If you’re a jungler I’m sure you had a mini heart-attack when you saw the words “Terrain Update”. Have no fear, today we’ll be breaking down what exactly happened on the Rift in 10.12 and reviewing the impact of each Terrain.

Elemental Terrain

At this point I’m sure we’re all aware that Summoner’s Rift changes dramatically based on what Dragon Soul is up for grabs in a given game. But here’s a quick refresher; there are 4 different Rifts that can appear once a total of two Dragons have been slain. The Rifts reflect the element associated with the Dragon Soul - Mountainous, Ocean, Infernal and Cloud.

Breakdown of Each Element

Mountain: Mountain Dragon Soul causes seismic shifts throughout Summoner’s Rift. New rock walls and boulders will erupt out of the ground and create smaller spaces and new choke points in each jungle quadrant (2 per quadrant). As well as, a new wall in front of the Dragon pit, making it hard to enter and/or fight around the pit. This terrain essentially makes fighting in the jungles and around Dragon more dangerous as there is less room to kit in (champions with large AOE abilities are happiest here).

 

Ocean: Ocean Dragon Soul invigorates Summoner’s Rift with new life. Existing brush around the Dragon pit and buff pits are expanded (roughly doubling in size). And new brushes inside and cresting the outside of the Dragon pit will spring up. Honeyfruit plants also expand into each of the jungle quadrants, typically around each buff pit. This terrain essentially presents players with even more ambush spots in the jungle and bottom side river. The increase in fruit means poking enemy champions down becomes a bit harder to do (assuming spawns are up). It also has calming rain VFX and nice little flowers growing out of every bush.

Infernal: Infernal Dragon Soul scorches Summoner’s Rift, removing brush and opening new pathways in the jungles. Red and Blue buff pits are broken up, two additional entrances are formed on the sides of the pit. The bushes around them are burned and removed from the Rift. This terrain essentially allows for easier movement between lanes and reduces the amount of ambush spots in either jungle.

10.12 Infernal Additions: Once Infernal Dragon Soul is on the board, Summoner’s can expect to find 10 (yes ten!) new Blast Cones. Blast Cones will now spawn: In the tri-bush nearest both Gromp camps, near both the Wolf camps, in front of EACH of the base gates and in both the alcoves.

Cloud: Cloud Dragon Soul affects the atmosphere around Summoner’s Rift. Strong air currents are created around the buff pits and dragon pit. Walking through these areas will increase the movement speed of champions moving through the area. This terrain essentially allows for easier rotations and, depending on the game state, farming paths in the jungle.


10.12 Cloud Additions: The new movement speed is now 35% movement speed if you are out of combat vs. champions (increased from 20% always). Cloud Rift now also spawns additional Scryer’s Blooms in front of each of the base gates and in each river tri-brush.

Impact of the 10.12 Changes

The two Rifts affected were the Infernal and Cloud versions of Summoner’s Rift.

Infernal: This version of the Infernal Rift feels a bit out of character as in addition to the scorched and more open Summoner’s Rift, there’s Blast Cones. It goes against what the theme of the Rift has previously set up. (Red indicates Infernal Rift Blast Cone spawns, orange indicates generic Blast Cone spawns).

Once Infernal Soul is revealed and the rift is scorched, Blast Cones will begin spawning in both alcoves. They can be extremely impactful if the first two dragons have been taken early on into the game. However, I would say that the later the game goes on the less impactful they become. During laning phase they can be used to engage and disengage fights by either the laners or the junglers (especially when using fog of war).

The earliest you could possibly get to Infernal Rift is roughly 10 minutes (first Dragon spawns at 5 minutes and each subsequent Dragon spawns 5 minutes after slaying the existing one). If your jungler is quick about taking them, your lane use of these Cones could make them worthwhile. However, without a mid to late game split pusher, these might be the least impactful Cones overall.

Blast Cones will also spawn outside the bases and honestly feel pretty average. Teams can enter enemy bases during sieges to kick off fights a bit easier. Or they can be used for escaping into your team's base when being chased, the Cone can be used to propel you to safety and the enemy further away from you. However, neither of these uses feel extremely game breaking as most champions have some way of either going over walls or through the turrets with ease.


Finally, Blast Cones will spawn at the Gromp and Wolf camps and these feel the most impactful right now. They can make for some pretty interesting ganking or ambush plays (with proper vision of course). They’re particularly a big help when racing to neutral objectives such as Baron or Dragon. If a team has been forced out of the jungle for long enough (or if their vision just wasn't good to begin with) the Cones can be used to hop over walls and quickly take out an enemy champion or two. Or they can simply get you across the map faster and give the enemy less time to react to the plays your team is making.

Where the Cones really stand out though is being able to change them all together (sorry alcove Blast Cones). You can essentially take a Blast Cone from your base to the river while barely touching the ground. When fighting around these neutral objectives now, you’ve got to consider whether these are available to the enemy. The number of people in fights can change very quickly. However, be careful not to blast over too quickly and feed the enemy team at never before seen speeds!

Cloud: This version of the Cloud Rift feels like a straight quality of life change from the previous version. The movement speed changes really make you feel rewarded for walking through the jungle, as opposed to running through a lane. (Teal indicates Cloud Rift Scryer Bloom spawns, blue indicates generic Scryer Bloom spawns).

The Scryer Blooms outside of the bases are more important to the team that's behind or has just lost pressure on the map. They provide a great way to clear vision without using sweepers or red wards. Or if your team isn't in a position to leave the base, the Blooms let you check for the enemy team before trying to challenge Baron or Dragon.

The two new tri-brush Scryer Bloom's are more important when fighting around objectives. Either team can sweep the Baron or Dragon pit. Alternatively, they can be used to scout the enemy jungle and remove vision from the river entrances. However, unless you're posturing around a neutral objective or pushing the lane near one of the Blooms, they won't be as useful as the base gate Blooms.

The Scryer’s Blooms aren’t the most game breaking things, but they do offer a large increase to vision control. At maximum there can be three Scryer’s Blooms on each side of the river. Think of all the free sweeps you’ll get without having to expend a red ward or sweeper lens (supports rejoice!). These are especially great, because you can move around the jungle quadrants faster to clear due to that sweet 35% movement speed buff.

Overall, teams need to be very aware that both of these improved Rifts present ways of moving through the jungle faster. Uneven fights can become even and vice versa very quickly. There is also the possibility of some very interesting siege and counter siege opportunities with either the Cones to go in or the Blooms to control vision.