League of Legends Patch 9.18 notes breakdown – Teamfight Tactics edition

Tier 2

"Pyke Starting Mana: 75 -> 50"

Pyke needed a nerf, for sure, so preventing him from getting to that first ult makes sense. I think he’ll still be a good piece, just not quite as good.

"Twisted Fate Health: 450 -> 500 Blue Card Mana: 20/35/50 -> 30/50/70"

One of the worst Tier 2 units in Teamfight Tactics, TF needed a buff and he got one in a big way. This really helps himself, but also could push early game Sorcerers (him, Ahri, and Lulu) towards being a much stronger strategy.

Tier 3

"Evelynn Execute threshold: 65% -> 50% Execute multiplier: 3/5/7 -> 3/4/5"

Makes sense for Evelynn to get nerfed, given how incredibly strong she was in the mid game stage. I’m not sure if this will be an over-nerf, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.

"Katarina Mana: 0/100 -> 0/85"

The worst Tier 3 unit in Teamfight Tactics, Kat needed buffs. This will get her to that ult quicker and also makes building Seraph’s on her potentially a more attractive option.

Tier 4

"Akali Ability Damage: 150/275/400 -> 200/350/500"

I think Akali was scary underrated last patch and this is just going to make her even more terrifying. 75 bonus damage at 2-star is huge and she could return to being that monster late game carry again.

Tier 5

"Anivia Ability Duration: 800 damage over 8sec -> 800 damage over 6sec"

Good change. Anivia wasn’t massively weak, but her ability was somewhat underwhelming. Making it do more damage per second, but over less time, is a good way to make the ult feel more impactful.

"Pantheon Health: 1000 -> 850 Attack Damage: 80 -> 75"

Pantheon having 1000 health was absolutely absurd. For context, this was more health than Sejuani, Poppy, or Leona, while having more AD than any of them.

Items

"BF Sword Attack Damage: 20 -> 15"

BF Sword is an underrated item component. Other than Recurve Bow and maybe NLR (for comps based around ults), this should be your go-to item in early carousels.

"Frozen Heart Debuff duration: 2.875sec -> 4sec"

This item was trash, so a big buff makes sense. Especially if attack speed-based units become more prominent as I suspect they may be.

"Locket of the Iron Solari Shield amount: 250 for 6 seconds -> 300 for 7 seconds"

The shield now has the same strength it did back in Patch 9.14 when it was OP status. Get ready for the Locket meta to return to Teamfight Tactics.

"Swordbreaker Chance to disarm: 25% chance to disarm for 4 seconds -> 33% chance to disarm for 3 seconds"

Even though Swordbreaker was good in 9.17, I’m fine with it getting a buff (ultimately the increased chance for it to work outweighs the time it lasts since you’ll usually be able to kill the enemy attacking you in three seconds or refresh the disarm) because, again, attack speed units could be strong now.

"Zephyr Banish duration: 5 seconds -> 6 seconds"

This always feels like a “well I guess” item in Teamfight Tactics. The use can be impactful but it doesn’t always feel good. You really just build it if you have a Negatron Cloak and Giant’s Belt leftover and won’t be able to roll them into another, better, item.