Every so often in League of Legends, an item or champion receives buffs that, while they may not appear substantial in the patch notes, end up completely shifting the meta for a handful of weeks. This time around, the crown prince of Demacia is enjoying his reign over Summoner’s Rift thanks to an item that just recently returned to the game this season.
In an attempt to make Spear of Shojin a “solid middleweight fighter item” in Patch 13.17, Riot Games unintentionally made the item one of the strongest options for most melee champions—in particular leading to the dominant return of Jarvan IV in the jungle. This has led to a meteoric rise in nearly all of the champion’s statistics, including a 53-percent win rate, near 20-percent pick rate, and a massive spike to a 31-percent ban rate, according to data collected from OP.GG, U.GG, and champion.gg.
The buffs to Spear of Shojin, which just recently made its return alongside the massive item overhaul during the 2023 midseason, included an increase to its base health at the cost of base damage. Additionally, the base ability haste per attack damage was doubled for both melee and ranged champions while having the factored-in AD ratio halved. This has turned the item into an important rush immediately after purchasing a Mythic item as the stats it now provides during the early game can turn some of the most roam-heavy champions into more powerful snowballing machines.
Outside of Spear of Shojin, Jarvan IV has also been heavily enjoying the buffs to his ideal Mythic item, Goredrinker, that were released in Patch 13.17 too. With both items now granting the Exemplar of Demacia nearly 300 additional health for free, on top of the innate durability he has with his abilities and best-in-slot Conqueror keystone, Jarvan IV has grown into not only one of the most heavy-hitting champions but one whose sustain remains unmatched by nearly any other champion in the cast.
Unfortunately, Jarvan IV’s presence is expected to be hindered in some capacity thanks to the previously-announced nerfs targeting the champion in the upcoming Patch 13.18, expected to release on Sept. 13. Spear of Shojin is also being tuned down slightly by offering slightly less base attack damage, though the early-game ability haste it provides is certain to continue making it a powerful purchase.
Should Jarvan IV and Spear of Shojin prevail through these nerfs, it is more than likely that players will see the champion in further iterations of patch notes in the near future—possibly even seeing the Demacian royalty leave a lasting impression on this year’s World Championship.
