Hey, Summoner! Librarian Husky here, ready to share some patch insights! You’ve probably noticed how “Yall Wild Arrows” have become a popular rush choice for a few ADCs, adding some extra punch right out of the gate! And with the release of the new champion, Ambessa, players are already diving into her kit. Though she may not be performing exceptionally in analytics just yet, that’s normal for fresh champions. Let’s see how she evolves in the meta—are you ready to conquer the Rift?

First Impressions on Ambessa’s Strength

What do you think about Ambessa so far? Is she too weak, too strong, or perfectly balanced? Share your thoughts and insights about her performance and fit within the current meta.

Optimizing Ambessa’s Playstyle and Item Build

To get a deeper understanding of how to maximize Ambessa’s power, it’s essential to look beyond her current win rate. As with any new release, it’s challenging to accurately place Ambessa on the tier list because players haven’t yet fully optimized her playstyle and build.

Choosing the Best Rush Item

Currently, Eclipse is the standard rush item for Ambessa. However, Voltaic Cyclos Sword has shown the highest win rate, despite being underplayed. It’s challenging to determine if Voltaic Cyclos Sword truly outperforms Eclipse without more data, but it does fit well with Ambessa’s playstyle, allowing her to quickly stack the energized passive as she dashes around.

Second Item Options: Shojin vs. Black Cleaver

For Ambessa’s second item, Shojin and Black Cleaver both perform well, depending on the enemy composition. Black Cleaver is effective against tankier opponents, while Shojin works best against squishier targets, offering flexibility based on matchups.

Choosing the Right Rune Page

Ambessa has viable options with both Conqueror and Grasp runes, which show similar win rates. Conqueror is advantageous in matchups against tanks or ranged opponents, while Grasp is beneficial for early trades in melee matchups, offering good value in the laning phase.

Early Game Challenges and Grasp for Ambessa

Ambessa can struggle in the early game, where shorter trades are often necessary. Choosing Grasp helps her in these situations, as she isn’t well-suited for prolonged fights early on. Falling behind with Ambessa can be challenging due to her lack of strong crowd control or teamfight presence, so Grasp is a valuable choice for enhancing her early game resilience.

Ambessa’s Placement in the Tier List

Despite her overall win rate, Ambessa currently holds a solid position and is placed in the A tier. This placement reflects her potential once optimized, even if she faces certain challenges.

Swain’s Performance in Patch 14.22

Solo Lane Swain has greatly benefited from the 14.22 buffs, outperforming his support role by a significant margin. When picked against champions with low mobility who can’t dash onto him, Swain is a strong choice for top lane. Champions like Irelia, Renekton, Fiora, and Yone, who can easily dodge his E and close gaps, remain challenging matchups for him.

Top Lane Tier List for Patch 14.22

With the recent buffs in patch 14.22, Swain has earned a spot in the A tier of the top lane tier list. This list reflects the current standings of top lane champions, highlighting those that are overperforming in the current meta.

Top Lane Tier List Adjustments Post-Patch

The top lane tier list remains mostly consistent with the pre-patch version, with Malphite holding the lead. However, Wukong has been moved up in the rankings for this patch. Previously, our focus was on jungle Wukong, so we hadn’t accounted for how the buffs would benefit his top lane performance as well.

Wukong’s Buffs and Early Game Advantage

The recent buffs to Wukong, including increased mana and a reduced cooldown on his W by 4 seconds, strengthen his early game laning phase by creating more trading opportunities. Wukong’s trading pattern, especially with his W available more often, makes it difficult for opponents to counter effectively. In particular, he’s an excellent counter for Darius, as his passive armor stacking and ability to dodge Darius’s Q “sweet spot” give him a favorable matchup.

Wukong’s Rise to S Tier in Top Lane

Due to these factors, Wukong has been elevated to S tier in the top lane, thanks to his enhanced lane control and counter potential against high-priority picks. Don’t overlook Wukong this patch; he’s become a formidable choice in the top lane meta.

Udyr’s Adjustment in the Tier List

Another change in the top lane tier list is Udyr’s drop to B tier. The recent nerfs targeted jungle Udyr’s power, but his top lane performance has suffered as well, especially since his R ability—maxed first in top lane—was hit hard by these adjustments. With these nerfs, Udyr no longer holds his previous strength in the top lane.

Wukong’s Dominance in Patch 14.22

Wukong has been excelling in patch 14.22, particularly against other AD junglers. His passive grants him bonus armor during fights, allowing him to achieve over a 52% win rate in matchups against popular champions like Lee Sin, Viego, Kha’Zix, and Nocturne. The nerfs to AP junglers, such as Lillia and Udyr, have further favored Wukong, as the current AD-centric jungle meta suits him perfectly.

Wukong’s Promotion to S Tier in the Jungle

With all these factors aligning, Wukong has been moved up to S tier for the mid-patch jungle tier list. His improved resilience against high-picked AD junglers has solidified his place as a top-tier pick in this patch.

Lillia’s Setback Due to Patch Bugs

Lillia experienced a noticeable drop in power at the start of patch 14.22, not only due to direct nerfs but also because of a bug affecting her E ability. This bug prevented the slow from applying for the correct duration, leading to a lower win rate than expected. Now that the bug has been fixed, Lillia’s win rate should stabilize, and she will remain in A tier for the jungle.

Current Jungle Tier List and Top Picks

Looking at the updated jungle tier list, the OP tier is more limited this patch, with Graves standing alone at the top. The pre-patch adjustments to Ghostblade resulted in net buffs for Graves, cementing his position as the highest-performing jungle pick in the current meta.

Graves’ Rise in Win Rate

Graves has seen a greater-than-expected increase in his win rate, with a notable 1% spike. If you’re looking for a champion to counter Graves in patch 14.22, the buffed Wukong has proven effective. Wukong’s double gap close allows him to stay on Graves easily, and his Q ability reduces armor, diminishing the effectiveness of Graves’ E-based armor stacking.

Other Jungle Changes in Patch 14.22

Aside from Graves and Wukong, other jungle champions affected by patch 14.22—Lillia, Udyr, Briar, and Vi—have maintained their expected power levels, resulting in no further adjustments for them in the tier list.

Impactful Nerfs to Mid Lane Corki

The only significant mid-lane change in patch 14.22 has been the nerfs to Corki, leading to just over a 2% decrease in his win rate. The nerfs to Corki’s mana and AD growth have had a stronger effect on his mid-lane role, as he levels faster than when played in the bot lane. Bot lane Corki remains relatively unaffected, while mid-lane Corki’s strength has decreased, moving him down to B tier for mid-lane.

Mid Lane Tier List Update

Reviewing the updated mid-lane tier list for patch 14.22, the predictions for mid-lane power dynamics have largely held accurate, with only minor adjustments based on performance data.

Patch 14.22 Mid Lane Changes

Anivia was nerfed in this patch, but the changes did not significantly impact her strength, so she remains in S tier. Katarina and Fizz received buffs as assassins, with Katarina showing more improvement between the two. Swain’s buffs have strengthened his mid-lane presence, making him a solid pick in A tier. Sylas and Syndra saw nerfs, but these changes have only moderately reduced their power; Sylas remains in S tier, and Syndra in A tier for solo queue viability.

ADC Role Adjustments in Patch 14.22

This patch has brought notable changes to the ADC role, with Yall Wild Arrows emerging as a viable option on certain champions. Jinx, in particular, has thrived with this item, often rushing it with great success. Riot’s rework of Yall Wild Arrows shifted the passives and increased attack speed at the expense of some AD, allowing Jinx to build a heavy AD core with Wild Arrows and Infinity Edge, while maintaining strong DPS potential with Lethal Tempo.

Jinx’s Return to the OP Tier

With the rework to Yall Wild Arrows, Jinx has returned as a top-performing ADC in solo queue, aligning perfectly with the timing of Arcane season 2. Her success with Wild Arrows has moved her into the OP tier for this patch, making her one of the best choices for consistent ADC performance.

Swain’s Controversial Presence in the Bot Lane

While many ADC mains may dislike this, Swain is currently one of the easiest ways to climb in ELO from the bot lane in patch 14.22. Though mages in the bot lane often spark controversy, Swain’s strength and utility in this role cannot be overlooked in the current meta.

Swain’s Dominance in the Bot Lane

Swain is in an incredibly strong position due to his buffs in this patch. Currently, over 15,000 bot lane Swain games have been played, and he holds a 55% win rate. For optimal build, use Malignant into Rylai’s Crystal Scepter as your core two items, with Conqueror as the keystone rune to enhance his extended fight power. Though mages rarely enter the bot lane OP tier due to low play rates, Swain in patch 14.22 is one of the few worthy of such a promotion. For now, Swain is placed in the S tier as one of the most powerful carries, with a potential move to OP tier if his play rate increases.

Optimizing ADC Builds with Yall Wild Arrows

While Yall Wild Arrows initially showed promise on Ashe, further testing has confirmed that Kraken Slayer remains the superior rush item for her. Additionally, Statikk Shiv continues to excel for champions who thrived with it in the last patch, such as Kai’Sa and Zeri</ span>, making it their preferred rush option in patch 14.22.

Consistency in ADC Meta Builds

Overall, the recent changes haven’t drastically shifted the ADC meta, with champions like Kai’Sa and Zeri continuing to find the most success with familiar items like Statikk Shiv. This patch reaffirms existing builds while highlighting a few new viable options in specific matchups and roles.