As we are slowly familiarizing ourselves with the Syndra mid-scope changes and experimenting with AP builds on champions like Twitch and Kai’Sa once again, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, Riot’s lead balance designer, has already started spreading the word on the latest buffs and nerfs coming to League of Legends with Patch 12.20.
According to his tweet, the balance team will focus on nerfing the dominant pro play picks. So, it’s no wonder Sett, Maokai, and Aatrox made the list. Other than the usual champion nerfs, Riot will once again nerf Lethal Tempo and Iceborn Gauntlet.
The exact nerfs are still a mystery, but it’s safe to assume that Sett, Maokai, and Aatrox will get nerfs across the board to drastically decrease their early-game prowess, lane safety, and damage. Riot will probably particularly target Aatrox since he has 100 presence during both the play-in stage and the group stage. Maokai has, anyway, been due for nerfs after his update, largely because the champion currently has no weaknesses and is easily a strong pick into almost any matchup.
Related: Rammus is the big winner among the champions buffed in League Patch 12.20
When speaking of system nerfs, Lethal Tempo and Iceborn Gauntlet are getting targeted because of hyperscaling abusers like Bel’Veth that stack attack speed together with defensive stats and eventually become tentacle monsters that run you down without taking damage. To reduce this abuse and incentivize carries to build once again carry items, the balance changes are targeting this broken combo.
