basic attack"

Like with Infinity Edge, this is basically a revert to what the item was before Patch 8.11. As compared to the pre-8.11 version, Essence Reaver costs 200g less, has 10 less AD, 5% more crit chance, and the cooldown reduction is a flat 20% (it used to gain CDR based on critical strike chance).

[NEW] Spear of Shojin

"TOTAL COST: 3400 gold BUILD PATH: B.F. Sword + Kindlegem + Long Sword + 950 gold ATTACK DAMAGE: 60 HEALTH: 250 COOLDOWN REDUCTION: 20% AWAKENED DRAGON: Your next basic attack after casting your ultimate grants Awakened Dragon for 6 seconds, granting 50% attack speed and 20% basic ability cooldown refund on basic attack"

This is basically an alternative to Essence Reaver (it even took the reworked ER passive in Awakened Dragon). Instead of getting 25% crit chance, you’ll get 250 health, but the costs are the same. Probably a nice option for someone like Lucian or maybe Miss Fortune.

[UPDATED] Stormrazor

"TOTAL COST: 2800 gold ⇒ 3100 gold BUILD PATH: B.F. Sword + Long Sword + Long Sword + Dagger + 550 gold ⇒ B.F. Sword + Long Sword + Kircheis Shard + 850 gold ATTACK DAMAGE: 60 ⇒ 55 ATTACK SPEED: 35% ⇒ 25% [NEW] ENERGIZED: Movement and basic attacks generate Energized stacks. At 100 stacks, your next basic attack deals 65 bonus magic damage on-hit and slow the target by 40% decaying over 1 second [NEW] STORM: Your other Energized effects are 30% more effective and also slow their targets by 40% decaying over 1 second [REMOVED] STORM’S EDGE: No longer causes your next basic attack to critically strike for 140-200% (at 0-30% critical strike chance) and grant 20% bonus movement speed for 0.75 seconds after not basic attacking for a few seconds."

Stormrazor has been changed to spec more into crit-based AD Carries, giving more “effective” energized effects and a slow. Immediately, someone like Jinx who needs peel and builds items like Rapidfire Cannon, PD, and Shiv naturally feels good about this.

[UPDATED] Phantom Dancer

"TOTAL COST: 2700 gold ⇒ 2600 gold BUILD PATH: Dagger + Zeal + Dagger + 800 gold ⇒ Dagger + Brawler’s Gloves + Zeal + 700 gold (Zeal’s cost has decreased by 100 gold) ATTACK SPEED: 45% ⇒ 30% CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 30% ⇒ 25% [NEW] LIFELINE: If you would take damage that would reduce your health below 30%, gain a shield that absorbs up to 240-600 (scaling starts at level 9, ends at level 18) damage for 2 seconds (90 second cooldown) [REMOVED] LAMENT: No longer decreases damage taken from the last champion you basic attacked by 12% SPECTRAL WALTZ: Grants unit passthrough and 7% movement speed while within 550 range of a visible enemy champion ⇒ for 2 seconds after basic attacking a champion"

Oh hooray, an item that gives shields to AD Carries without having any help from a support. It’s also so cheap and a nice build path, and in a game where Shield Bash, Redemption, and Ardent Censer exists, I worry that we could be returning to that classic “protect the ADC and win” meta.

Kircheis Shard

"TOTAL COST: 800 gold ⇒ 600 gold"

Zeal

"TOTAL COST: 1300 gold ⇒ 1200 gold"

So in addition to these better itemization choices and a meta where laning phase lasts longer, ADCs will get their step-up items quicker.

Rapid Firecannon

"TOTAL COST: 2800 gold ⇒ 2600 gold CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 30% ⇒ 25%"

Runaan’s Hurricane

"TOTAL COST: 2800 gold ⇒ 2600 gold CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 30% ⇒ 25%"

Probably trading off 5% critical chance for a 200g discount is worth, especially when Infinity Edge is going to be so much more powerful.

Statikk Shiv

"TOTAL COST: 2800 gold ⇒ 2600 gold ATTACK SPEED: 35% ⇒ 40% CRITICAL STRIKE CHANCE: 30% ⇒ 25%"

Bringing the cost and crit chance in line with the other Zeal items, but they’re now making it even in terms of attack speed with Runaan’s and better than the others (PD and RFC both give 30% attack speed).

Last Whisper

"COST: 1300 gold ⇒ 1450 gold ATTACK DAMAGE: 10 ⇒ 20 ARMOR PENETRATION: 10% total armor penetration ⇒ 20% total armor penetration"

Straight making this item better, easier for AD Carries to kill tanks.

Lord Dominik’s Regards

"ATTACK DAMAGE: 40 ⇒ 45"

Mortal Reminder

"ATTACK DAMAGE: 40 ⇒ 45"

Giving more damage to both of these items that will be great at killing high-health tanks. Noticing a theme? Good lord AD Carries are loving their new lease on life in Patch 9.3.