League of Legends Patch 14.14 is looming on the horizon, and with it comes a wave of changes designed to shake up the current meta. Based on the latest previews from the Public Beta Environment (PBE), let’s delve deeper into what players can expect:
Teleport: A Strategic Shift
The ubiquitous summoner spell, Teleport, has long been a cornerstone of professional play and high-level solo queue. Its ability to rapidly respond to ganks, secure objectives, and create cross-map pressure has made it a dominant strategic tool. However, Riot Games appears to be targeting Teleport’s early game dominance, particularly in the bot lane.
Potential Changes:
While the specific details remain under wraps on the PBE, rumors suggest several possible adjustments:
- Increased Channel Time: Making the Teleport channel longer in the early game could open windows for enemy champions to capitalize and punish the teleporting player.
- Reduced Vision During Channel: Limiting the vision granted during the Teleport channel could make it riskier to use offensively in the early stages of the game.
- Increased Mana Cost: Raising the mana cost, especially at lower levels, could force players to be more strategic about when to utilize Teleport.
These potential changes aim to make early Teleport plays more calculated and risky. Teams might need to invest more resources, like wards or vision control tools, to ensure safe teleports in the early game. This could lead to a shift in the bot lane meta, potentially favoring champions with strong laning presence and self-sufficiency.
Aphelios: A Buffed Moon Rises
Aphelios, the Lunar Weapon Master, has struggled to find his footing in recent patches. His complex weapon rotation and reliance on specific weapon combinations haven’t yielded consistent results. To address this, Riot is planning buffs for Aphelios in Patch 14.14.
Details Under Scrutiny:
The exact nature of the buffs has yet to be finalized on the PBE, but speculations point towards potential adjustments in these areas:
- Base Stat Buffs: Minor increases to Aphelios’ base health or attack damage could improve his early game survivability and laning phase presence.
- Weapon Rotation Enhancements: Streamlining certain weapon rotations or reducing the downtime between specific weapon combinations could enhance Aphelios’ overall DPS (damage per second) potential.
- Ability Scaling Tweaks: Adjustments to the scaling of his abilities with Ability Power (AP) or Attack Damage (AD) could offer more build flexibility and reward skilled play with specific weapon combinations.
These potential buffs aim to make Aphelios a more viable pick in the current meta. However, the complexity of his kit will likely still favor skilled players who can master his weapon rotations and maximize his potential.
Tristana: A Slight Tune-Down
Tristana, the Yordle gunner, has become a dominant force in the bot lane. Her strong laning phase, reliable self-peel, and explosive late-game damage have made her a popular pick at all levels of play. However, Riot seems poised to slightly adjust Tristana’s power to ensure a more balanced bot lane meta.
Potential Nerfs:
Though specific details are still under testing, potential nerfs could target:
- Base Stat Adjustments: Minor reductions to Tristana’s base attack damage or attack speed could impact her early game dominance.
- Scaling Tweaks: Scaling down the damage or utility of her abilities, like Explosive Charge (Q) or Rocket Jump (W), might affect her ability to snowball out of control in the late game.
These potential nerfs aim to bring Tristana in line with other bot lane carries without completely removing her from the meta. Players might need to focus on more strategic positioning and maximizing their itemization to maintain Tristana’s effectiveness.
Beyond the Big Three
While Teleport, Aphelios, and Tristana are the most prominent changes on the PBE, Patch 14.14 likely extends beyond these adjustments. Expect item balance changes that could impact the power level of certain items and champion tweaks beyond the three mentioned here.
A Patch in Progress
It’s important to remember that these are all previews based on the PBE. As with any PBE cycle, changes and adjustments can occur before the official patch release. Keep an eye out for the official patch notes closer to the release date for a comprehensive breakdown of all the changes coming to League of Legends in Patch 14.14.
This detailed breakdown provides a deeper understanding of the potential changes coming in Patch 14.14, allowing players to start strategizing and adapting their playstyles accordingly.