Blitzcrank is one of the most-iconic champions in League of Legends, known for his straightforward gameplay and easy-to-learn kit. He is primarily found in the bottom lane as a support, but for some people, the Giant Steam Golem could fill in as a unique jungler pick—until today, that is.
Riot Games has made a slew of changes to Blitzcrank on League’s PBE, including nerfs to his base attack speed and the bonus attack speed he gets from his W ability, Overdrive. He won’t deal on-hit damage with his W either, and his Power Fist’s bonus damage to monsters and minions has also been removed.
Before the changes, Blitzcrank had found a niche home as a jungler for some players who looked for some extra spice in their champion pools, especially in normal games where summoners can experiment with different combinations to see how viable they can be in today’s meta.
By introducing these changes, this new role is being removed from Blitzcrank’s reach, much to the chagrin of some players. Although it might not be as strong as other true jungle picks, the champ’s ability to find and pick out individual opponents can be extremely strong when ganking in the early game, and his late-game potential for a game-winning grab was always high.
Related: Here are the LoL Patch 13.16 notes
Sometimes, champions are only meant to play in certain roles, and Blitzcrank has effectively been relegated to support duty for the time being. Granted, there are plenty of other champions who fulfill similar roles to Blitzcrank, like Nautilus and Thresh, who also provide great catch, tankiness, and utility.
Some fans might be disappointed to see another niche build phased out by the developers, especially since the build path is relatively rare in ranked playlists. For those who play Blitzcrank as a support, however, these changes are pretty decent. He’s gaining a bit more durability and lowered mana costs for both his Overdrive and Power Fist, which should enable players to get a bit more aggressive in lane.
League Patch 13.17 is scheduled to drop on Wednesday, Aug. 30.
