League of Legends Patch 9.22 breakdown: Farewell Season 9!
The final patch of League of Legends Season 9 is finally upon us. Here’s our breakdown of every change heading to the Rift on Patch 9.22 this week!
It’s almost time to say goodbye to the ninth League of Legends season with pre-season on the horizon and our solo queue ranks just two weeks from being locked in forever. So, in preparation for a fortnight packed with last-minute grinding, the balance team has made one final attempt to straighten out the meta and create a more equal Summoner’s Rift for every champion.
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That doesn’t mean it’s not a short patch though. Just thirteen champions will receive changes on Patch 9.22 and very few are expected to make a huge impact on the state of the current meta.
One addition will definitely play it’s part though, and that’s the introduction of Senna, the Redeemer, to League of Legends on November 10th! Here’s our first look at Senna’s kit, and keep an eye out for further details on the new champion and guides on how to play her in solo queue.
Here’s our breakdown of the Patch 9.22 changes:
Ashe
"W – Volley Cost: 50 mana -> 70 mana"
An immobile, scaling AD Carry like Ashe should have trouble surviving through the early stages of the game, but that simply isn’t the case right now. A 54.23% win rate joined by an 18.3% pick rate would be worrying for any champion, and it’s about time Ashe saw some nerfs to bring her back to a balanced state.
This nerf probably won’t make a huge difference, however, and we may simply see her drop down a single tier in terms of ADCs. 20 extra mana per W used is annoying for Ashe players, but certainly isn’t the end of the world.
The Frost Archer will be forced to poke you less in the laning phase, and will have more trouble chasing you down in the mid-game, but otherwise, she’s the same old marksman we’ve become so used to seeing in the bottom lane. Plus, if you combine this small nerf with some other ADC nerfs coming later in the patch notes, maybe Ashe will become an even better choice on Patch 9.22.
Blitzcrank
"Q – Rocket Grab Base Damage: 80/135/190/245/300 -> 70/120/170/220/270"
Since his Rocket Grab range buff on patch 9.19, Blitzcrank has become a frequent visitor to the bottom lane in both pro play and solo queue. Similar to Ashe, Blitz boasts a high pick rate (12.6%) and win rate (52.56%) which normally means it’s time for a nerf.
Once again it’s a small nerf, targeted mainly at the early game, in order to rebalance a champion but not reduce its play rate to zero. Decreasing the damage of Rocket Grab means Blitz’s combo does slightly less damage and he can’t instantly blow you up after landing a Q, but his utility remains the same. He won’t dominate the bot lane quite as severely on Patch 9.22, but don’t expect him to disappear overnight.
Kai’Sa
"Q – Icathian Rain Non-Minion Multi-Hit Damage: 30% -> 25%"
Queen 1 of the bottom lane is seeing nerfs on Patch 9.22, targeted mainly at her late-game burst damage. Now her Q – Icathian Rain will do 5% less damage to enemy champions, which is pretty significant considering it’s one of her major damage tools. But, once again, it’s not significant enough to see her swept out of the meta, but will slightly reduce her 32.4% pick rate as players realize she’s a bit weaker.
Kalista
"W – Sentinel Bonus Damage on Marked Targets: 5/7.5/10/12.5/15% of target’s maximum health -> 10/12/14/16/18% of target’s maximum health Mark Duration: 3 seconds -> 4 seconds"
One of the few buffs of Patch 9.22, Kalista, the forgotten marksman, might finally return to the bottom lane! Kalista maxes W – Sentinel last, so it’s only really worth looking at the rank 1 difference for this change, which sees her max health damage on marked targets increased from 5% to 10%, a pretty huge buff.
Now, whenever Kalista and her support engage in the bottom lane, procing her W will hit pretty hard and more often than not result in a favorable trade or free kill. It’s about time the balance team did something about her atrocious 45.88% win rate!