Karma has had a bit of a tumultuous history in League of Legends. She’s seen some time in the jungle, as a tanky top laner, and, of course, she’s seen some time as a very powerful enchanter support, which is what she was designed to do.
As it so happens, we’re in another one of those times. Except, thanks to Patch 9.12, she isn’t just strong in one weird build or role—she’s a monster in three of them. Top lane, mid lane, and support. But how exactly did that happen? Was it really just Patch 9.12? Truth be told, the answer’s a little complicated.
Simple change
Riot released Patch 9.12 on June 12, and the official patch notes dropped the day before. There was a small section in the notes labeled “Simple Champion Changes,” and that’s where Karma’s buff was tucked away.
“We’re giving Karma more tools to help her survive, especially when she’s caught out by herself,” Riot said in her section.
The “more tools” in question were two buffs: A 10 percent buff to the slow on her Q, and a second-long duration boost to the speed on her E. Her E’s buff was coupled with a nerf to its mana cost, but ultimately, the full second boost outweighed it. Fairly simple and straightforward changes, sure, but they were apparently enough to propel her to incredible heights as a triple-lane flex pick threat.
Her winrate and pickrate skyrocketed from a measly 40 to 44 in each of the three roles to being anywhere from fourth-best to the absolute best, depending on the role, according to League stats site OP.gg.
Sleeper OP
A 10 percent slow and one more second of speed seems a little too small to result in such a massive, massive hike in power.
She can play as a tank, a mage, or a support in a number of roles and play them all super well. Her results can’t be argued with. She’s incredibly popular and incredibly successful, and her transition to that from being overwhelmingly subpar happened seemingly overnight. As these things sometimes go in League, there was a little more at play here than just one Simple Champion Change.
Karma was what us g4m3rs call a sleeper OP champion. If a tiny buff like that seems too small to have the effect that it had on her, that’s because it was actually too small. The buff served as a spotlight of sorts, pointing anyone who read the patch notes at her to realize that she was actually already pretty strong before the buffs hit. Sure, she wasn’t being played in three roles at once, but she was still one of the 10 most popular champions in the support role.
In other words, the buff was sort of overkill. A pretty darn effective champion was taken and given a safety net. The risk of playing her is extremely low, and she has way too many tools in her arsenal now.
Luckily, this week’s Patch 9.13 knocked her down a small peg, but it’s not likely going to pull her out of any of these three positions. Her E, Inspire, lost one second from its movement speed boost, taking it down to 1.5 seconds. But that extra second should remain on the empowered version—the patch notes didn’t mention it whatsoever.
The situation is a bit controversial, too. Briefly after Pyke became a strong pick in the top lane, Riot gutted his wave clear to send him back to support. No such heavy-handed nerf has been brought to Karma.
