Greetings, Summoners! Librarian Husky here, ready to dive into the latest changes from patch 14.18. This update brings significant nerfs and buffs that will shape the current meta, especially for champions like Miss Fortune, Jinx, and Garen. Get ready to make strategic adjustments and explore new build paths to dominate in solo queue. Let’s break down the details of this patch and figure out how to maximize your performance with these updates!

Top Lane Priority: Garen’s Rise

Starting off up in the top lane, continuing to rise in priority over the past patch, and a phenomenal solo carry pickup is Garen.

Garen’s Rise in the Top Lane Meta

Garen is now right behind Aatrox as the most highly contested top laner for solo queue. He’s a no-brainer pickup with how easy yet powerful he is. Garen fares very well in the current landscape of the top lane meta, with Nasus and Aatrox being picked a lot. Garen has been winning a ton in those matchups.

Meta Matchups and Garen’s Strengths

The only meta top lane champion that Garen struggles more against is Camille, making her a good ban choice. What makes Garen such a powerful solo queue champion is that he can deal a lot of damage while remaining very tanky at the same time. There’s just no messing up your combo with Garen, as all his DPS is guaranteed.

Itemization and Build Path

Taking out a squishy target with a single rotation of spells is not difficult when you have your two core items. With W active, it’s almost impossible for enemies to fight back. The core build for Garen revolves around Stridebreaker and Phantom Dancer. From then on, itemization becomes situational.

Keystone Options and Playstyle

Conqueror and Phase Rush are both very strong keystone options for Garen. Phase Rush is almost always a great value for him and is considered the cookie-cutter page to run. However, against comps with little kiting power or mobility, you can opt for Conqueror.

Set in the Current Meta

The solo queue top lane meta will be minimally impacted by the 14.18 changes, so you can continue playing Set with great success. Ever since Riot added Overlord’s Bloodmail to the game, Set has been a staple on the top lane solo carry list due to his incredible fighter potential.

Set’s Versatility in Split Pushing and Team Fighting

Set can impact the game by excelling at both split pushing and team fighting. Adapting to the flow of the game is key, and something that will elevate your Set play is always looking for potential flank angles. If you can get behind the enemy carry, Set becomes one of the most devastating champions.

Set’s Ultimate and Playmaking Potential

With flash and R available, Set is one of the best champions at singling out a fed carry. Even if the enemy ADC gets ahead, if you’re performing well yourself, Set can nullify the enemy bot lane’s advantage. This makes Set and Garen excellent solo queue picks, as they have an easier time dealing with fed squishies.

Worst Matchup and Core Build for Set

The worst matchup for Set in the current meta is Volibear, so we recommend banning him. The core build for Set consists of Stridebreaker into Hullbreaker second, followed by Overlord’s Bloodmail. This build allows Set to be a tanky force while dealing significant damage.

Set’s Rune Page

For Set’s rune page, you’ll want to run Conqueror, Triumph, Alacrity, and Last Stand, followed by Second Wind and Overgrowth as secondary runes. This setup gives Set the sustain and strength needed to thrive in extended fights.

Aatrox as a High-Skill Champion in the Meta

If you’re looking for a more skilled top lane champion who’s incredibly powerful in the meta, Aatrox is the pick. Few top lane champions can match the skirmishing power of Aatrox, especially if he lands all of his Qs. Mastering Aatrox is highly rewarding, giving skilled players incredible carry potential.

Aatrox’s Strengths and Matchups

There’s almost always an angle to win with Aatrox because of how strong his skirmishing capabilities are. Two good bans to consider when picking Aatrox right now are Garen and Fiora, as both are more challenging matchups. There are many viable builds for Aatrox, with lethality and bruiser builds both being strong options.

Itemization for Aatrox

Lethality is generally better suited for comps with squishy champions, while bruiser builds provide more value against other bruisers or tanks. The best rune setup for Aatrox revolves around Conqueror with Triumph, Haste, and Last Stand, while Second Wind and Revitalize are recommended for secondary runes.

Solo Queue Jungle Meta Overview

The solo queue jungle meta is going to remain similar to the last patch, with Udyr kicking off the top three. Udyr is one of the best skirmishing junglers you can play right now due to his early to mid-game power spike, making him a formidable choice in most matchups.

Udyr’s Skirmishing Power

Once you max out your R, Udyr becomes incredibly powerful. His spell deals a lot of damage with the Liandry’s burn constantly proccing, and using his empowered R on an enemy carry in a skirmish not only deals heavy damage but also applies a strong slow.

Udyr’s Core Build and Rune Setup

For Udyr’s core build, prioritize rushing Liandry’s Anguish, followed by Dead Man’s Plate. He struggles against champions with strong peel, so banning a support like Lulu can help mitigate that. The recommended rune page includes Conqueror with other synergies for maximum effectiveness.

Kha’Zix’s Rise as the Top Assassin Jungler

Kha’Zix is back in the top three for jungle in another patch as the best assassin jungler. Over the past patch, Kha’Zix has spiked to holding one of the highest play rates for any jungler in solo queue. This is largely due to his Q buff in patch 14.11 and the repeated buffs to Dark Harvest.

Rune Page and Build Options for Kha’Zix

For the longest time, First Strike was the most popular keystone for Kha’Zix, but that has now changed, with Dark Harvest seeing great success. Many high ELO Kha’Zix players are prioritizing Dark Harvest with Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, and Treasure Hunter. Free Boots and Cosmic Insight are taken for secondaries.

Itemization and Build Variations

There are many variations to Kha’Zix’s builds right now. You can rush Ghostblade to accelerate an early lead or go for Ravenous Hydra to power farm into the mid-game. Both options offer great flexibility based on the game’s pacing and enemy composition.

Meta Junglers to Watch Out For

One meta jungler you may want to consider banning is Amumu. If you don’t snowball the early game, it becomes difficult to out-impact him in late-game fights. Rounding out the top three junglers, Amumu is currently the best team-fighting jungler, especially after Lillia’s nerfs in patch 14.18, which increased Amumu’s priority.

Amumu’s Strengths in Solo Queue

If you are looking for a teamfight jungle pick, Amumu’s mix of damage, tankiness, and crowd control makes him a powerful solo queue champion. Many champions have two of these traits, but Amumu possesses all three, which sets him apart. Rushing Liandry’s makes him a legitimate threat to enemy squishy champions while still being able to peel for fed carries.

Amumu’s Core Build and Rune Setup

The standard two-item core for Amumu that works well in most games is Liandry’s Anguish and Sunfire Aegis, followed by situational tank items. It’s harder to be impactful without access to the enemy backline, so banning a good peel support like Lulu is valuable. The recommended rune page includes Conqueror with Triumph, Haste, and Last Stand, with Cheap Shot and Ultimate Hunter as secondaries.

Garen’s Appearance in Both Top and Mid Lane

Making an appearance in both top and mid lane in this patch is Garen. Garen mid has been pulled out in pro play recently, alongside Nasus mid. Even though Nasus is nerfed this patch, Garen avoids any nerfs. For easy Elo, start queuing mid primary and top secondary with Garen as your pick.

Garen’s Mid Lane Snowball Potential

Top lane Garen is strong right now, but Garen mid is even better. You have more snowball potential mid because the champions you’ll be laning against are easier to burst down by level six. Garen is currently winning over 55% of the time against champions like Yasuo, Katarina, Zed, and Fizz, making him a dominant mid lane pick.

Garen Mid as a Pocket Pick

If you hate playing against Yasuo in solo queue, being able to pull out Garen mid as a pocket pick can completely shut them down. However, you may want to consider banning Lissandra, as her point-and-click lockdown makes it difficult for Garen to be the aggressor.

Core Items and Rune Choices for Garen Mid

The two core items for Garen in every game will be Stridebreaker and Phantom Dancer, with situational items afterward. In melee matchups, Conqueror will be more consistent, but against ranged mids or those with high mobility, Phase Rush offers better value.

Silas’s Versatility in Solo Queue

After being adjusted for several patches, Silas has settled into a great spot for solo queue and is back in the top three for patch 14.18. Silas can be played either as an assassin or a fighter, depending on the enemy composition, which makes him highly versatile.

Silas’s Build and Keystone Choices

Going all-out glass cannon with Lich Bane into Shadowflame and running Electrocute as the keystone rune offers incredible snowball power against squishier compositions. However, with Riot adding health scaling to Silas’s W heal, an AP bruiser build has become more viable as well.

Rocketbelt and Cosmic Drive Build for Silas

Running Rocketbelt into Cosmic Drive is a completely viable option for Silas, especially in games where the enemy composition is more durable. With Lissandra coming back into the meta for mid lane, even though she got nerfed this patch, she is still a strong ban option for Silas due to her lockdown abilities that make skirmishing difficult.

Silas’s Strengths and Threats

Silas thrives when he can stick around in fights and use W off cooldown to constantly heal. Champions with reliable crowd control are the biggest threat to Silas’s playstyle. Avoiding such matchups will help you leverage his healing and skirmishing potential to its fullest.

Nafiri as a Solo Queue Mid Pick

Nafiri fits very well into solo queue right now due to her favorable meta matchups and simplicity. Her low skill floor compared to other assassins means you won’t need many games to see good results. However, Lissandra remains a challenging matchup for Nafiri, making her a valuable ban.

Nafiri’s Playstyle and Runes

Nafiri’s point-and-click engage with W makes her assassination plays consistent and allows her to isolate the enemy carry easily. Her laning is strong for a melee assassin due to the poke power from Q. By playing safely and whittling enemies down with Q, you can set up lethal W engagements. Running Comet as a keystone amplifies this poke even further, enhancing her laning phase.

Standard Build for Nafiri

Our Challenger player Hector recently showcased the standard build for Nafiri, which consists of rushing Eclipse, followed by Ravenous Hydra as the second item, and Serylda’s Grudge as the third. This build offers versatility and a mix of damage and sustain, making it effective in various matchups.

Jinx’s Return to the Top Three

The ADC meta is shifting again, with Jinx returning to the top three. She has been directly buffed this patch, with an increase in her attack speed growth. While she wasn’t in a bad spot before, this buff makes her even more versatile, allowing her to opt for either a lethality or crit build depending on the enemy composition.

Jinx’s Build Options and Bans

The lethality build is best when the enemy team is full of squishy champions, as the upfront burst will be more valuable. Against tanks or bruisers, however, the crit build remains the best option. Since Jinx lacks a gap closer, banning meta dive champions like Kha’Zix or Zed is a good strategy to keep her safe.

Kai’Sa’s Indirect Strengths in This Patch

Kai’Sa gains indirect strength in this patch as Draven and Miss Fortune lose power due to Bloodthirster nerfs, and Jhin is weakened by the Fleet Footwork nerfs. This gives Kai’Sa a better chance to close the gap and return to prominence in the ADC meta.

Kai’Sa’s Surprising Synergy with Ranged Supports

It’s interesting because, in theory, Kai’Sa should perform better with melee supports that help her apply her passive faster. However, she’s finding much better success with Senna and Nami. Both of these champions are strong in the current meta, and Kai’Sa boasts an impressive 55.4% win rate with them, which is remarkable.

Kai’Sa’s Core Build and Rune Setup

Nautilus is the most common support paired with Kai’Sa, but their duo win rate is only 47%, which is quite low. To maximize Kai’Sa’s potential, the core build should start with a Statikk Shiv rush, followed by Rageblade second and Nashor’s Tooth third. For her rune page, run Press the Attack with Triumph, Alacrity, and Cut Down, alongside Free Boots and Biscuits for secondaries.

Jhin’s Strengths Despite Fleet Footwork Nerfs

Rounding out the top three ADCs and maintaining his spot from last patch is Jhin. Even with the nerfs to Fleet Footwork, Jhin has been one of the best solo queue ADCs lately. The nerfs to Fleet won’t hurt him as much as other ADCs, so his relative power should remain strong.

Jhin’s Meta Build and Considerations

The current meta build for Jhin includes rushing Statikk Shiv and going for Rapid Firecannon second. While this build works well, it can feel underwhelming against tankier compositions, where Jhin’s damage output may struggle to keep up. Adjusting his build in such matchups can help mitigate these challenges.

Optimizing Jhin’s Midgame Spike

For solo queue, we recommend delaying Rapid Firecannon until the third item and grabbing Infinity Edge second. This way, Jhin will have more damage for the midgame and won’t need to wait for three full items to start dealing meaningful damage. Banning dive champions like Kha’Zix or Zed, who are difficult to play into as Jhin, is a good strategy.

Jhin’s Standard Rune Page

Jhin’s standard rune page revolves around Fleet Footwork, with Presence of Mind, Bloodline, and Cut Down as the primary runes. For secondaries, take Celerity and Gathering Storm. This setup gives Jhin the sustain and scaling needed to stay impactful throughout the game.

Senna’s Continued Dominance in Patch 14.18

Miraculously avoiding nerfs in patch 14.18, Senna remains the number one solo queue support. The nerfs from patch 14.17 didn’t do much to reduce her strength, as she was already overpowered prior to the changes. Now, she’s just at a more balanced but still very strong level.

Senna’s Build Adaptability

Senna feels great right now because of the flexibility in her builds. The enchanter setup of Echo of Helia and Moonstone Renewer works well in most games, and if you want a single, consistent build, this is the best choice. However, Black Cleaver is also a viable option, especially when facing heavy dive compositions or tanky enemies, as the armor shred provides incredible value.