Riot Games have uploaded patch 12.18 to the test servers today. This will be the patch for the Worlds 2022. This brings, in addition to some minor changes, the most popular jungler among professionals back into the meta of League of Legends. In addition to “Lee Sin,” “Thresh” will also be improved, making him more attractive to play.
Why are Lee Sin and Thresh so highly regarded? Lee Sin is among the “Top 3” picks for almost all junglers at the Worlds. Although Kacper “Inspired” Słoma from Evil Geniuses places him only at rank 4, he is still highly regarded. Thresh is a tried-and-true pick that support players can always resort to in emergencies (via League of Graphs).
Lee Sin is mainly played for his abilities to focus on a single target. He is often referred to as a “Kick-Bot.” His ultimate ability literally kicks the opponent away from Lee Sin. If he manages to get behind enemy lines, he can “kick out” the important objectives for his team. With the buffs, Lee Sin becomes more attractive in the jungle and is no longer only referred to as a “Kick-Bot.”
Udyr will be disabled for the Worlds 2022, as his adjustments after the rework cannot be assessed. Here you can see a trailer for the rework:
Minor adjustments lead to a shift in the meta
Riot Games hopes that the minor adjustments in patch 12.18 will bring the exaggerated improvements from previous patches down to a uniform level. This way, a similar meta to the Playoffs patch could be played at the Worlds.
Here is the official tweet in English from the LoL balance team:
What is changing for the key roles? The currently most important roles for winning a game lie with the jungler and the bot lane. The jungler supports the entire map while keeping his opponent in check, while the bot lane deals most of the damage.
Lee Sin is a very mobile champion and can turn entire team fights with his abilities. Besides his health per level, which has been increased from 99 to 105, Riot Games has decided to further enhance his resilience. With the increased lifesteal on the W ability, Lee Sin can navigate the jungle better and play a key role for longer in team fights.
In the bot lane, ADC and support play together. While the ADC deals the main damage, the support assists them. Thresh has been picked up time and again in recent years when the situation got dire. As a very versatile support with a lot of CC, he is a solid pick in many situations.
The patch 12.18 has supported Thresh in returning to the meta. His health per level has been increased from 115 to 120, making him more durable. At the same time, his damage on the E ability has been increased. This leads to higher combat potential and allows you to play the lane better.
If you want to know the exact values, you can check here:
What characterizes the current meta? The current meta is driven by the jungle and the bot lane. This is evident in the fact that the majority of bans in professional games focus on the ADC role. While the ban rate for junglers is generally quite high as well. The focus on the two roles has become clear through patch 12.18.
One example of the focus on the bans can be seen on Reddit in the game between Rogue and G2 Esports.
Therefore, Riot Games is adjusting two of the currently strongest junglers and giving them a nerf. The damage of Kayn’s Q ability in his Rhaast form has been reduced. Hecarim is also facing this fate. His damage on the Q ability has been decreased, and the healing on his W ability is lower.
In the bot lane, the potential of Kalista and Miss Fortune has been curtailed. Kalista’s health has been reduced from 604 to 564. This leads to the need for different strategies in bot lane, as she can no longer withstand as much damage.
Miss Fortune faces the same fate. Her damage and health per level have been reduced, even though she had already received an update in the middle of the patch that weakened her W ability.
Here you can find the Miss Fortune changes from the middle of the patch:
What does this mean for the Worlds and for me as a player? Just before the LoL World Championship, the most relevant roles are being adjusted again.
Even though Riot Games mentioned that these minor changes are only meant to adjust patch 12.17. Some champions, like Lee Sin and Thresh, will return to the meta while others may fall in priority like Kalista or Hecarim.
The meta for the Worlds will shift in the weeks leading up to the start of the play-ins, and we might see some interesting picks emerge.
The improvement on Nasus allows him to be played in the bot lane and makes his fights on the top lane exciting again. While after the nerf to Lulu, alternatives and combinations for mages will need to be found in the bot lane.
What do you think about this? Which of your champions has been hit or do you want to try another champion that is being strengthened in this patch?
If you want to read more about LoL, take a look here: LoL: German Twitch streamer gives up the dream of being a pro in 2020, starts a job – now he has to quit because he is too good
