The League of Legends patch 12.23b preview is one that will have long-time fans of the MOBA rolling their eyes a little – Lux buffs, really? Yes indeed, folks, as well as some huge changes to the recently reworked Udyr, and some general jungle nerfs.
The details are pretty thin on the ground at this point, but lead designer on the League of Legends balance team Matt ‘Phroxzon’ Leung-Harrison has listed a few substantial changes. Specifically, the team are looking to “go more heavy to address some of the balance outliers,” meaning that the nerf list far outweighs the buffs.
Champion buffs, nerfs, and adjustments
The only champion set to get buffed is everyone’s (least) favourite caster, Lux. According to gameplay analyst Ray ‘RayYonggi’ Williams, this is to “buff carry Lux rather than support, as her playrate and viability in support has been healthy all of last season.”
On the flip side, a whole plethora of champions are being bonked with the nerf hammer – specifically Janna, much to my displeasure.
Udyr is the champion whose specific changes are listed, though, discovered on Reddit by avid PBE enthusiasts. Following his rework the Spirit Walker has been in an awkward state, so Riot has slashed his Q damage while decreasing the mana costs on his W, E, and R. The latter has also had its damage increased per level.
League of Legends patch 12.23b preview
Below are the full notes from Leung-Harrison’s Twitter post, with the update set to drop on December 14.
Champion buffs
- Lux
Champion Nerfs
- Dr. Mundo
- Hecarim
- Janna
- Lillia
- Mordekaiser (Jungle)
- Nilah
- Rammus
- Zed
Champion Adjustments
Udyr
Changes which are on the PBE (obtained via Reddit), so are subject to change
Q – Wilding Claw
- Damage reduced 3/4.4/5.8/7.2/8.6/10% (+6% per 100 bAD) >>> 3/4/5/6/7/8% (+5% per 100 bAD)
- Awaken empowered damage reduced 2-5% (+3% per 100 bAD) >>> 2-4% (+2% per 100 bAD) (based on level)
- On-hit damage adjusted 5/13/21/29/37/45 (+20% bAD) >>> 5/11/17/23/29/35 (+30% bAD)
W – Iron Mantle
- Mana cost reduced 45-28 >>> 40-23 seconds (based on level)
E – Blazing Stampede
- Mana cost reduced 45-28 >>> 40-23 seconds (based on level)
R – Wingborne Storm
- Mana cost reduced 45-28 >>> 40-23 seconds (based on level)
- Base damage per second increased 10/18/26/35/42/50 >>> 10/20/30/40/50/60
System Nerfs
- Mosstomper
- Epic DR
- Small Jungle Gold
- Jak’Sho
- Ravenous Hydra
As we await more information on these changes, be sure to check out our rundown of all the League of Legends Prime Gaming rewards – after all, you may get lucky and snag one of the new Winterblessed skins. If however, luck isn’t on your side, we suggest checking how much you’ve spent on League of Legends before picking up the new cosmetics – or go ahead do it anyway, because it’s Christmas, isn’t it?