The new patch has introduced some changes in League of Legends. For the preseason, many new items have been added. Some champions particularly synergize well with the changes. The item Heartsteel has made one champion especially strong.
Which champion is it? The champion in question is Shyvanna, the half-dragon. She is mainly played in the jungle and had a pick rate of 2.37% before patch 12.22 (via LoLalytics).
Since only one team can win in League of Legends, the average win rate of champions is 50%. If a champion is significantly below that, it is reasonable to assume that the character will be addressed in the next patch. If a champion’s win rate is significantly above that, it is to be expected that the character will be adjusted and nerfed.
Since patch 12.22, Shyvanna has suddenly been played more often, achieving a pick rate of 4.09%. This significant popularity is also reflected in her win rate. Before the patch, her win rate was 52.5%. And even though she wins the majority of her games, it feels since the patch as if the half-dragon has been given a new pair of wings.
Her win rate shot up to 54.65%, and in conjunction with the item Heartsteel even reached 59.4% (via MGG-Frankreich). This monstrous win rate is currently being exploited by many players. However, this is primarily due to the synergy with the new item for tanks.
K’Sante is a champion designed as a tank on the top lane. He exchanges life for damage:
The champion that dominates the preseason
Where does the synergy come from? Shyvanna is generally a strong champion for the jungle. Until now, she has been successfully played only with Frostfire Gauntlet or Night Harvester. Then Riot revamped the jungle. The far too strong item Heartsteel from the test server fits her perfectly.
With the new item combination, she manages to maximize her damage. Her Q ability benefits greatly from this. Since the damage from Heartsteel is counted as “on-hit damage”, it activates her ability’s effect and thus deals significantly more damage over a short period.
There are also other items with which you can get the most out of Shyvanna. The Titanic Hydra is one of them because it also scales with the maximum health you gain from Heartsteel and is also activated by Shyvanna’s Q ability.
How does this affect the patch? The preseason in League of Legends is every year the time when new game mechanics are tested. This year, Riot Games has brought back the problem dragon, revisited the jungle, and made it more beginner-friendly.
However, there continues to be a lot going on for the characters in the Rift. In addition to increased experience and gold on the top lane and the new items, the champions are currently the lesser evil. First, adjustments are to be made outside of the champions, and then later a closer look will be taken at them.
However, we strongly assume that the item combination around Shyvanna will also see losses through the patches. The preseason is in constant flux and behaves very dynamically. What was good yesterday may not be strong or banned today. Feel free to try out the build of the dragon lady.
Which champion do you prefer to play against in the preseason, and who is your first ban? Let us know in the comments.
If you want to read more about the new items, we have an article for you here: LoL banned innocent players permanently and caused panic – Now Riot is backtracking
