LS has dubbed League of Legends Patch 13.8, the last one heading into the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, the “most useless MSI patch ever” in a scathing YouTube video on April 19. The reason, according to the popular content creator, is there is a lack of competitive balance changes, which he feels is an absolute joke.
The patch buffed ten heroes, including Ezreal, Garen, Janna, Kha’zix, Kog’Maw, Leona, Lillia, Nidalee, Poppy, and Zoe, and nerfed four: Aurelion Sol, Jarvan IV, Malphite, and Rakan. It also only changed one item, Cosmic Drive. What’s more, none of these changes were particularly drastic. For that reason, LS is convinced the new League patch will do little to shake things up heading into MSI and he wasn’t impressed.
“This patch is useless. If you want to talk about the biggest joke of a patch that we have had in I don’t even know how long, it’s this one,” he said after breaking it down. The streaming analyst went on to describe it as nothing more than a placebo in the sense that it creates the illusion of change, but doesn’t really change anything major.
It further compounded the disappointment he already felt heading into MSI due to Patch 13.6. When it was released on March 15, LS said it failed to change the “stale and stagnant and depressive” meta that had largely been the same for four months.
All these factors, he said, have left the meta as “extremely depressing.”
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LS might be convinced it’s one of the worst pre-MSI patches ever, but League fans are more optimistic about it, at least with how it will impact games.
Jarvan IV’s nerf, Garen’s buff, and Nidalee’s boosts were the standouts. Jarvan IV’s attack damage growth and Q damage were reduced, making him easier to deal with. Meanwhile, Garen’s attack damage and armor were hiked up, and Nidalee’s base armor and armor growth was buffed, making them more formidable.
It won’t change much heading into MSI 2023, though, which kicks off on May 2. The event will still be a grand spectacle, but LS feels like it was the perfect opportunity for Riot to create a new meta, and they failed to deliver.
His hopes will now turn to League Patch 13.9, which lands on May 3.
