With changes to over 30 champions, where do your favourite champions sit?
League of Legends has just released Patch 14.21, delivering buffs, nerfs, and adjustments to over 30 champions, and even more item and rune changes.
With the frequent updates in recent patches, keeping up with these changes is vital. Whether you’re a seasoned player or trying to stay on top of the evolving meta, understanding how these changes will shape the game is key.
This breakdown will cover the latest adjustments, focusing on how these changes affect each role's tier list.
Item and Rune Updates
The biggest item change is Lethal Tempo, which gets a buff and increases melee attack speed every stack from 5% to 6%.
Melee champions like Master Yi, Trundle, Warwick, Yone, and Tryndamere will gain more from this boost than ranged champions.
Blade of the Ruined King's health on-hit damage has been nerfed from 10% to 8% for melee and 6% to 5% for ranged champions. Champions that build the item like Vayne, Varus, and Bel'Veth will be affected by this nerf.
Mages and AP assassins may have less burst potential when Sorcere's Shoes' Magic Penetration drops from 15 to 12. With these adjustments, watch for Lucidity Boots to gain popularity, especially for specific mages, after these changes.
Here’s the champion Tier list for 14.21 and the changes to champions in each lane.
Top Lane
OP: Shen
- S - Nasus, Mordekaiser, Darius, Ornn, Urgot, Gwen, Kled, Illaoi, Tahm Kench, Malphite, Singed, Cho'Gath, Zac, Udyr, Cassiopeia, Warwick, Gragas, Kennen
- A - Camille, Volibear, Yorick, Sett, Fiora, Quinn, Ryze, Akshan, Rengar, Olaf, Sylas, Jax, Aatrox, Riven, Poppy, Trundle, Kayle, Gnar, Pantheon, Sion, Tryndamere, Dr. Mundo
- B - Garen, Wukong, Renekton, Jayce, Vayne, Aurora, Teemo, Vladimir, Gangplank, Yone, Karma, Heimerdinger, Irelia
- C - Rumble, K'sante, Yasuo, Skarner
- D - Akali, Varus, Smolder, Twisted Fate
Winners:
The only OP Tier champion in the top lane for this patch will be Shen, who remains the strongest pick in the last two patches. Malphite is also a reliable pick, especially after receiving small buffs to his base health.
Other strong picks are Mordekaiser, Darius, Ornn, Urgot, Gwen, Kled, Illaoi, Tahm Kench, Malphite, Singed, Cho'Gath, Zac, Udyr, Cassiopeia, Warwick, Gragas, Kennen. Several A-tier champions are also effective, but not as powerful, like Sett, Quinn, Fiora, Aatrox among others.
Kayle received a small buff, but the changes are minimal so she stays in the A-tier. This is the same for Gangplank who had his mana regen increased and E recharge time reduced. This makes him better at engaging, but he's not powerful enough to move up the ranks.
Losers
Nasus drops to S-tier, due to his lifesteal and Q-damage nerfs. Another champion that got hit hard with a nerf is Camille, with nerfs to her base health, W damage, and E scaling, pushing her down from OP status to the A tier. Other champions that dropped to A-tier are Volibear and Yorick.
Vayne is affected by the nerf of the Blade of the Ruined King, so her power should also scale back a little.
Jungle
OP: Nocturne, Jarvan IV, Kha’Zix
- S - Udyr, Viego, Elise, Taliyah, Nunu&Willump, Graves, Zac, Fiddlesticks, Gwen, Warwick, Volibear, Kayn
- A - Karthus, Amumu, Brand, Lee Sin, Shaco, Skarner, Bel'Veth, Evelyn, Master Yi, Xin Zhao, Kindred, Ekko, Poppy, Briar, Ivern, Lilia, Talon, Shyvana, Trundle, Rek'Sai. (20, 2 rows)
- B - Rammus, Rumble, Diana, Nidalee, Vi, Pantheon, Olaf, Sejuani, Gragas, Jax, , Hecarim, Wukong
- C- Rengar, Maokai, Zed
- D - Qiyana, Zyra, Sylas
Winners:
The most powerful kings in the jungle include Jarvan IV, Nocturne, and Kha’Zix who all sit in OP tier. Meanwhile, Udyr gets bumped up to S-tier.
Champions who build Lethal tempo like Warwick, Master Yi, and Trundle.
Losers:
Viego has received significant nerfs this patch and because of that, drops to S-tier from OP tier.
Devs have taken notice of Elise, who had “quickly risen the ranks” in the last few patches, her Armor Growth had been decreased. She doesn’t drop from S-tier but don’t expect her to be as tanky.
Mid lane
OP: Sylas, Ahri, Vex
- S - Hwei, Aurelion Sol, Taliyah, Syndra, Anivia, Vel'Koz, Lux, Xerath, Lissandra, Diana, Galio, Annie, Cassiopeia, Swain, Neeko, Naafiri
- A - Nasus, Talon, Kassadin, LeBlanc, Malzahar, Malphite, Ryze, Orianna, Veigar, Akshan, Ekko, Viktor, Aurora, Zoe
- B - Yasuo, Yone, Fizz, Karma, Jayce, Katarina, Zed, Pantheon, Twisted Fate, Heimerdinger, Ziggs, Brand, Irelia, Qiyana
- C - Rumble, Azir, Smolder, Corki
- D - Zeri, Tristana, Lucian, Ezreal
Winners:
After all the buffs and nerfs to items and champions, Sylas, Ahri, and Vex all come out on top as OP-tier pick. Interestingly enough, both Sylas and Ahri are much-contested picks at Worlds as well with pro players leaning on the utility and magic damage of both of these champions.
Meanwhile, Talon’s buffs to his W have bumped him up to A-tier. Azir receives a small buff—and although this doesn’t get him out of C-tier, the buffs to his Health Regen and AD should make it feel better to pick him in the mid lane.
Losers:
Aurelion Sol drops from OP-tier to S-tier after significant nerfs to his base health and E damage. Aside from Aurelion Sol, Nasus and Kassadin, who both received nerfs, drop to A-tier, while the brothers Yasuo and Yone dropped to B, with Yone receiving significant nerfs.
Bottom lane
OP: NIlah
- S- Kog'maw, Jhin, Caitlyn, Ashe, Jinx, Draven, Lux, Karthus, Hwei, Seraphine, Ziggs, Brand
- A - Kai'sa, Samira, Xayah, Miss Fortune, Lucian, Veigar, Swain, Vayne
- B- Tristana, Twitch, Ezreal, Yasuo, Varus, Aphelios, Sivir
- C - Kalista, Zeri, Smolder
Winners:
Nilah shines as the sole ADC in OP tier, thanks to the Collector buff. Meanwhile, on S-tier, Jhin and Caitlyn both get bumped up from A-tier due to item changes.
Another winner is Tristana, who finally left C-D tier jail, having benefitted from the Collector buffs.
Losers:
Kog’maw, Twitch, and Kalista are all affected by the Blade of the Ruined King nerfs, so their relative power will decrease this patch, with Kog’maw dropping to S-tier, Twitch to B-tier, and Kalista dropping to C. Kai’sa also received some significant nerfs this patch, with her passive damage decreased, dropping her to A-tier.
Support
OP: Senna, Lulu
- S- Poppy, Braum, Xerath, Rell, Milio, Janna, Nami, Thresh, Pyke, Vel'koz, Taric, Sona
- A- Morgana, Leona, Soraka, Galio, Shen, LeBlanc, Shaco, Blitzcrank, Amumu, Bard, Zilean, Zyra, Lux, Neeko, Zac, Seraphine, Tahm Kench
- B- Maokai, Alistar, Nautilus, Hwei, Sylas, Brand, Camille, Heimerdinger, Swain, Renata Glasc, Yuumi, Pantheon, Teemo, Rakan.
- C- Ashe, Twitch, Malphite
No major support champions were directly buffed or nerfed in this patch, but system changes around bounties will indirectly affect the way support players think about kills and assists. Since bounties are now based on gold earned instead of kill streaks, supports might become more valuable targets depending on their participation in kills.
Keep an eye on how the meta evolves and adjust your champion picks accordingly, as some long-time power picks may find themselves falling behind in this new patch. For the full patch notes, click here.