One of the game’s main developers, Riot Games’ August, believes LoL is in a less than ideal state for the current meta in League of Legends heavily favors Corki and Tristana in the mid lane for various reasons.

During a Twitch stream on June 6, August delved into the details of the current state of League, focusing particularly on the mid lane dominance of Tristana and Corki. He expressed concerns about the impact these two champions are having on the game. Although he believes they will likely be nerfed, he is not convinced that this will fully address the issue.

“Personally, I agree with you that Corki and Trist being in the meta is probably pretty rough and I don’t think the game looks like it’s in a great spot when those two AD Carries that are really safe are the ones you should be playing in mid lane,” 

While acknowledging that Corki and Tristana are not “optimal” for the current state of League, August also pointed out the difficulties in balancing the current meta due to other gameplay dynamics.

Like, AP junglers are currently very strong and popular, which August sees as positive for League. However, this popularity has increased the demand for AD-based mid laners to ensure teams have a diversified damage. Currently, Corki and Tristana are the best options.

August further explained that other mid laners, such as assassins, are not picked in the current meta because they are weaker and less suitable. He suggested that Corki and Tristana might simply be overpowered and in need of nerfs. However, he also proposed that making other AD champions viable could be a better solution.

“They might just need nerfs. But in a meta where you need to run a physical damage mid laner to account for your magic damage jungle, if there’s only two physical damage mid laners you can run, that’s going to look like these two characters are completely broken, “

Currently, both Tristana and Corki are extremely popular in high-ranked solo queue. In the 2024 LPL Summer Split so far, they have a 100% pick and ban rate, according to Oracle’s Elixir.

Fortunately for those tired of the current state of the mid lane, significant changes appear to be on the horizon. Riot Phroxzon has hinted at major adjustments for both Tristana and Corki, possibly coming as early as Patch 14.14.

The current meta of the summer professional arena can be sum in two ADC champions: Tristana and Corki, dominating the mid lane and leading to boredom for viewers.

This current season has seen an AD-centric mid-lane meta, with marksmen champions consistently appearing in this role and maintaining a very stable win rate. Specifically, Corki and Tristana stand out as the key marksmen in the mid lane, and teams are eager to secure one of these two champions.

Statistics from recent Summer tournaments highlight this trend, with Tristana and Corki boasting presence rates of 85% and 64% respectively. Their dominance is evident as they surpass other popular mid lane picks such as Taliyah or Leblanc, who have a presence rate of less than 45%. This clearly demonstrates that Corki and Tristana are exceptionally powerful picks, causing significant issues in the professional scene.

In summer regional tournaments, the LPL typically commences early, and as soon as LPL teams began heavily utilizing these champions, other regions quickly recognized their advantages.

Corki and Tristana offer reliable damage, strong laning phases, and flexibility, making them ideal choices in a meta that emphasizes mid lane and carry junglers. This understanding has led to their high presence rate in matches.

Riot Games has released 3 updates since the start of the summer tournament, but apart from a slight nerf to Corki (after his rework) to balance his damage, there have been minimal changes affecting these champions. Consequently, teams continue to use Corki and Tristana extensively in all matches during the Esports World Cup.

The community is growing tired of the lack of creativity in champion selection for carries, and there is hope that Riot Games will implement significant adjustments soon. It’s noteworthy that Tristana not only dominates the professional arena but also enjoys high popularity among regular players, yet Riot has maintained her status across several patches.

In contrast, during the Spring season, the meta focused on control mages, with Orianna and Azir being the top picks. This resulted in a more balanced champion presence, with various viable counterpicks, rather than the current scenario where teams feel forced to choose between just two champions.

The mid-lane meta revolving around only 2 champions is causing a sense of monotony in new tournaments like the Esports World Cup. It also indicates that the remainder of the summer tournaments may follow a similar pattern unless Riot Games introduces a significant update to shake up the meta.

In the competitive landscape of League of Legends, strategies continuously evolve, exerting their influence on the game with each new patch.

Recently, there has been a resurgence of an old tactic known as lane swapping—a strategy that holds nostalgic value for some players. T1’s jungler, Oner, has some advice for those encountering this strategy in solo queue.

Lane swaps have reemerged as a significant aspect of the current meta, particularly in professional play. However, as seasoned players are aware, the League community often tries to emulate strategies seen in high-level play or international competitions, albeit with limited success.

While Oner has chosen to keep his specific tips for countering this strategy to himself, as T1 is currently vying for the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational title, he did offer a straightforward suggestion to solo queue players facing lane swaps: “Just have fun.”

According to T1 Oner, there is currently “no way” to adjust your strategy as a jungler when confronted with lane swaps in solo queue. Overcoming this tactic requires a high level of coordination between you and your teammates, which can be rare to find or difficult to cultivate quickly while climbing the ranks in solo queue. Typically, lane swaps are used to avoid unfavorable matchups in the lane while hindering the enemy top laner’s farm. However, executing a successful lane swap demands extensive teamwork and communication, which are not always readily available in solo queue environments.

Nevertheless, when executed effectively, a lane swap can provide your team with a significant advantage. By grouping up in the top lane, you can swiftly dismantle the enemy’s tower before they have an opportunity to reciprocate. Additionally, it aids in controlling the map and can afford your duo lane an advantage in terms of gold and items.

Although not everyone embraces the lane swap strategy, you may encounter it in your ranked games for a few more weeks until the meta adjusts itself once again. If confronted with this scenario, you could attempt to establish clear communication and formulate a plan with your team—or simply heed Oner’s advice and focus on enjoying the game.

Corki has held a prominent position among the League of Legends champions for quite some time. However, the gameplay of extensive farming followed by groupings for team fights has failed to captivate the audience. In the upcoming Patch 14.10, this might all undergo a significant transformation.

On April 30, Riot Games’ developer David “Phreak” Turley unveiled a comprehensive set of Corki adjustments slated for Patch 14.10. These changes mark a substantial overhaul for the champion, with the removal of his iconic ability, The Package, standing out as the most notable change.

Previously akin to Rumble’s ultimate, The Package allowed Corki to make a fiery entrance into the battlefield, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Additionally, Corki is set to receive a substantial boost of 15% bonus true damage, extending even to his Sheen-enhanced attacks.

Furthermore, Corki’s kit is due for an extensive makeover. His Q ability, Phosphorus Bomb, will now deploy faster, boast improved attack damage ratios, and undergo changes in cooldown and mana cost.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie is scheduled for visual enhancements along with a damage increase. The Gatling Gun ability, while seeing adjustments in cooldown and shred cap and rate increases, will experience reductions in overall damage and AD ratio. Moreover, Corki’s ultimate, Missile Barrage, will undergo a transformation in functionality, granting Corki increased ammunition as he levels up, alongside refunds on champion auto-attacks.

To balance the potential overwhelming strength of these changes, Riot has introduced several adjustments. The ammunition rate of his ultimate will be nerfed, and bonus AD scaling with ranks will be eliminated. Additionally, the ultimate’s mana cost will be reduced, and it will deal physical damage, albeit with augmented base statistics.

In addition to his ability adjustments, Corki’s fundamental statistics are also in for an overhaul. His base AD will see a reduction, while his attack speed will receive a boost, alongside some durability enhancements.

Riot’s objective behind these changes is to reintroduce Corki as a non-traditional marksman in the bot lane. Phreak’s assertion that Corki’s gameplay has grown “boring” underscores Riot’s commitment to enhancing both the player experience and spectator engagement.

Reports have surfaced on the official League of Legends subreddit detailing encounters with players who, prior to the match, request ‘financial assistance’ under the pretext of needing a meal or facing financial hardship until a certain date. Payment options such as Venmo or PayPal are suggested.

In the event that their appeal is disregarded or met with refusal, these players resort to holding the lobby hostage by threatening to intentionally int during the entire match. Once it becomes evident that their plea for funds will not be heeded, they solidify their intent by selecting a deliberately disruptive champion, such as Nunu or Yuumi with Smite, thereby compelling one of their teammates to dodge the game.

The phenomenon of intentional feeding and other forms of disruptive behavior has long plagued the League of Legends community, often stemming from frustrations over banned or contested champion picks, or personal motives such as account deranking.

However, this particular manifestation of trolling introduces a humorous yet concerning dynamic, wherein players find themselves coerced into donating or risking the outcome of the game.

While Riot Games continues its efforts to combat toxicity and trolling within the game, the challenge of detecting and penalizing offenders without inadvertently ensnaring innocent players persists. Should the prevalence of these “donate or lose” tactics escalate within the community, it could pose yet another obstacle for League of Legends players in their ranked matches.

Thresh has fallen out of the support meta

Thresh used to be a go-to pick for support players because he could fit well into any team composition. However, according to discussions on Reddit as of March 5, players feel that Thresh’s effectiveness has declined over the years.

“As someone who has played the game since late season 2, I “fondly” recall Thresh at his peak – Thresh defined the role and was considered the pinnacle of support play.”

“But today he is nearly non existent. Even when we do see common thresh ADCs like Jinx and Aphelios they’re more commonly paired with Tahm Kench or Nautilus or Alistar”

Players have various reasons for Thresh’s fall from grace. One argument is that Thresh used to be valuable even without much gold income, but nowadays supports can earn more gold, making Thresh less unique. Additionally, Thresh has been subjected to numerous nerfs while other champions have become stronger over time.

Moreover, players think that other support champions outshine Thresh in his traditional roles. For example, Nautilus offers better crowd control abilities similar to Thresh’s. When it comes to protecting immobile AD carries, champions like Lulu or Milio provide more utility than Thresh. Furthermore, Thresh’s ultimate ability feels outdated compared to newer champions with more mobility.

Many players believe that Thresh needs buffs to become relevant in the meta again. However, it’s uncertain whether Riot Games, the company behind League of Legends, is interested in revamping Thresh. As of now, there haven’t been any indications from Riot Games that they plan to make significant changes to Thresh.

With each new season, reworked support items often usher in a new meta, and Riot’s approach to diminishing the viability of the double support starter item meta has sparked apprehension among the player base.

Currently, ADCs can efficiently upgrade their support item by purchasing it on their initial back, leveraging its passive to poke, apply lane pressure by clearing minions faster, and even split with their support without a significant gold deficit.

This strategy has become indispensable in many lane combinations, especially when paired with support champions that can make optimal use of the extra income.

The strength of the upgraded support items, coupled with the accompanying wards, not only provides map pressure but also allows teams to potentially snowball the game out of control with an early lead.

How double support item nerfs can affect League of Legends

The existing approach involves teams adjusting to individual income thresholds – once the ADC completes their item, the support starts farming, and vice versa. However, under the proposed changes, the penalty for reduced gold income will be applied to all players owning the support item once the threshold is reached by any individual player.

One noteworthy concern is how this change may affect support champions who thrive with occasional farming. While some supports are content with taking no CS, more aggressive supports like Xerath and Brand greatly benefit from cannon minions and wave clearing in sidelanes.

Moreover, there is skepticism about whether the gold penalty will be a sufficient deterrent for certain lanes. The increased early pressure in a double support lane may outweigh the penalties, particularly for champions like Seraphine or Senna paired with Tahm Kench, who might not be significantly impacted by the penalties.

While suggestions have been made to balance the situation, this approach introduces a new set of challenges. Deciding which player gets the support item and the method of allocation may create additional complications.

In conclusion, finding a solution to this complex issue is undoubtedly challenging, and it remains uncertain whether the upcoming 14.2 nerfs will fully address the concerns.

The potential for additional nerfs raises the possibility of unintended consequences, potentially affecting the support role as a whole and introducing new challenges in League of Legends.

Riot Games’ opinion on LoL meta

In an August 16 post on League’s subreddit, one player criticised Riot, stating Riot’s approach to balancing LoL is simply raising or reducing damage output and that each patch “we are getting a net gain on the amount of DPS in any given match.”

Riot, predictably, replied to this post by declaring that there would be an update on the condition of the game—specifically, durability, snowballing, and game time.

However, the devs unanimously believe that the game is in good shape and that we’ve come a long way since before the Durability Patch.

“We expect if we’re taking good swings at balance we can’t only nerf things, we have to buff things as well in ways that align with a champion’s fantasy (preferably in ways that aren’t durability, like MS buffs to Nidalee or mana buffs to Sylas like you mentioned) instead of damage.”

Riot Phroxzon also stated that nerfing champions isn’t always the best approach to balance the game, and that sometimes buffing champions in a way that integrates with the champion’s lore is necessary, such as raising Nidalee’s movement speed or Sylas’ mana pool.

In the end, Riot keeps track of all the buffs and nerfs that the developers make in a single LoL patch, and even if you disagree, Riot still believes the meta has come a long way since the durability update.

More updates about LoL should well be underway as we are all curious of what Riot has in mind for the game.

Even though Kai’Sa and Ashe are currently leading the AD carry meta, one of the characters of the Netflix series Arcane will likely rise to the top thanks to a straightforward but significant buff.

League of Legends Patch 13.16 Caitlyn buffs

Caitlyn’s previously anticipated buffs have now arrived on the League PBE, and although they seem simple from first glance, they are really rather significant.

Passive

• Number of headshot stacks reduced from 6 to 5
• Crit ratio formula rewritten to be less cringe (damage is unchanged)

Caitlyn will now only require five auto attacks to activate her passive headshot as opposed to the previous six, which significantly boosts her in-lane poke potential.

Her headshots have higher damage amplifiers than her regular attacks and scale with her crit chance, making them one of the most effective ways to poke damage in laning phase and it can even be a burst damage in the end-game.

Additionally, whenever her W or E hits a target, she receives a free headshot. While Caitlyn will be able to fire headshots more frequently as a result of these buffs, the damage is unaffected.

Notably, the portion of Caitlyn’s passive that grants her two more headshot charges while in the bush is unaffected because it was previously set to 5. After this buff, going in and out of the bushes to charge her passive may become an even more crucial way for dealing continual damage in lane.

Caitlyn has struggled a lot in the current state of the ADC role after changes were made to numerous items, despite having the longest range of any League champion and having been a mainstay in several metas for years in both low and high-elo.

With League of Legends patch 13.16 coming in 16 August, Caitlyn will be ready to come out of the shadow and rise up to the top of the meta once again.

League of Legends’ meta is constantly changing as important features are added and removed, necessitating frequent strategy from players. Large changes have the ability to shake up the meta and bring forth unanticipated one.

Mages are taking the bot lane once again

Despite the fact that Patch 13.15 didn’t make any significant adjustments that directly affected the ADC role, many players have chosen to reintroduce mages into the bot lane as a way of thwarting the snowballs of some of the game’s most aggressive marksmen.

This comes as AD-centric champions like Zed, and Naafiri started to show up in the mid lane more frequently, which made room for AP-centric champions to show up elsewhere.

According to League statistics OP.GG, Seraphine and Swain presently have win rates in high Elo bot lanes of 56% and 55%, respectively, despite not being as well-liked as standard bot lane picks. Karthus and Ziggs, who have win percentages of 54 and 53%, are not far behind them.

These champions can inflict burst damage from a distance when partnered with the right champion, in addition to having access to excellent wave clear even with only a few items. Additionally, because many of these mages have trouble kiting and engaging in close combat, these supports can help to secure their safety and enable them to get the significant power buff that only a Mythic item can provide.

These four mages at the top of the ADC standings each also have access to more CC, which is something that most ADCs don’t have,

Mages are likely to continue to prosper among the players that feel comfortable using them outside of the mid lane because Riot Games hasn’t dealt with them aggressively in the past.