So, Patch 14.9 hit live servers this week, bringing a ton of buffs, nerfs, and more changes. Today, we’re going to discuss these changes and explore how this patch has affected the meta so far. Remember, this is the last patch of this ranked split, so it’s time to grind and climb before it’s too late.

Item and Champion Updates

The nerfs to items like Sunfire Aegis, Sterak’s Gage, Eclipse, and Hexdrinker have impacted the meta, hitting certain fighters and bruisers that relied on some of these items. However, most of them have either continued to be successful or built alternatives. Meta-dominant champions like Fiora, Camille, and Darius continue to be a serious force in the top lane.

Specific Champion Changes

This patch, we had buffs to Kennen and nerfs to Olaf, Skarner, Urgot, and Aatrox. Kennen’s buffs were significant, as his ultimate can now be cast while moving, which is an amazing change and has instantly been reflected in his whopping jump in win rate. Kennen has been a niche pick for so long and just needed that little boost to pop back into the meta, and with a jump of almost 3% in his win rate in Emerald plus, he’s now up there in the S tier.

Top Lane Dynamics

Urgot has been a solid top lane pick for most of this season, and even though those bruiser items did get nerfed, he’s been more reliant on items like Heartbreaker and Black Cleaver than other options, so he hasn’t had too much of a problem. He did get some specific nerfs to his armor growth too, but it hasn’t been enough to take him out of the S tier.

Adjustments to Aatrox and Skarner

Despite Aatrox’s pretty low pick rate, he’s had some insane stats in both solo lanes for a very long time now, and these adjustments are definitely more nerfs than anything else. Nerfing his Q’s movement speed and damage to minions and slightly tweaking his ultimate damage, we’ve got Aatrox in the A tier at the moment. Seeing how he’s still been strong in the right matchups since this patch, we’re going to keep him there for the time being. Skarner’s nerfs have also been noted, but without major impact.

Champion Adjustments in the Jungle and Top Lane

This week’s adjustments were once again aimed at forcing certain champions out of the top lane and keeping them in the jungle, with nerfs to their mana regeneration and maximum Q damage, as well as nerfing their W max options. It’s safe to say that one champion has finally taken a real hit in the top lane this patch, seeing a loss of almost 3.5% to his win rate, but his jungle performance is still strong enough to keep him competitive. In the top lane, however, he does fall down to tier 8.

Olaf’s Balancing Act

Olaf received buffs again in the jungle with more Q monster damage but was nerfed in the top lane with five less damage on his Q and fewer resistances on his ultimate. This nerf has been enough to see him move down from the S tier to the A tier, with a loss of around 2% to his success rate so far this patch.

Let’s have a look at the top lane tier list then, where we have Camille, Darius, Fiora, Gragas, Jax, Kayle, Kennen, Sett, Urgot, and Vayne. Kayle is just an amazing option right now, and with some of her more difficult matchups being hit by the item nerfs, she’s continuing to be a real problem. Sett joins the S tier this patch too, after proving he’s not someone to be underestimated.

Jungle Adjustments and Updates

In the jungle, we had buffs to Amumu and Sani, and nerfs to Evelynn, Master Yi, and Skarner. Some changes to Bel’Veth have also been made. We’ve already spoken about Skarner, and Master Yi’s nerf to his E surprisingly had a massive impact, bringing him down from the S tier all the way to the B tier.

Sani’s buffs also brought her back up into the B tier from the C tier. Amumu has been pretty absent so far this season, aside from always being a really staple pick to play at low ranks, but this patch he got some buffs to his base AD and armor. Now, this didn’t make him broken all of a sudden, but it has made him more relevant and seen enough of a boost to bring him up to the A tier.

Evelynn and Bel’Veth’s Performance Shift

Evelynn received a nerf to her W slow and another nerf to her ultimate AP ratio, taking it down from 75% to 65%. Evelynn has been a real problem, especially in the hands of smurfs and one-trick ponies, for quite some time now, but this patch has really put a dent in her performance, and for the first time in a long time, she moves down into the B tier.

Bel’Veth has been super strong for most of this season, especially in Emerald plus, so it’s about time we saw some changes. With a drop to her win rate of approximately 1.5%, she moves out of the EST. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a really strong skirmisher and is great when things go to plan, but she’s just not quite as freelo as she has been recently. Let’s have a look at the jungle tier list next.

Current Jungle and Mid Lane Meta

In the jungle, we see champions like Brand, Ivern, Kindred, Lein, Rek’Sai, Skarner, and Viego making significant impacts. Lein was initially overpowered when this patch first went live due to a bug with his Q2 dealing absurd amounts of extra damage, which has since been fixed. He remains in the S tier, however. Viego continues to be one of the strongest and scariest junglers you can play right now, and Shaco, often overlooked, has risen for the first time in a long while to join him in the S tier. Don’t overlook the jester this patch.

Mid Lane Shifts and Updates

Moving into the mid lane, we had buffs to Malzahar that didn’t really make much of a difference, and some nerfs to Ahri, Aurelion Sol, Kassadin, and Taliyah. Ahri has been immensely strong since players discovered how effective she is with Malignant in her arsenal. Despite nerfs to her ultimate’s cooldown at later ranks and the base damage on her W, she remains in the S tier due to her consistent performance and high contest rate.

Aurelion Sol and Kassadin Adjustments

Aurelion Sol, another mid lane powerhouse, has seen a nerf to his E’s AP ratio which has surprisingly made a noticeable difference, bringing him down from the S tier to the A tier. He remains a scaling beast with tons of AoE damage and carry potential, but he’s not quite as consistent so far this patch. Kassadin’s nerf was to his AP ratio on his E, which also saw him fall into the A tier.

Impact on the Mid Lane Tier List

Taliyah received some nerfs to her ultimate’s mana cost and bonus damage to monsters, which hasn’t really had a significant impact on her success rate so far. Looking at the broader mid lane tier list, we have Ahri, Anivia, Brand, Galio, Katarina, Sylas, and Twisted Fate all maintaining positions in the S tier. Galio and Ahri have both proven that they’re here to stay this patch, and Anivia continues to be one of the highest performing mages in the game across most ranks, boasting a whopping 54% win rate.

Support Changes This Patch

For supports this patch, there were buffs for Karma and Seraphine, and nerfs to Blitzcrank and Pyke, and of course, some adjustments to Janna who’s still excelling so far this patch as expected. She remains the strongest and most consistent support.

Karma and Seraphine: Support and Beyond

Karma is a peculiar champion in Solo Queue. She often seems irrelevant for large periods and then receives a few buffs, becoming extremely powerful in both support and solo lanes to the point where she is eventually nerfed heavily, which is exactly what happened earlier this season.

This patch, Riot buffed her Q slow and her R&E combo, granting more movement speed. Although these buffs were aimed at supporting Karma rather than making her overpowered again in solo lanes, it seems like she needs much more attention to climb the tiers. As a result, she hasn’t really moved much in terms of her stats and will remain in the B tier for now.

Seraphine’s Versatility and Blitzcrank’s Adjustments

Seraphine is another support who can be extremely effective in other roles, such as being played as an AP carry in the bot lane. Surprisingly, this patch, Riot gave her a boost to her Q’s AP ratio. With this change, we’ve seen an improvement in support Seraphine, who moves up to the A tier, but also has shot back up into the S tier as an AP carry in the bot lane.

Blitzcrank has always been an incredible pick in Solo Queue, and no amount of nerfs will really change the fact that his hooks have the ability to carry any game in the right hands. However, Blitz has been a tad over-consistent recently. This week, his passive shield’s duration was nerfed from 10 seconds down to four, and his W’s movement speed was reduced, which has been enough to move him out of the S tier and into the A tier for the first time this season.

Pike’s Adjustments and Continuing Viability

Pyke has also been a great Solo Queue carry pick. This patch, his W’s mana cost was nerfed, along with his overall power. Pyke has been going through a bit of a purple patch recently and has been consistently performing at the top of his game for the last few months. To us, it’s expected to see a bit of a nerf, and that is exactly what this is—a relatively small nerf, to be honest.

All this has really done is marginally weaken his roaming power and reduce his ability to use the fog of war to his advantage to gank lanes and look for picks. However, if you are a Pyke main, you’ll be happy to know that he remains a strong choice.

Pyke’s Status in the Current Meta

Pyke remains an incredibly strong pick and continues to hold a spot in the S tier. Now, let’s take a look at the tier list. In the S tier, we have Brand, Janna, Nami, Pyke, Rakan, Sona, and Thresh. There is so much choice at the moment in this role; the S tier is packed full of amazing options.

Diversity in Support Options

While the S tier offers a variety of excellent choices, the A tier also boasts plenty of strong options. Enchanters like Lulu and Yuumi are perfect picks in the right games, especially with hyper carries. Meanwhile, tanky engaging supports such as Leona and Braum are proving to be great options for carrying games.

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