League of Legends Patch 9.16 breakdown – Summoner’s Rift edition

Tahm Kench

"Base Stats Movement Speed: 345 –> 335. E – Thick Skin Shield Duration: 3 seconds –> 2 seconds."

Tahm Kench is an annoying support that makes it impossible to burst down an enemy carry with very little counter play. Reducing his E’s shield duration is a great method to punish him, instead of being unable to kill him due to the annoying Thick Skin mechanic.

Now, while his bottom lane partners may be safe, he is not, and is liable to be burst down and shut down as soon as his shield pops with a 1 second duration nerf.

Yuumi

"Q – Prowling Projectile Empowered Damage: 50/95/140/185/230/275 –> 50/85/120/155/190/225. Slow: 40/48/56/64/72/80% –> 20/32/44/56/68/80%. Slow Duration: 1.25/1.35/1.45/1.55/1.65/1.75 seconds –> 1.5 seconds. Cooldown: 11/10/9/8/7/6 seconds –> 13.5/12/10.5/9/7.5/6 seconds."

Yuumi should be a shield and heal bot, not a champion that can deal consistent damage and slows both in lane and in the late game. In all forms, this nerf reduces how annoying her Q – Prowling Projectile is, in terms of both damage, slow, and cooldown. Now you won’t be permanently on the look out for an ability with a huge range that could lead to your demise purely due to its crippling slow.

Ziggs

"W – Satchel Charge Ratio: 0.35 Ability Power –> 0.5 Ability Power. Cooldown: 24/21/18/15/12 seconds –> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds. R – Mega Inferno Bomb Cooldown: 120/105/90 seconds –> 120/95/70 seconds."

Ziggs currently sits at a 49.74% win rate, is invisible in pro play, and is hardly one of the more prioritised mid laners on recent patches. Buffs to both his W – Satchel Charge and R – Mega Inferno Bomb could see an increase in Ziggs’ pick rate and win rate on Patch 9.16 and could even have pro mid laners considering the Hexplosives Expert over the coming weeks.

These buffs increase Ziggs’ trading power from his W, as well as opening up more opportunities for picks and teamfights with the cooldown reduction on his ultimate.

Runes

"Biscuit Delivery Biscuits Delivered: 4 –> 3. Delivery Interval: 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, 12:00 –> 2:00, 4:00, 6:00. Health per Biscuit: 15% of missing health –> 10% of missing health. Health per Biscuit (Manaless Champions): 20% of missing health –> 12% of missing health. Mana per Biscuit: 15% of missing mana –> 10% of missing mana. Healing Duration: 15 seconds –> 5 seconds. Permanent Maximum Mana Increase: 40 mana per biscuit consumption –> 50 mana per biscuit consumption."

Nerfs all around for Biscuit Delivery and deservedly so. This rune has become a staple on every Inspiration secondary user due to the sustain provided in lane and the fact that it doesn’t take up an important inventory space early in the game.

These nerfs make the biscuits a lot less reliable and versatile, but we’ll still see them used for the majority of the time. But, it opens up the chance for players to look for alternatives, be it in different trees, or just different Inspiration options.

That does it for our Patch 9.16 breakdown! What was your favourite change? Is there anything missing in your opinion? Let us know in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter!