Hello, Librarian Husky here! The 14.16 patch changes have severely impacted lethality builds, bringing forth a new enchanter setup that’s performing incredibly well. This article will cover this approach by Riot. Are you going to miss being more of a damage threat when playing Senna, or do you prefer her utility-focused role now?

Champion Adjustments in the Current Patch

We’re going to be bumping Volibear down into S tier for this patch as Sett is just pulling away as the more consistently powerful champion across all ELO brackets. So far, it doesn’t look like the changes to death timers and death home guards have made a significant impact, at least for solo Q.

Itemization and Champion Performance

Black Cleaver buffs have also been extremely disappointing as they have not led to a significant boost in strength for many champions that we originally thought would benefit. Yorick is one champion that has been seeing more success with the Cleaver rush this patch. We covered this setup in our OP builds a few patches ago, and Black Cleaver with Sterak’s Gage and Liandry’s as the core build is performing very well this patch. Yorick is looking like one of the better S tier champions, especially for low ELO.

Impact of Blade of the Ruined King Changes

It’s a little bit too early to tell for sure, but it’s looking like the changes to Blade of the Ruined King have been positive for Top Lane Irelia but negative for Mid. The percent health damage on Blade of the Ruined King was buffed while the AD and attack speed of the item went down. More percent health damage is going to help out Top Lane Irelia a bit more than Mid.

Top Lane Tier List Adjustments

You’re playing against tanks or bruisers that like to stack health, so Irelia is getting a bump up the Top Lane tier list for mid-patch, going from B to A tier. Champions that can abuse Liandry’s are really pulling away as the biggest winners in the jungle right now, and Nunu is one of them.

Nunu’s Hybrid Build and Tier List Position

This hybrid setup going around on Nunu is providing him with an incredible amount of strength right now. As you rush Liandry’s, go Dead Man’s second, and then Abyssal Mask third, you can even go for a more offensive build with Rocketbelt as the rush, which has gotten a lot stronger due to the Rocketbelt buffs from last patch.

Dark Harvest and Nunu’s Jungle Dominance

Overall, there is great versatility for Nunu builds right now, as you can adapt to what your team needs extremely well. Nunu was also positively impacted by the recent buffs to Dark Harvest, as the rune has been performing better than Phase Rush recently. Nunu is without question one of the more underrated solo queue junglers for this patch and is being moved into the S tier.

Viego’s Decline in the Mid-Patch

One jungler who’s getting moved down the tier list for mid-patch is Viego. The champion has been underperforming a lot more ever since the Kraken Slayer nerf that went live in patch 14.15. He is still a good solo queue pick, but we’re adjusting him from S to A tier.

Amumu’s Success with Liandry’s Rush

Much like Nunu, Amumu is another jungler who has been loving the Liandry’s rush as of late and is outperforming many other junglers as a result. Riot initially planned Liandry’s nerfs for this patch, but then they decided to scrap them, so we wouldn’t be surprised if Amumu continues to excel.

Amumu’s Rise in the 14.17 Patch

If they are back on the menu for 14.17, it’s just such a great solo queue build because you deal some really nice damage while being super tanky and providing a ton of crowd control. So, Amumu is getting a bump up into the OP tier for mid-patch, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he drops right back down for the next patch if Liandry’s does get nerfed.

Jungle Tier List for Patch 14.16

Here’s how we got the jungle tier list constructed for 14.16: the OP tier is going to be locked down by Lillia, Shyvana, and Amumu. All three champions get to abuse Liandry’s right now and are all exceptionally strong team fight champs. Skarner, Vi, and Wukong were the three junglers who got directly buffed for this patch, and their changes have all played out as expected.

Champion-Specific Adjustments in the Jungle

Vi buffs did not do quite enough to warrant a push up the tier list, so she remains in the B tier. It’s hard to tell exactly how impactful the Skarner changes have been because of how little he’s still being played in solo queue. His win rate has gone up a few percentage points, but with his play rate so low, you can’t really look into that too much due to low sample size. Skarner is definitely no longer the worst jungler in the game, but he’s nothing special either, so we’ll be leaving him in the B tier for now.

Wukong’s Performance After Buffs

As for Wukong, his buffs were definitely the most impactful of the three. His attack speed going up not only helps with his dueling strength but also boosts his clear speed, which is really nice. The passive armor buff also helps with Wukong’s clear to keep him healthier and gives him a better skirmish as well. We’ve had Wukong rated as one of the bottom percentile junglers for a while now, but we see a push up into A tier as fitting.

Silas’s Rise in Patch 14.16

With how much better he’s been performing this patch, the big winner coming out of the mid lane for this patch has been Silas. Riot ended up over-nerfing him last patch, and now for 14.16, it looks like they may have over-buffed him. As more players adapt to the most optimal build for Silas, his analytical showing could improve even more.

Rocketbelt Rush: The Optimal Build for Silas

In high ELOs, we’re seeing Rocketbelt Rush become much more popular, and players running the item are winning more than those going Lich Bane. It’s Rocketbelt into Cosmic Drive for the two-item core, and both items were just buffed last patch. The big pro to this build is that you’re way more durable than going Lich Bane into Shadowflame, offering more margin for error, which is great for the average player who may not have the most polished micro on the champ.

Keystone Rune Choices for Silas

You also grab Conqueror for the Keystone Rune when running this build, as you’re looking to be more of a consistent damage threat than a super bursty champ.

Katarina’s Surprising Changes in Patch 14.16

Katarina’s changes were definitely the ones that surprised us the most, as we didn’t think she’d gain much strength from the adjustments. This was mainly based on the assumption that players would continue to build Blade of the Ruined King, which has become significantly weaker.

Adaptation to Lich Bane Rush

Blade Rush was played in over 40% of games last patch, but it’s now dropped all the way down to 15% in 14.16, so Katarina players have been quick to adapt. Lich Bane Rush is back, looking super strong, and it’s heavily outperforming Blade and Nashor’s. Katarina’s Q base damage and AP ratio were buffed, while the on-hit damage from her R was nerfed, which has led to this shift.

Katarina’s Bursty Build for Patch 14.16

So, you’re going for a much more bursty, one-shot version of Katarina moving forward, with Lich Bane into Shadowflame being the two-item core. Of course, it’s also going to be Electrocute for the Keystone Rune in place of Conqueror to really bolster that one-shot strength.

Mid Lane Tier List Adjustments

If we move on to the mid-lane tier list now, the OP tier is going to stay the same as it has been for a while, with Vex and Neeko. Both Katarina and Sylas are moving up in priority for this patch, while LeBlanc, Yasuo, and Yone are being played at very high rates. Vex is just loving this meta.

Irelia’s Mid Lane Performance

When covering the Top Lane, we mentioned that Irelia seems to have gained power due to Blade of the Ruined King changes, but for mid lane, it looks like she’s lost strength. You don’t get as much value from the percent health damage buff when playing Irelia mid, since most mid-lane champions don’t stack health. Losing some health and lifesteal from Doran’s Blade is also detrimental to Irelia’s early game snowball power, making her a little more vulnerable.

Underwhelming Buffs for Azir, Syndra, and Orianna

The Azir, Syndra, and Orianna buffs have been about as underwhelming as expected, so we have no additional movement for them on the mid-patch tier list.

Impact of Blade of the Ruined King Nerfs on the ADC Meta

It was the Blade of the Ruined King nerfs that had the most impact in the ADC meta for this patch, and Vayne is going to be moved down as a result. Blade of the Ruined King is really the only viable rush item for Vayne, even after the item being nerfed, so she’s just in a much weaker spot right now. From A to B tier is where we’ll be moving Vayne on the tier list.

Jhin’s Dominance in the Current ADC Meta

It was last patch with a few minor adjustments, and with the way all the changes have played out over the past couple of patches, Jhin is really pulling through as one of the most optimal solo queue ADCs. He’s taking up the only OP tier spot. Jinx and Kai’Sa are being adjusted down into A tier for this patch as the recent nerfs to Statikk Shiv and Kraken Slayer have reduced each champion’s power level enough to warrant a move out of S.

Lucian’s Neutral Adjustments and Tier List Position

Lucian’s adjustments are looking to be pretty neutral so far for bot lane. Our initial thinking was that the Q nerfs would outweigh the passive buff, but that has not been the case so far. As a result, we’re adjusting Lucian back up into the A tier for mid-patch.

Doran’s Blade Still Optimal Despite Nerfs

Even with the nerfs to Doran’s Blade this patch, it is still looking like the item has remained the most optimal starting item. The nerf hasn’t been harsh enough to warrant a Long Sword start meta to make a comeback, so continue prioritizing Doran’s Blade for patch 14.16.