A new year means a new season of League of Legends, complete with a variety of changes aimed at giving players a smooth transition from the preseason into the ranked grind.
Riot Phlox, designer on League’s Summoner’s Rift team, provided fans with the Patch 13.1 overview, containing a plethora of changes to many of the game’s systems, including buffs to champions that have either fallen out of or jumped to the front of the meta, as well as some new life breathed into an old favorite. This patch is expected to go live on Tuesday, Jan. 10, alongside the start of the new ranked season.
Jayce and Lissandra headline what are only a handful of buffs coming to champions in this first patch of the year. Though not particularly popular champions outside of certain counter-matchups and professional play, both Jayce and Lissandra have lost further priority after changes to items during the preseason. They’ll be accompanied by buffs to Sion and Shaco, particularly in his AD-centric builds.
Read: League Patch 13.1 patch notes: all buffs, nerfs, and changes
The Jax mid-scope update will also be launching in Patch 13.1, notably changing his ultimate completely from a simple passive self-buff to a more active ability. While not all of his regular abilities are being changed, the ones that are are receiving changes to their multipliers.
Since the start of preseason and the dominance of tanks, players have felt mages have been overlooked and their item variety diminished greatly in favor of similar builds in each game. In an attempt to leverage frustrations, Horizon Focus and the new Mythic item Rod of Ages are being buffed, though no specifics have yet been provided. Seraph’s Embrace is receiving ample adjustments.
The other items being buffed include Axiom Arc and Winter’s Approach, while Jak’Sho, The Protean is listed as receiving adjustments. This item in particular has enabled numerous fighter champions to flourish, with Phlox noting these changes are aimed at making the item “less valuable” on this class of champions.
More information on the buffs in this patch preview are expected to reveal tomorrow, while the changes themselves will be made available on League’s PBE this week. Patch 13.1, marking the start of the new ranked season, will release on Jan. 10.
