The blind monk is set to undergo a comprehensive visual update, along with an Art and Sustainability Update (ASU), aimed at refining both his appearance and gameplay mechanics.

This overhaul encompasses not only Lee Sin’s 3D model but also his body proportions, marking a significant departure from his current aesthetic. Riot’s development team, in a recent Dev Update video, shed light on their intention to revamp all of the champion’s skins, ensuring they are seamlessly aligned with the updated model.

Keen-eyed players may observe the introduction of a distinctive long ponytail adorning Lee Sin’s character model, a subtle yet impactful addition aimed at augmenting his visual identity.

This feature, though not newly introduced, has been enhanced to impart a more dynamic and natural appearance, free from the constraints of being statically affixed to his model.

Beyond the visual, the update extends to Lee Sin’s animations, encompassing his basic attacks and spellcasting motions. Notably, the champion’s abilities undergo a significant transformation, shedding the visual clutter that previously obscured gameplay clarity.

In its place, players can expect cleaner, more intuitive indicators signaling the activation and impact of Lee Sin’s abilities, facilitating smoother gameplay experiences.

Moreover, Riot Games has fine-tuned the champion’s sound effects, ensuring that each spell cast is accompanied by distinct auditory cues. This attention to detail not only enhances the gameplay experience but also clarity the execution and impact of Lee Sin’s abilities.

As anticipation mounts for the Lee Sin visual update, Riot Games has set a target release date of May 1, 2024, coinciding with the rollout of patch 14.9.

Departing from the traditional training dummies that have long served as practice adversaries, the introduction of Sentinels heralds a shift in combat strategy and unit interaction.

TFT Patch 14.7 will herald the advent of Sentinels, dynamic units poised to replace the static training dummies. These Sentinels not only engage in combat on behalf of players but also have the capacity to use items and abilities, enhancing the tactical depth of gameplay.

A notable alteration in TFT Patch 14.7 entails the replacement of various portals, such as the Wandering Trainers or Wandering Vendors, with Trainer Sentinels and Vendor Sentinels. Evolving in strength as the game progresses, these Sentinels undergo star upgrades later in the match, presenting evolving challenges and opportunities for players.

The incorporation of Sentinels represents a significant upgrade from the conventional training dummies within Teamfight Tactics. Beyond their combat prowess, Sentinels possess the ability to interact with emblems like Sniper, thereby mitigating the risk of low rolls and augmenting strategic possibilities for players.

Despite the new Sentinels, the role of training dummies persists in certain facets of gameplay.

Augments like Wandering Trainers and Escort Quest now coexist within Sentinel Portals, paving the way for unconventional combinations wherein players may harness the power of both training dummies and Sentinels, each with 3 emblems, thereby putting their adaptability and tactical acumen to the test.

Diverging from their stationary counterparts, Sentinels boast mobility across the board and wield a formidable ability known as Sentinel Smash, capable of dealing significant magic damage to their target, further diversifying the array of strategic options available to players.

These sweeping changes are slated to take effect upon the rollout of TFT Patch 14.7, scheduled for release on April 3, 2024.

Although the 10th set of TFT has been in circulation for a considerable period, it has experienced fewer adjustments compared to past sets. The development team initially refrained from implementing major alterations, anticipating that players would organically devise strategies to counter the meta.

The decision to maintain stability gained further support from the TFT Vegas Open held in early December, where developers opted not to introduce drastic changes to avoid disrupting the tournament’s competitive landscape.

Riot Mortdog revealed major TFT updates coming in Patch 14.1

With the conclusion of the Vegas Open, and players expressing a desire for a refreshed gaming experience, TFT is now gearing up for substantial transformations.

Lead designer Riot Mortdog has outlined that Patch 14.1 is scheduled for release on January 10th, with a plethora of changes set to redefine the gameplay. Notably, the update will introduce new portals that promise to reshape how players approach each match, injecting a fresh and dynamic element into the gaming experience.

“11 new portals! These portals are the much more impactful ones, so if you enjoy games that are more over the top, these should be fun. Some classics (Radiant Blessing, Treasure Dragon, etc) and some new ones (Crab Rave!)”

In addition to the introduction of portals, Riot Mortdog have announced a series of balance changes, with a particular focus on nerfing True Damage. While these alterations are set to add depth and variety to TFT, it’s essential to note that more extensive system changes addressing open forting and bug fixes are slated for subsequent patches.

Anticipation is high for TFT Patch 14.1, set to roll out on January 10, 2024. As the first significant patch of the year, it brings not only major gameplay adjustments but also the promise of a fun-filled experience for Teamfight Tactics players.

Potential alterations are on the horizon for key elements of the Summoner’s Rift map in League of Legends, according to information gleaned from the Coven SFX preview video on YouTube by SkinSpotlight.

While the details are not confirmed and originate from the PBE server, they suggest substantial changes that could have a profound impact on the game’s meta. Notably, the river and the bush adjacent to the mid-lane appear wider, potentially influencing early-game dynamics, skirmishes, and map control.

A broader river could intensify the competition for the scuttle crab, potentially altering its path and complicating early-game strategies. Increased team fights in the river might make the waterwalking rune more popular, affecting champion choices and playstyles.

Support players might also face challenges in covering vision in the wider river, and the dynamics of river skirmishes could shift with the removal or replacement of choke points.

The potential closure of the path from mid to the bottom, as suggested by the leaked Summoner’s Rift map image, could have significant implications for jungle pathing. Early-game jungle impact on the bottom lane might diminish, leading to more action in the mid and top lanes. Junglers may need to adapt their pathing and ganking strategies, especially considering the wider river’s impact on skirmishing capabilities.

Also, a particularly striking revelation is the potential removal of the Baron pit from Summoner’s Rift. The absence of the Baron pit could reshape the fundamental gameplay, as many mid to late-game strategies revolve around control of this key objective. The removal of the Baron pit would necessitate a significant shift in the core meta, and while there’s speculation that Baron could be relocated, the full extent of these changes remains unclear.

It’s essential to note that these details may be subject to experimentation by Riot Games or could be part of a broader set of changes expected in the preseason. As more details emerge, the League of Legends community awaits further insights into the potential transformations coming to the Summoner’s Rift map.

Despite his relative absence from significant adjustments since December of the previous year, Riot has now turned its attention to the popular catfish champion, bringing about what they term as an “adjustment” to his gameplay.

The decision to revisit Tahm Kench appears to be rooted in his current statistical performance. As of now, he maintains a win rate of 49.39% across all ranks. However, the pick rate in different roles tells a more nuanced story, with 1.16% in the Top lane and 0.58% in the Support role, according to League statistics op.gg. These adjustments are seemingly aimed at enhancing his overall viability, particularly in his primary roles.

Tahm Kench changes in Patch 13.21

Passive – An Acquired Taste

• Bonus Magic Damage: 8 – 60 (Level 1-18) >>> 6 – 48 (Level 1-11)
• Health Ratio: 3% bonus HP >>> 5%

W – Abyssal Dive

• Cooldown refund: 40% flat >>> 40% – 50%

While Riot officially categorizes these changes as an “adjustment,” a closer look reveals a leaning towards a buff for Tahm Kench. Given the champion’s reliance on health scaling, the marginal damage reduction might not be felt.

However, the introduction of a 2% bonus HP increase holds more significance. This change could notably impact player strategies, allowing for an accelerated rate of proccing the Heartsteel passive and acquiring bonus HP, potentially influencing the itemization choices of Tahm Kench players.

Furthermore, the increased cooldown refund on his Abyssal Dive ability may serve as an encouragement for players to adopt a more aggressive playstyle. With a reduced cooldown, players may find themselves more willing to engage in trades and skirmishes, adding a layer of versatility to Tahm Kench’s gameplay.

While these adjustments are described as marginal, their collective impact on Tahm Kench’s playstyle and effectiveness in various roles remains uncertain. League of Legends players can anticipate observing the repercussions of these changes with the release of Patch 13.21, officially scheduled for October 25.

League of Legends is back with its schedule, since patch 13.16 was released a few days ago. Having said that, a lot of information about this update is coming in early, since we already know that 13.19 will be the Worlds update.

The Riot Games balancing team teased League of Legends champion buffs and nerfs in Patch 13.17 recently, with 19 champions in total likely to undergo adjustments. Riot’s lead champion designer, Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison, announced the modifications on Twitter, stating multiple changes across all 5 positions.

League of Legends patch 13.17 preview

Champions buffs

• Elise
• Gnar
• Lux
• Oriana
• Samira
• Twisted Fate
• Tryndamere
• Vex
• Zoe

Champions nerfs

• Kayn
• Kha’Zix
• Kindred
• Naafiri
• Xerath

Adjustments

• Aatrox
• Blitzcrank
• Hecarim
• Vi
• Xin Zhao

Items

• Immortal Shieldbow
• Bloodthirster
• Evenshroud
• Stattik Shiv

Systems

• Future’s Market

According to lead balancing team Matt Leung-Harrison, Riot Games devs’ main goal this time around is pushing certain top champions away from “pure killing powers builds” and towards durability. This includes heaped Aatrox, Xin Zhao, Vi, and Hecarim adjustments.

As mid lane champions, Lux, Orianna, Twisted Fate, Vex, and Zoe are likely to receive buffs.

Some of the worst champions recently are finally getting buffs in the hopes of becoming even somewhat competitive in the meta, with Gnar, Elise, and Tryndamere leading the way after showing terrible win rates across in patch 13.16.

In terms of nerfs, Phroxzon reinforced Riot’s motto of nerfing dominant junglers before strengthening lesser ones. Kayn, Kindred, and Kha’zix have dominated the jungle in recent patches, but their reign may be coming to an end as nerfs are coming. The support build for Xerath will also be nerfed.

According to the League of Legends schedule, patch 13.17, will go live on August 30.

In 2011, League of Legends introduced Brand, which make him a rather old champion. Furthermore, his model and VFX have hardly changed since his release. As a result, he is regarded as an outdated champion.

Riot has been working hard in prior seasons to ensure that all champions are up to date. Riot has released a variety of champion updates, including ASU, Visual Updates, and VGU.

ASU and VGU often take the most time since Riot completely redesign the champion’s look and design. However, VGU takes somewhat longer because they will additionally update the champion’s entire kit (most of it).

On the other hand, Riot provides smaller-scale cosmetic changes to their champions in order to keep them up to date with the needs. These improvements vary from tweaks to the splash arts to in-game VFX rework.

Riot confirmed Brand VFX

Recent champions, like Janna and Jax, have received VFX modifications. And now, Riot has already stated that Brand is the next champion to receive the updates.

Recently, RiotMeddler revealed the Brand VFX is presently under development in a Reddit thread. It is not being delayed, but it is not being worked on as much as other important projects like the new champion release Briar, or the Skarner VGU.

As a result, RiotMeddler reminds out that no release dates have been verified. He didn’t even say whether it will be released this year. However, Riot has stated that it will be released at some time.

As a result, we should expect this upgrade to be released later than intended, potentially even next season.

The LoL Dev update video, which featured Andrei “Meddler” van Roon and Jeremy “Brightmoon” Lee, revealed intriguing news regarding the impending Essence Emporium, additional Wild Rift skins coming to League, the future of LoL Arena, and other news.

LoL Essence Emporium

According to Meddler and Brightmoon, the next Essence Emporium will be accessible in Patch 13.17, and the event will be available twice a year in the future.

The developers have also done significant under players’ nose with improvements, and when the Emporium goes live, we’ll receive a secret tiny button that will mass-disenchant champion shards.

The future of Arena

Meddler and Brightmoon also revealed some information regarding LoL game mode Arena. They confessed that they can’t guarantee the game mode will return, and that if it does, it would be in a new form. Keep in mind that the video was shot on July 18, just before Arena went live.

“This version of Arena is intended specifically for Soul Fighter, and we wanted to take some time to hear feedback before we make any future decisions. Assuming Arena does return in the future, there are definitely some features we didn’t get to in this version.” 

When it comes to specifics, Brightmoon mentioned custom lobbies and queuing with friends as features the devs would want to see in the future. This is something that players have been requesting since the mode’s release.

LoL Quick Play

The developers also mentioned Quick Play.

Quick Play, a game mode in which you may choose your position and champion as you queue, skipping champion choose, was meant to be released before the mid-year patch but has been delayed owing to the programmers’ focus on Arena. The new game mode that will replace Blind Pick will be released later this year.

New Skins

Aside from that, the developers confirmed that new Wild Rift Star Guardian skins, including Redeemed Star Guardian Xayah and Rakan, will be added to LoL PC later this year. Unfortunately, they did not provide precise release dates for these skins.

The developers also announced that Graves, Janna, Jarvan IV, Nami, Orianna, and Varus’ ability icons will be updated in August.

Additional updates will be provided in the upcoming dev update video, including additional information on preseason tweaks, new champions, and champion updates.

After admitting that he had been playing despite discomfort due to an arm issue that started in the June 17 match against BRION, the LCK player has been sidelined from competition since the beginning of the month.

Although Bae ‘Bengi’ Seong-woong, the team’s previous head coach, stated that the player would need to rest for at least two weeks, T1 did not specify a timeline for his return to action.

Updates on Faker’s arm injury

The earliest game that Faker may play in again is rumoured to be week 7 series versus Hanwha Life Esport on July 21. However, there was no assurance that he would be able to overcome the issue and return to competition in just two weeks.

Tom, who recently took over Bengi as head coach, stated in the interview after the team’s victory over Nongshim RedForce on July 14 that the team still does not know when Faker would be able to resume playing.

“Bengi said two weeks, but I think we need to talk more about it,”

“I think Faker will need more time to come back”

“If his condition improves, he will compete, but for now, the condition of his wrist comes first. We’ll have to see how he plays next week. I can’t talk about it right now.”

The T1 mid-laner status is unknown, but it is obvious that he won’t be sent back into playing just yet.

After last week’s disheartening losses to DRX and Gen.G, the team turned things around by defeating Nongshim 2-0, putting on a strong performance that shows they can at least hold their own until Faker returns.

T1 and Dplus both have a 7-4 record going into their match on Sunday, and T1 is now fourth in the LCK Summer rankings. Hopefully, with the absence of Faker, T1 can still climb up the ladder.

The Rell mini-rework has only been out for a few days, yet she has already undergone considerable adjustments.

The Rell revamp was eventually delivered in patch 13.11 after months of anticipation. The overhaul improved her gameplay and brought additional quality-of-life improvements, and it appeared like Rell would be playable again.

However, it appears that this is not the case; after her release, she had a win rate of less than 40% across the board. Even for a recently released champion, this is a low win rate. So, a day after her release, Riot hotfix buffed her. They improved her base stats as well as all of her skills.

League of Legends Rell Hotfix Buffs

Base Stats

• Health Regeneration: 1.4 ⇒ 1.7
• Health Regeneration Growth: 0.11 ⇒ 0.17
• Base Armor: 32 ⇒ 39
• Armor Growth: 3 ⇒ 4.2
• Magic Resistance Growth: 1 ⇒ 2.05

Passive – Break The Mold

• Armor and Magic Resist Steal: 2.5% ⇒ 3%

W – Ferromancy: Crash Down / Mount Up

• Knock-Up Duration: 0.75 seconds ⇒ 1 second
• Shield: 30/55/80/105/130 (+10% maximum health) ⇒ 35/60/85/110/135 (+12% maximum health)
• Self Slow: 15% ⇒ 10%
• Damage to Jungle Camps: 250% ⇒ 300%

E – Full Tilt

• Damage: 25/35/45/55/65 (+2/2.5/3/3.5/4% Maximum Health) (+30% AP) ⇒ 35/50/65/80/95 (+4% Maximum Health) (+50% AP)
• Movement Speed: Ramps up from 50% of total speed to 100% over the first 2 seconds ⇒ Ramps up from 75% of total speed to 100% over the first 2 seconds

What’s more unexpected is that Riot is pushing the concept of Rell jungle even further by adjusting the monster damage ratios tied to her Q and W, despite the fact that the champion has a lower win rate in that position than in her main role.

Riot also announced that they will closely monitor her performance and, if required, enhance her further in Patch 13.12.