League of Legends: Summoner’s Rift Patch 9.21 notes breakdown

After Riot Games celebrated League of Legends’ 10th anniversary last week, it’s business as usual for the balance team as we head into our 21st patch notes of the year with Patch 9.21!

Yes Senna’s release, League of Legends on mobile and console, Teamfight Tactics on mobile, Legends of Runeterra, Project A, Project L, and Arcane are all very exciting! But, don’t forget to keep checking your fortnightly patch notes in all the hype, like Patch 9.21 this week!

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With the preseason patch on the horizon, it’s unsurprisingly a small patch this time around. 10 champions will receive small changes on Patch 9.21 which goes live tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23rd.

Here’s our breakdown of all the changes:

Champions

Garen

"E – Judgment Base Damage per Spin: 8/12/16/20/24 –> 4/8/12/16/20 Damage Ratio per Spin: 0-8.2 (levels 1-18) (+32/34/36/38/40% attack damage) (unchanged)"

A justified nerf to one of the most annoying champions in the current meta; whether paired up with a Yuumi or going alone in the top lane, Garen is an unbearable menace and this is represented by his 53.89% win rate on Patch 9.20.

The slightly lower base damage per spin on his E – Judgement should significantly reduce his kill pressure in the early game, as well as making a full tank Garen much weaker. While it may seem like a heavy nerf to a widely popular champion, the damage ratio has been left untouched, meaning all the bonus attack damage provided by Conqueror, Trinity Force, and Sterak’s Gage will still have the same effect on his E Damage.

All in all, this is a sensible approach to balancing a champion that’s been powerful for far too long now. Expect Garen to fall from the top one of the top lane tier list to the top five on Patch 9.21 as players adjust to these changes.

Kayn

"Q – Reaping Slash Damage: 60/80/100/120/140 –> 75/95/115/135/155 Rhaast Modified Damage: 0.5 total attack damage –> 0.55 total attack damage Bonus Damage to Monsters 55 –> 40"

Despite a relatively large pick rate (8.5%), Kayn is struggling to challenge the top junglers in solo queue at the moment. There are stronger skirmishers in the early game, and there are champions with better utility in the late game, leaving Kayn floundering in a semi-useless middle-ground state.

Not only will these changes increase his play rate, but they’ll go some way to allowing him to challenge some of the higher tier junglers throughout Patch 9.21. 15 extra damage on his Q – Reaping Slash, followed by even more modified damage when choosing Rhaast (the correct choice) late on, will have a large effect on Kayn’s early game fight power, as well as his damage in mid-game skirmishes.

Considering how many Qs Kayn players use in a fight, this change could be pretty significant. Will it result in Kayn dethroning the likes of Ekko, Kha’Zix, and Shaco at the top of the jungle tier list? Probably not. Will it lead to Kayn being a more viable pick in solo queue in certain situations? Definitely. Keep an eye on this change over the next few weeks!