Here we go, League of Legends fans. The 2021 World Championship is right around the corner and Riot Games has finally outlined some of the big changes that will be hitting the game in Patch 11.19, including nerfs to a handful of champions.
Set as a follow-up to Patch 11.18, there will be one solo queue-focused nerf being sent out for Sona after the community was able to get a feel for her significant kit rework from 11.16. The Maven of the Strings has quickly become a go-to support champion for many players. She has a 54.5-percent win rate in ranks Platinum and higher with a play rate of 7.7 percent, according to champion.gg.
As for pro-facing champions like Ryze and Varus, they’ll also be getting hit with some nerfs ahead of Worlds. Before these changes, Varus has been the most played marksman champion in pro play across the globe, according to gol.gg.
His impact on the drafting phase can’t be ignored since he has a 64-percent pick-ban presence. Star AD carries like RNG’s GALA, DWG KIA’s Ghost, FunPlus Phoenix’s Lwx, and 100 Thieves’ FBI have the Arrow of Retribution as a priority pick in their champion pools, but that could change if the nerfs headed his way are drastic enough.
Ryze has also been a priority pick for many teams across the world since world-class mid laners are able to maximize his damage with well-timed combos and help their team with cross-map plays thanks to his Realm Warp ultimate ability. The Rune Mage has been the second-most picked champion in the mid lane globally, according to gol.gg. He’s a popular choice for players and teams with great map awareness and timing, such as 100 Thieves’ Abbedagge, DWG KIA’s ShowMaker, and T1’s Faker.
Riot will also buff 15 champions ahead of the tournament, which could help spice up the meta at the biggest League tournament of the year.
League Patch 11.19 will hit the live servers on Sept. 22, according to the game’s official patch schedule. Worlds 2021 is set to start on Oct. 5.
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