Two of League of Legends most popular champions are getting hit by the nerf hammer later this month.
League lead gameplay designer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter previewed Patch 10.15 today, showcasing the tentative nerf list for next week. Aphelios and Lee Sin caught the attention of pro players and Riot devs alike, leading to some tweaks in the upcoming patch.
The patch preview explains that Aphelios’ “spin up” time to his turret will be nerfed, making it take longer before it can start shooting. The Crescendum Sentry attacks enemies that get close, similar to Heimerdinger’s turrets. It helps the AD carry pull off some oppressive combinations, however. This tweak should allow for more counterplay from enemies, especially during the laning phase.
Aphelios has proven difficult for Riot to balance since his release. The champion has been nerfed in nearly every patch and that trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
The Blind Monk will get some of his power stripped, too. It’s unclear exactly what the nerfs will be, but Lee Sin hasn’t received any direct changes since Patch 9.18. The jungler’s win rate in solo queue is subpar and hovers around 47 percent in Platinum rank or higher for the current patch, according to Champion.gg. But his prevalence in pro play can’t be ignored, especially since Lee gets exponentially better in the right hands.
Riot might target the cooldown of his Safeguard (W) or take away some of his early presence by nerfing the base damage on his abilities.
Ornn, tank Fiddlesticks, Twisted Fate, and Thresh are also on the nerf list for Patch 10.15.
The patch preview is tentative and liable to change before hitting the live servers.
