The most OP champions are taking a hit, and some runes are getting changes.
Patch 14.17 is coming, bringing with it significant changes to various champions, items, and runes in League of Legends. Notably, Senna’s enchanter build have dominated solo queue, prompting devs to thrown down substantial nerfs.
On top of this, the dev team are also giving attention to other champs like Caitlyn and Graves, who need a bit of a boost in their kit to improve their playability.
The 14.17 preview was shared by Matthew “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison earlier this week (21 August). Here's the full preview:
Meanwhile, runes like Absorb Life and Fleet Footwork have been adjusted, impacting the way players approach their games. With all the upcoming changes previewed by the devs in 14.17, which ones matter the most? What does each change mean?
In this breakdown, we'll explore the key changes in Patch 14.17 and how they affect the current meta.
Rune Adjustments:
The rune adjustments, particularly to Fleet Footwork and Cut Down, will have a substantial impact on ADCs and champions reliant on early-game sustain and mobility. And with some changes to Fleet Footwork, expect to see a shift towards other runes like Conqueror or Lethal Tempo for champions who previously favoured the Fleet Footwork.
Absorb Life
Despite previous nerfs, Absorb Life continued to overperform. In this patch, its scaling has been toned down. From levels 1 to 5, you'll get 1-2 health back per kill; from levels 6 to 10, 3-7 health; and from levels 11 to 18, 9-23 health.
This adjustment aims to lessen the rune’s early-game power while maintaining its relevance in the late game.
Cut Down
Riot reworked Cut Down about a month ago, making it the choice rune for poke champs. However, devs are pulling back the rune's power for a bit.
Now, instead of requiring enemies to have 50% more health for the 8% damage boost, they need 60% more health. This makes Cut Down less potent in the early stages but still valuable against tanky opponents later in the game.
Fleet Footwork
The healing from Fleet Footwork has been reduced, now scaling from 5 to 100 (down from 5 to 120). The movement speed boost has also been nerfed, dropping from 20% for 1.25 seconds to 15% for 1 second. These changes particularly impact champions who rely on sustained mobility and healing in trades.
Item Adjustments
Celestial Opposition
The support item’s slow effect has been reduced from 60% for 2 seconds to 50% for 1.5 seconds. This nerf will decrease its impact in team fights, making it less oppressive when locking down opponents.
Warmog’s Armor
Warmog's Armor is getting another nerf in Patch 14.17, after the previous nerf didn't do much to deprioritise the item.
A significant change is the increase in Warmog’s Armor’s cost from 3100 to 3300 gold, coupled with a reduction in movement speed from 10% to 5%. This nerf will likely push Warmog’s out of the meta, especially in games where mobility and cost efficiency are crucial.
Champion Buffs and Nerfs
Caitlyn (Buff)
Caitlyn’s W cooldown has been reduced from 30-12 seconds to 26-10 seconds, with her attack speed ratio increased slightly. This change reinforces her role as a lane bully, allowing her to set up more traps and dish out consistent damage.
Graves (Buff)
Graves has seen his Q cooldown reduced from 13-7 seconds to 13-6 seconds, with the damage on his first shot (Q1) being increased. This boosts his burst potential, making him more threatening in skirmishes and early-game duels.
Kindred (Buff)
After being affected by Kraken Slayer nerfs, Kindred receives some much-needed love in this patch. Their Q attack speed is up from 30% to 35%, and E’s base damage and bonus AD ratio have both been increased, making them more viable as a jungle pick.
Other Champion buffs:
Lissandra, Ryze, Twisted Fate
The Mage-focused buffs in this patch are designed to enhance their specific roles: Lissandra is being positioned more as a utility-oriented Mage with stronger lane presence, Ryze is getting a boost due to his long absence from the meta and current underperformance compared to other mid laners, and Twisted Fate is receiving a consistent buff to his core strengths in hopes of bringing him back into the meta.
Varus
Changes to Varus are aimed at nerfing tank builds, however changes will benefit those who are building anything but tank Varus--so this is good news.
Senna (Nerf)
Senna’s rework and ultimate enchanter build has been a force to be reckoned with, prompting a series of nerfs to tone down her support power.
Her Q base heal has been reduced, and the AP ratios on both her Q and R have been lowered. This reduces her effectiveness as a hybrid healer-damage dealer, forcing players to reconsider their build paths and potentially revert to more traditional AD-focused builds.
Lillia (Nerf)
Lillia’s passive damage cap against monsters has been lowered, which will likely affect her jungle clear speed and overall dominance in the jungle. Despite previous nerfs, she remained an OP-tier jungler, and this adjustment may finally balance her power.
Other Champion nerfs:
LeBlanc's presence in the World’s meta would undoubtedly be impactful, yet she remains overwhelmingly strong in solo queue, particularly in Elite play. Her ban rates are notably high across all tiers, signaling a need for balance adjustments.
Aurora's currently too dominant in the meta despite all the nerfs, so Riot's bringing her power down a bit more.The effectiveness of her multi-champion ultimate casts is especially pronounced in higher skill brackets, necessitating a reduction in their potency to mitigate this skew.
Rumble and Kennen have maintained a level of strength that has made them consistent choices, particularly in countering AD champions in the mid lane. Minor adjustments are being made to decrease their dominance and provide more opportunities for other champions to thrive.
As one of the OP-tier supports, Seraphine is getting a nerf next patch: Seraphine’s W max build has been potent for some time, warranting a flattening of her power curve.
Finally, Sylas is getting a nerf to his AP Ratio from 70% to 60%.
With 14.17 only a few days away, it might be time to re-evaluate your builds and picks for the incoming changes so you're ahead of everyone on the Summoner's Rift.