G2 Mikyx Poppy Support against T1

However, much of the community’s praise was directed towards G2, particularly for their innovative strategies featuring unconventional picks like Poppy Support and the rare appearance of Yasuo in the professional scene.

Milkyx’s Poppy, in particular, garnered widespread acclaim as the champion proved to be a proactive force for G2 throughout the series. With expert precision, Milkyx consistently executed the champion’s abilities to pin T1 members against walls, setting the stage for decisive team fights.

While initially met with skepticism from viewers, Milkyx’s mastery swiftly dispelled any doubts surrounding the pick. In a pivotal moment during game 5, Milkyx boldly utilized the “Hail of Blades” rune to disrupt T1’s formation and neutralize the threat posed by their low-health carries.

In a post-match interview, Milkyx revealed the rationale behind his strategic choices, citing the effectiveness of Poppy against vulnerable targets like T1’s low-health carries, Gumayusi and Keria.

By using Poppy’s high base damage and precise combos, Milkyx effectively pressured T1’s duo, creating opportunities for G2 to gain an advantage. The decision to focus on suppressing T1’s carries ultimately paid dividends for G2, allowing them to maintain control of the match until the final moments.

In terms of rune and itemization, Milkyx opted for a damage-focused build, prioritizing armor penetration, vision control with Zombie Ward, and swift roams with Relentless Hunter. Additionally, he used runes from the Inspiration tree to enhance Poppy’s mobility and cooldown reduction, further augmenting her effectiveness in skirmishes.

Overall, G2 Mikyx demonstrated significant Support potential akin to champions like Camille, making her an ideal choice for players seeking to engage enemy carries while remaining resilient to damage.

Lead gameplay designer Matt Leung-Harrison affirmed that adjustments are in the works for several support champions, including Nami, Nunu, Karma, Sona, and Camille. These modifications aim to elevate the utility aspect of these champions while tempering their damage output, thereby fostering a more balance environment for other high-damage dealers in the game.

Among the champions undergoing adjustments, Camille stands out as a notable case. Originally designed for the top lane, she has increasingly found herself occupying the support role in recent months.

The synergy between Camille and AD carries, particularly in locking down enemies and amplifying damage, has been a defining trait. Her ultimate ability, especially when paired with the support item Bloodsong, has proven to be particularly strong. However, to address this trend, the Bloodsong item is receiving adjustments in the upcoming patch to mitigate its impact.

Acknowledging the prominence of Camille’s transition to the support role and its potential impact on her intended role as a top laner, Riot has committed to revisiting her kit.

While affirming that the support role for Camille is “viable sometimes,” developers stress the importance of maintaining her identity as a dominant force in the top lane.

Furthermore, Riot developers have opted not to include Janna in the list of champions receiving adjustments in Patch 14.7. This decision stems from previous nerfs inflicted by items such as Zaz’Zak’s and Mandate. However, developers remain open to reassessing Janna’s status if the anticipated impact of these changes fails to materialize effectively in the future.

Rell’s transition to the jungle was initially spurred by her exceptional engage potential, particularly with her W and R abilities, making her a formidable pick in professional play. Previously primarily played as a support champion, her aggressive playstyle made her susceptible to punishment if her engagements were mistimed, making her less appealing compared to other options like Leona or Thresh.

Rell Jungle nerfs in Patch 14.7

• Base MR increased from 30 to 32
• MR growth increased from 1.85 to 2.05
• Q no longer deals 170 – 470 bonus monster damage
• W no longer deals bonus monster damage
• E no longer deals 120 – 300 bonus monster damage

By removing the bonus damage to monsters from her entire kit, Rell’s capability to efficiently clear jungle camps has been severely diminished, rendering her ineffective in the jungle role.

Patch 14.7, currently under development, has brought about significant changes that particularly impact Rell’s jungle viability. The removal of bonus damage to monsters from her Q, W, and E abilities marks a stark reversal from the massive damage bonuses initially granted to facilitate her jungle clearing. Consequently, Rell’s effectiveness in the jungle role is expected to plummet drastically with these alterations.

As a result of these changes, Rell will likely find herself relegated back to the bot lane, where she was originally intended to excel as a tanky support champion. This shift eliminates her flexibility as a pick, limiting her role options within the game.

It’s important to note that these adjustments are currently being tested on the Public Beta Environment (PBE), indicating that there is still a window for potential revisions before they are implemented on the live servers.

This long-awaited update brings a fresh suite of abilities and a revitalized visual design to the champion, promising to breathe new life into his gameplay experience. Players can look forward to exploring the intricacies of Skarner’s revamped kit as they adapt to his enhanced capabilities.

In addition to Skarner’s rework, this patch introduces significant adjustments to the support role, particularly focusing on itemization. Several support items are slated for nerfs, while certain enchanter supports receive buffs, aiming to rebalance the support meta and promote diversity in champion choices.

League of Legends Patch 14.7 is scheduled to go live on April 3, 2024, aligning with Riot’s patch schedule.

League of Legends patch 14.7 early notes

Champions

Karma

E: Inspire

• Secondary targets of ult shield will gain 80% of the bonus shield instead of 30%

Nami

W: Ebb and Flow

• Base damage reduced: 60-220 >>> 60-200
• AP ratio reduced: 55% >>> 50%
• Base heal increased: 55-135 >>> 55-155
• Heal AP ratio increased: 25% >>> 40%
• Bounce reduction reduced: 15% >>> 10%
• Bounce reduction AP ratio increased: 7.5% per 100 AP >>> 10% per 100 AP

E: Tidecaller’s Blessing

• Base damage reduced: 20-80 >>> 20-60

Skarner

• Click here for the full details of Skarner Rework

Sona

Passive: Power Chord

• Q Passive damage increased: 28-336 + 28% AP >>> 30-360 + 30% AP

Q: Hymn of Valor

• On-hit AP ratio reduced: 20% >>> 10%

W: Aria of Perserverance

• Heal AP ratio increased: 15% >>> 30%

E: Song of Celerity

• Base movement speed increased: 10-14% >>> 10-18%

Items

Bloodsong

• Spellblade base AD ratio reduced: 150% >>> 100%

Imperial Mandate

• Damage reduced: 12% current HP >>> 10%

Zaz’Zak’s Realmspike

• Base damage reduced: 20 >>> 10
• Health damage reduced: 4% max HP >>> 3% max HP
• Cooldown increased: 8-6 seconds >>> 10 seconds flat

In League of Legends, there have been many instances where champions unexpectedly shine in roles where they’re not traditionally seen. While we’re not witnessing anything as extreme as Chemtank Akali, there’s a rising trend of Camille being chosen as a support champion, gaining popularity in this role over her usual spot in the top lane.

Camille’s newfound success in the support role is attributed to the significant boost provided by certain Season 14 items. Although she’s typically known for her ability to split push and become a late-game powerhouse, her kit offers a considerable amount of utility that proves valuable in a supportive role.

With multiple sources of CC, high mobility, and true damage that allows her to deal significant damage to any target without requiring penetration items, Camille presents a formidable presence in the support position. Interestingly, the concept of her as a support isn’t entirely new.

Camille Support build

High-level players have experimented with this pick since 2017, although the current success largely hinges on the introduction of new support items, particularly Bloodsong.

Bloodsong, a Spellblade item easily attainable by Camille, not only amplifies the damage dealt by other sources to her target but also grants her the ability to deal 150% bonus base AD damage on its activation. With a short cooldown, she can frequently trigger this effect, especially with her Q ability.

Her pick rate as a support has now surpassed her popularity in the top lane, particularly as players climb higher in rank. This trend has led to a surge of Camille support picks among top-level players.

There’s ongoing debate among professionals regarding the optimal build for Camille in this role, as players continue to experiment with different item combinations. Currently, the preferred choices include Eclipse or Sundered Sky, each offering distinct advantages depending on the situation. Umbral Glaive is also highlighted as a strong option for gaining vision control, particularly as a second item choice.

Regarding runes, there’s general consensus among players, with Zombie Ward and Eyeball Collection being interchangeable based on personal preference, and Bone Plating being swapped out for Second Wind against aggressive poke compositions.

Players are encouraged to take advantage of Camille’s strength as a support while it lasts, as there’s a possibility of adjustments if professional players adopt her in competitive stage games.

ADC not getting buffed in League of Legends

League of Legends has been undergoing a lot of adjustments lately, especially since the start of the season. The developers are using this time to make big changes to the game, which will affect how it plays for the rest of the year.

Many players have been expressing concerns about the balance of ADC champions, especially in the bottom lane. They feel that ADCs are struggling against other types of champions like bruisers, assassins, and mages.

In a recent update, a developer from Riot Games mentioned that they’re not planning to make significant changes to ADCs right now. Instead, they’re focusing on making supports stronger.

Leung-Harrison explained that they’re trying to make sure that supports remain powerful, which prevents them from boosting ADCs too much and shifting the game back to a heavy emphasis on the bottom lane.

He also mentioned that they’re making adjustments to critical strike items to make them more competitive compared to other types of items like on-hit and lethality.

The balance team is also looking into tweaking support-related aspects, such as gold income and certain starting items like Doran’s items. They’ve been spending time addressing the strength of support items, both in terms of gold generation and damage output.

However, not everyone is happy with this approach. Some players on platforms like Reddit are expressing frustration, feeling that they should have more agency in the game, especially if they’re doing well in a match.

As for the future of ADC players in League of Legends, it’s unclear what changes Riot may make. They could either make significant adjustments or continue refining other parts of the game as the season progresses.

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.

This once-top-lane mainstay has seamlessly transitioned into a formidable support option, carving out a niche for herself in the bottom lane meta. Patch 14.3 has been particularly kind to her, as evidenced by her impressive 52% win rate across over 25k games in Platinum and higher tiers, according to U.GG, a popular League statistics site.

Remarkably, her success as a support even outshines her performance in the top lane by a notable 2% margin since the latest update.

Initially designed as a top lane skirmisher, Camille brings a unique skill set to the support role, leveraging her abilities to isolate and dispatch enemies with efficiency. Despite her damage-oriented build, she exhibits surprising prowess in locking down and dismantling squishy opponents in the bottom lane.

Take, for instance, her Precision Protocol ability, which dishes out significant early-game damage. A well-executed sequence of empowered auto-attacks can effortlessly slice through the health bar of opposing bottom laners, often leaving them reeling at half health within moments. Moreover, Camille boasts a versatile toolkit for engaging and controlling teamfights, including her Hookshot stun, Tactical Sweep’s impactful area-of-effect slow, and the potent CC provided by Hextech Ultimatum.

Choosing Camille as your support is a strategic decision, particularly against compositions featuring squishy champions. In such scenarios, her ability to eliminate threats alongside your ADC, especially during pivotal level two teamfights, can turn the tide of the game in your favor.

However, it’s crucial to exercise caution against tanky support matchups, where Camille’s early damage potential may be mitigated by the resilience of her adversaries.

Looking ahead to Patch 14.4, there are no indications of imminent changes to Camille’s kit. Should her dominance persist into the next update cycle, she could very well solidify her status as a go-to choice for aggressive support players with a thirst for combat in early laning phase.

This effects from previous support items promised to redefine the role gameplay, allowing for shared gold acquisition through minion executions and champion engagements.

However, Season 14 brought about unintended consequences with the introduction of World Atlas. Players quickly discovered the potential for exploiting 2 support items, triggering an exorbitant surge in gold generation.

Major Support penalty after Patch 14.2 changes

In response with Patch 14.2, Riot Games implement rule to mitigate the impact by reducing minion gold for all users of the support item, World Atlas. While this adjustment curbed the prevalence of double support items, it inadvertently birthed a new penalty: the potential for players to sabotage their own team.

Patch 14.2 change enabled players to wield the reduced gold rule against their own teammates, leveraging the item’s mechanics to impede their gold accumulation.

This newfound capability for malicious gameplay introduced a new way of trolling, allowing players to wield the item as a weapon against their teams.

Even if the player relinquishes the item, the repercussions persist, as they remain deprived of minion gold for the duration of the match, effectively stymieing their income and impeding their ability to contribute effectively.

As the community grapples with the ramifications of this unforeseen, Riot Games finds itself confronted with the urgent of addressing the systemic issues inherent in World Atlas.

While the company has yet to outline concrete plans for resolution, the possibility of future patches heralds the potential for corrective measures to rectify the impact of this contentious item.

LoL 2024 item descriptions left players in question

The substantial changes to items during this LoL season have naturally left players grappling with confusion regarding the functionalities of various items.

Despite Riot Games’ commitment to simplifying item descriptions and enhancing the intuitiveness of the shopping system through the removal of mythic items, players have expressed ongoing challenges in the mechanics of new builds.

Many players have voiced their frustrations through the Reddit post, emphasizing that crucial aspects of these mechanics remain inadequately explained.

In the midst of these concerns, it appears that some players find the newly introduced item descriptions to be “wildly inconsistent.” Notably, criticism has been directed towards the World Atlas, a novel support item, where players have identified a lack of reference to the minion execute mechanic.

“Yeah the other day I was checking if ranged champions still had the execute penalty on the support item and I was really confused by the fact that it wasn’t listed at all. And the answer is yes, ranged execute is 30% while melee execute is 50%”

“Terminus also just straight up misleads you by not specifying it only stacks on champions, or not telling you ahead of time you can’t stack it with last whisper items (they had the unique categories last season for this purpose, now they mean nothing).Spear of shojin also does not tell you stack duration etc.”

This absence of information has raised concerns about the accessibility of these new items, particularly for players who are newer to LoL.

The discontent among players extends to the observation that, despite Riot’s efforts, certain important mechanics are not sufficiently elucidated in the item descriptions. One player pointed out the challenges faced by both newer and seasoned players alike in understanding the intricacies of measurement in League of Legends.

In light of these player sentiments, it becomes evident that there is a shared desire within the community for further clarity and consistency in item descriptions. Players are calling for improvements to ensure that not only seasoned players but also newcomers can seamlessly grasp the mechanics of the game’s evolving itemization.