League of Legends Patch 9.2 Breakdown
The latest set of changes is finally coming our way. It is so big that we’re not going to waste much time and will instead immediately jump into our League of Legends patch 9.2 breakdown! If you’re not into long patch notes, you can always use CTRL+F (or Command+F if you’re a Mac user) and search for the champions/runes/items of interest.
A patch this big is something you’d expect for the preseason period, but for reasons unknown, Riot decided to switch things up and release this one on the verge of the latest ranked season. You might want to wait for things to settle down meta-wise before doing your placements.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty!
Champion Release
Sylas
The latest addition to the huge League of Legends champion pool is Sylas, the Unshackled! He’ll become available sometime during patch 9.2, and you can check our comprehensive breakdown here.
Nerfs
Aatrox
Aatrox is still as strong and impactful as ever, so Riot is nerfing the AD ratio on his Q “The Darkin Blade,” paired with the full combo base damage and full combo damage ratio.
They’re also increasing the recharge time for his E “Umbral Dash” (from 24/20/16/12/8 to 26/22/18/14/10 seconds).
Brand
Brand deals a bit too much damage (in general), so Riot is lowering the damage per stack on his passive “Blaze” from 4% of target’s max health to 3%. Not exactly a monumental change, but it should tone down his strength a bit.
Cassiopeia
Patch 9.2 brings a nerf to Cassio’s W “Miasma.” Its cooldown is getting a bit longer when maxed out (from 18/17/16/15/14 to 18/17.5/17/16.5/16 seconds), while its damage per second (from 20/35/50/65/80 to 20/30/40/50/60) and maximum damage (from 100/175/250/325/400 to 100/150/200/250/300 damage) are getting gutted.
Galio
The stone clad protector deals way too much damage right now. To counter this, Riot is decreasing the damage and AP ratio on his Q “Winds of War,” while also increasing its mana cost both early and especially in the late game. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re also decreasing the damage on his E “Justice Punch.”
Irelia
The Blade Dancer’s ability kit is quite overloaded, making her a go-to pick regardless of team comp. She’s incredibly potent in both competitive and solo queue, so Riot is removing/nerfing certain aspects of her kit that don’t play an integral part in her identity as a champion.
Jax
Jax is incredibly strong when the late game kicks in, so Riot is nerfing his base attack damage (from 69.97 to 68) while also decreasing the damage on his Q “Leap Strike” (from 80/120/160/200/240 to 65/105/145/185/225).
Kassadin
Kassadin’s base armor (from 23.376 to 19) and armor growth (3.2 to 2.8) will go down in patch 9.2, making him more vulnerable to non-mage match-ups in the mid lane.
Neeko
Riot is buffing Neeko’s clone bait potential by increasing the clone (and haste) duration from 2 seconds to 3, while also trimming excess strength from her ultimate “Pop Blossom.” It will no longer slow enemies in its radius and the jump time is getting lowered (from 0.75 seconds to 0.6).
In the end, these changes should make her a bit stronger and tougher to catch overall, but noticeably weaker when teamfights break out.
Rakan
Riot wants to make Rakan’s split-second engage a bit less frightening and potent, so they’re decreasing the dash speed on his W “Grand Entrance.” The speed increase he got due to his ultimate was far too great, and it would not only leave his targets CC’d for long periods of time, but it would also enable his teammates to dish out tons of follow-up damage.
Tahm Kench
Allies in combat with an opposing champion will no longer be able to click on Tahm when he’s casting his ultimate.
Urgot
Urgot is basically too strong right now and is a priority pick, especially in competitive play. Riot is nerfing his base armor (from 39 to 36), increasing the mana cost of his Q “Corrosive Charge” (from 50 mana to 60), and heavily increasing the cooldown of his W “Purge” at early levels (13/12/11/10/9 seconds to 17/15/13/11/9).
Zyra
Riot is nerfing Zyra’s base mana regen from 15.335 per 5 seconds to 13 per 5 seconds. This should make Zyra players a bit more conscious of her available mana pool.
Buffs
Aurelion Sol
Aurelion is getting some quality-of-life changes that should end up being a buff overall. The minimum re-cast time on his Q “Starsurge” is going down (from 0.65 seconds to 0.25), along with its stun duration (from 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.5/1.5 to 0.55/0.6/0.65/0.7/0.75 seconds) and will now scale up to a massive 1.65/1.8/1.95/2.1/2.25 seconds after traveling for five seconds.
Jarvan IV
The bonus attack speed granted by his E “Demacian Standard” will go up (from 15/17.5/20/22.5/25% to 20/22.5/25/27.5/30%), making his jungle clear noticeably faster.
Kayn
In short, unlocking either Red or Blue Kayn will now be a lot easier, seeing how the unlock progress will no longer be separated. You can check out the various changes (and nuanced buffs) below.
Ornn
Ornn ended up being a fair bit weaker after changes shipped with patch 9.1, so Riot is upping his base health (from 565.64 to 590) as well as his armor (from 33.04 to 36).
Shyvana
Riot is increasing Shyvana’s dragon-killing potential (from 10% bonus damage vs. Dragons to 20%), while also increasing the mark damage on her E “Flame Breath” (from 2.5% of target’s maximum health to 3.25%).
Volibear
Going forward, Volibear will be a lot more dangerous to those in melee range. Riot is increasing the bonus damage on his E “Majestic Roar” (from 40/60/80/100/120 + 0.3 AP to a flat 8% of target’s max health), and the AP ratio on his ultimate “Thunder Claws” (from 0.3 AP to 0.4 AP), while also lowering the time it takes for Volibear’s lightning bolts to cast (from 0.25 to 0.1 second).
Yorick
Without the Maiden by his side, Yorick isn’t as strong or effective. Starting with patch 9.2, Yorick will be able to bring the Maiden and her Mist Walkers with him, which should open up a completely new way to play the champion. Less split-push oriented, and much more potent in various scenarios.
Evelynn
Riot is shipping multiple nuanced changes to Evelynn which should make her a bit stronger overall.
Item Changes
Oblivion Orb
Stacking Oblivion Orb along with Sorcerer’s Shoes early on can provide you with a solid amount of magic penetration. To counteract this, Riot is increasing its cost (from 1500 to 1600 gold), but also decreasing the AP it provides (from 25 to 20 AP).
Morellonomicon
Riot is pushing Morellonomicon into a niche buy, rather than a must-have AP item. It will now give less AP (from 80 to 70), making it less viable if you’re not looking for healing reduction.
Sunfire Cape
Despite being a legendary item that provides a ton of defensive stats (and a useful passive), Sunfire Cape is rarely a must-buy item, regardless of the champion. Riot is decreasing its cost (from 2900 to 2750 gold) to make it a bit more affordable and viable.
Rune Changes
Overheal
In short, Overheal now provide less shielding from ally healing, self-healing will grant a bigger shield come late game, and the shield amount will decay gradually instead of instantly.
Legend: Bloodline
Riot is buffing Bloodline to make it a more viable choice. They’re decreasing the lifesteal each stack provides (from 0.8% to 0.6%), but they’re upping the maximum numbers of stacks you can attain (from 10 to 20), thus pushing the maximum amount of lifesteal as well (from 8% to 12%).
Cut Down
Starting with patch 9.2, Cut Down’s bonus damage will scale based on the target’s max health difference, rather than a flat max health differential. Maximum bonus damage is also getting a nerf.
Absolute Focus
Riot is bringing down the overall effectiveness of Absolute Focus by nerfing the AP/AD it provides — from 3-24 attack damage or 5-40 ability power to 1.8-18 attack damage or 3-30 ability power.
Rune Stats
Adaptive damage has become the best option when picking rune bonuses, so Riot is decreasing the amount of damage it provides (from 10 to 9), while also buffing the armor and magic resist stats (from 5 to 6, and from 6 to 8, respectively).
Game Pacing
Hand of Baron
Riot wants to make securing an early Hand of Baron less impactful and game-changing. As a result, Hand of Baron will provide less AD, AP, and minion damage reduction early on.
Jungle Changes
Patch 9.2 is bringing some very concrete and high-impact changes to the jungle. Every jungle camp will now give out less experience, which should turn jungle pathing on its head. You can check out the updated numbers below.
Summoner Spell Changes
Ignite
Riot is decreasing Ignite’s base damage, but also lowering its cooldown. In the end, it should be a fair bit weaker, but still perfectly viable.
Upcoming Skins & Chromas
The following skins (and accompanying chromas) will be released with League of Legends patch 9.2.
That’s it for our League of Legends patch 9.2 breakdown! If you want to go through the entire patch in a more official manner, you can head over to Riot’s website by clicking here.
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