There’s a new broken Rune setup that many pros have started running on their ADCs, involving the brand new Rune, Jack of All Trades. Neury has suddenly turned into an OP mid as a result of her buffs.

Top Lane Changes and Aatrox Build

Starting things off in the Top Lane, some of the more interesting changes of the patch were issued to Aatrox, with a bunch of his healing being shifted around in his kit. Aatrox’s win rate has remained about the same as last patch, but we think the champ is in a much better spot for this reason.

Optimal Builds for Aatrox

Due to the changes, Aatrox can now run Bruiser builds, which are no longer heavily outclassed by lethality. This allows the champ to be a more versatile pick, as running Bruiser into a more tanky comp will feel much better than going lethality. The optimal core build consists of a Sundered Sky rush into Black Cleaver second and Sterak’s Gage third.

Tier List Placement and Yorick Buffs

Even though Aatrox’s win rate has remained the same this patch, we think the champ is much more well-rounded overall, pushing him into S tier. Yorick has also become a strong pick in the meta with the indirect buff from Patch 14.12, due to the buff to Serpent’s Fang, a core item on Yorick. However, he still has bad matchups against champions like Tryndamere, Renekton, and Irelia.

Yorick’s Performance Against Top Lane Champions

If you pick Yorick in the right spot, he’s performing exceptionally well into top laners who lack a gap closer, like Darius, Nasus, and Garen. All of those champions are spammed a ton in low ELO, so Yorick is definitely a top laner we’d recommend right now if you’re trying to climb from Platinum or below.

Top Lane Tier List Midway Through Patch 14.12

Taking a look at the Top Lane Tier List as we reach the midway point of 14.12, Sett is now going to be joined by Volibear in the OP tier. Volibear Top, with his brand new hybrid build, is just such a powerful pick right now.

Keystone and Runes for Volibear

You can run Grasp or Press the Attack for the Keystone Rune, but what’s most important is that you take the Jack of All Trades Rune. This rune gives you 25 bonus adaptive damage if you have 10 different unique stats from your items, and this build provides exactly that.

Adjustments to the Top Lane Tier List

Other than Volibear moving up into OP tier, the general outlook on the Top Lane Tier List remains the same as pre-patch. Moving both Tryndamere and Twisted Fate down into A tier has turned out to be good adjustments as the champions are still viable but just not in that upper percentile.

Shyvana’s New Setup in the Jungle

It’s not just Volibear who has been taking advantage of the new Jack of All Trades Rune. There’s a new setup for Shyvana Jungle that has helped push her up the Tier List. The rune page revolves around running Fleet Footwork for the Keystone Rune with Triumph, Haste, and Cut Down, while the secondaries are Cashback and Jack of All Trades.

Shyvana’s Optimal Build

The build to go along with this rune page is Spear of Shojin rush into Liandry’s second and Riftmaker third.

Emerging Power of Shyvana’s New Rune Setup

You’re not able to get the max value out of Jack of All Trades like you are with the Volibear build; however, you do get 10 bonus adaptive damage for having five unique stats from your items. The entire rune setup provides Shyvana with much more power. Players who run Fleet are winning way more than those using Grasp or Dark Harvest, from Iron up to Emerald.

Recommendation for Shyvana

We recommend giving this setup a go on Shyvana for this patch. The champion is more challenging to succeed with in elite brackets of play, but for the majority of ranks, she’s a solid pick for 14.12.

Jungle Role Adjustments in Patch 14.12

There isn’t much new to discuss for the Jungle role in 14.12, so let’s jump into the Tier List. This patch was pretty light for the role, with Rek’Sai, Master Yi, and Skarner as the only champions adjusted. Rek’Sai and Skarner nerfs have landed close to expectations as they are still strong picks despite their changes.

Impact on Master Yi

Master Yi’s changes ended up harsher than expected. He went from a sub-48% win rate jungler in 14.10, up to a 52% win rate in 14.11, and is now back down to around 48% in 14.12. Losing the damage to monsters from Q likely pushed Yi down the most.

Tier List Adjustments for Master Yi

Master Yi’s Q is vital for his clear, making him much worse off now. We had moved Yi down into the A tier for the pre-patch Tier List, but we’re shifting him down one tier further for mid-patch.

Rising Performance of Nafiri in Mid Lane

Arguably the biggest winner of the entire patch and now back to being an OP tier mid is Nafiri. The changes seemed massive on paper and have played out that way, with Nafiri gaining about a 3% win rate due to the buffs. More packmate damage and a lower cooldown on Q allow Nafiri to dominate in lane and take over games easily.

Optimal Assassin Choices for Mid Lane

If you’re looking to add an assassin to your champion pool for mid lane or just want a new champion in general, Nafiri is definitely one of the more optimal options now.

Mid Lane Meta in Patch 14.12

For the mid lane meta in 14.12, everything has played out to our general expectations. OP tier is locked down by three champions: Brand, Vex, and Nafiri. We moved Ahri, Akali, and Twisted Fate down the Tier List during the pre-patch update due to their nerfs, and these adjustments have proven effective.

Impact of First Strike Nerfs

Champs influenced by the First Strike nerfs have shown varied outcomes. Syndra has lost the most power due to the lack of a strong alternative keystone, and her win rate has dropped significantly. Viktor, on the other hand, has maintained performance with Aery, so the nerf hasn’t affected him as much.

Effects of Recent Buffs

Besides Nafiri, we saw buffs for Talon, Vladimir, and Yone in 14.12, making them marginally stronger. Out of these, the Vladimir buffs were the most impactful, placing him in the mid lane A tier.

Emergence of Jack of All Trades on ADCs

A strategy likely to become more popular in upcoming patches is running Jack of All Trades on ADCs. This rune is underrated on ADCs because you can get the 10 adaptive damage from the rune on your first recall.

How to Utilize Jack of All Trades on ADCs

To gain the 10 adaptive damage, you need five unique stats from items. By building Doran’s Blade, Boots, and a Dagger, you achieve these stats early. For someone like Ezreal, building a Tear can replace the Dagger as a unique stat.

ADCs Benefiting from Jack of All Trades

The ADCs that pros are currently running Jack of All Trades on include Sivir, Jhin, Ezreal, Varus, and Miss Fortune, but it can work on most ADCs. For example, while not many players use the rune on Kai’Sa, it performs better than Biscuits analytically. The idea is to gain the 10 bonus AD early in lane, providing a slight advantage in trades over the enemy ADC.

Ezreal’s Buff and Bot Lane Meta in Patch 14.12

The biggest winner in the bot lane for Patch 14.12 was definitely Ezreal. We underestimated his buff when making the pre-patch Tier List, so we’re pushing Ezreal up further for mid-patch. Ezreal was directly buffed, and with more players running Jack of All Trades, his analytical performance is improving.

Impact of Jack of All Trades on Ezreal

The strength of Jack of All Trades wasn’t considered in the pre-patch Tier List, but it’s a significant factor for Ezreal’s rise in mid-patch. Jack of All Trades currently has the highest win rate for any secondary rune on Ezreal, but only 11% of players are using it in solo queue.

Recommended Rune Page for Ezreal

Here’s a look at the rune page many Korean pro Ezreal players are using this patch, which differs from the general player base. Instead of Bloodline, they are swapping it out for Haste and taking Cut Down instead of Coup de Grace. Cut Down is much more valuable for Ezreal after its changes, as it provides more consistent value when poking with Q.

Secondary Runes and Setup Adjustments

For the secondary page, drop Magical Footwear and take Jack of All Trades. This rune setup has over a 2% better win rate than the more popular page. Once all Ezreal players switch to it, he could be in a spot where Riot might consider nerfing him. Currently, Ezreal is just below S tier but is held back by players running suboptimal setups.

ADC Tier List Adjustments for Mid-Patch

Let’s take a look at the ADC Tier List for mid-patch. The OP tier remains unchanged, with Jinx and Jhin continuing as two of the most powerful carries. Several champions are moving up into S tier for mid-patch, with Zeri thriving in particular.

Changes in ADC and Support Meta for Patch 14.12

The new Statikk Shiv, along with Nila being a great user of Jack of All Trades, has led us to bump Nila up in the Tier List. Her base stat buffs have landed her in a spot where she deserves a push back into S tier. With three champions moving up into S tier for mid-patch, we’re shifting Lucian down into A tier as he’s no longer at the S tier level with many other ADCs becoming stronger.

Corki’s Performance and Tier Adjustments

Corki’s adjustments have turned out to be more detrimental than expected, making him one of the weakest ADCs in the meta. Even with the buffs to his Q, E max is still performing better, which is surprising since E max was nerfed hard. Corki, Aphelios, and Kalista are currently on a level below the others and are placed in C tier. Draven is being moved to B tier as he’s not quite as weak as those three.

Meta Shift in Melee Support Builds

There has been a significant meta shift in builds for melee supports in 14.12, with Warmog’s Armor now being an optimal pickup for many of them. If you caught our OP builds for the patch, you would know that Leona and Rell were noted as supports that many pros had been favoring Warmog’s on. The item has now become popular on a variety of melee supports, including Alistar, Rakan, Poppy, Nautilus, and Thresh.

Reasons for the Rise of Warmog’s Armor

The emergence of this strategy started with a somewhat overlooked buff back in patch 14.10, where Riot increased the health on Warmog’s from 700 to 1,000. Warmog’s was never a staple purchase on many champions, so it took about a patch for players to realize the value from that buff. The extra health amplifies skirmish power while the health regeneration passive is excellent for the chaotic nature of solo queue.

Benefits of Warmog’s Armor

The most underrated aspect of Warmog’s is that it provides a total of 15% movement speed. You get a flat 5% from the item and another 10% if your health is above the threshold. This allows supports to stay on the map longer and create more opportunities in the mid-game by avoiding resets after small skirmishes.

Effectiveness of Warmog’s Armor on Melee Supports

If you haven’t taken damage within the last 6 seconds, Warmog’s Armor provides you with a substantial health regeneration passive. Combine this with Swiftness Boots, and you can be extremely active around the map, which is crucial for melee supports.

Warmog’s Armor as a Must-Buy for Melee Supports

Aside from Warmog’s becoming a must-buy rush item on many melee supports, the overall placement of champions on the Tier List doesn’t change much for mid-patch. The OP tier remains the same as pre-patch with Braum, Leona, and Nami.

Tier List Updates and Karma’s Ascension

Karma is being moved up the Tier List for mid-patch as her buffs have turned out to be relatively impactful. In pre-patch, we noted that the scaling-focused buffs might not be significant due to Karma’s early game dominance, but she has seen about a 2% spike in win rate and is moving up to A tier.

New Build for Karma

Another factor for moving Karma into A tier is a new build with Imperial Mandate and Echo of Helia, outperforming other builds. Karma’s E was buffed, making her more of an enchanter rather than a pokey enchanter mage mix.

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