League of Legends Guide

17 Dec 20

Guides

chaptersxo

Preseason Update: Notable Changes for Ranked, Itemization, and Meta

Insight into the preseason update and how you can utilize notable changes to prepare for the 2021 season!

The final update of 2020 is upon us and with it, a wave of buffs and nerfs across champions and items as well as some changes to ranked. Learn how it impacts the rift and how you can adapt to make the most before the 2021 season. From the introduction of the mythic items to champion changes, this preseason has been a learning experience for everyone. With a closer look, patch 10.25 will be the last set of changes made before the ranked season of 2021. For those still learning the new state of LoL, here is an insight into key aspects to take into consideration for this patch to help your understanding and create new strategies!

A new champion enters Summoner's Rift

Rell Splash Art

The most notable addition coming in 10.25 is the introduction of Rell. The Iron Maiden makes her way to live servers in the patch after her presence in PBE. Bruisers continue to have a high pick and success rate and Rell is no exception. While the champion lacks attack speed, she makes up for it with her CC ability and massive AoE stun radius. At the current rate that LoL games are playing out, being very quick with lots of action, having a very skilled Rell on your side could be a crucial win condition in certain matchups.

Changes to Roles and Meta

If you've played or watched ranked LoL since the beginning of preseason, it has been easy to gauge which champions are popular picks in all roles on the rift. With 10.25, you can expect changes to popular picks in these roles. Here are some notable champion changes within each role!

Top Lane Icon

The top lane will see some crucial changes to bruisers and tanks to help them maintain a more sustainable playstyle that goes beyond relying on specific items. Notable champions that are receiving buffs are Mordekaiser, Pantheon, and Irelia. Players will see a nerf on Kayle in the top lane to mitigate her overperformance.

Jungler Icon

Jungle has undoubtedly been a significant role so far and although some champions will see nerfs, it should remain impactful in conjunction with new items, XP gain, and clear speed. Amumu and Kayn will see nerfs to their kits to decrease their overwhelming power in the jungle whereas Karthus, Ekko, Gragas, and Ivern will see buffs to help perform at an impactful level.

Mid Lane Icon

Mid lane will see unexpected work on Anivia. The champion will see buffs to most of her kit however a slight nerf to her ultimate to keep her balanced but viable. Fizz has been a very popular pick due to his impact with mythic items. He will see a decrease in mana growth in the patch. Brothers Yone and Yasuo will both see an increase in their attack speed in accordance with mythic items.

Bot Lane Icon

AD Carry has proven to give marksmen champions increased value in preseason so far. Samira will be seeing a nerf to her knock-up ability with new items. Jhin will see a trim to his crit ability and damage ratio decreased. Twitch will see a buff in both AP and AD departments but will be monitored accordingly to ensure he does not over-perform.

Support Icon

Lastly, support will see Lulu will be seeing a bit of a buff to her Q ability however removal of her falloff damage to keep her in balance. With the introduction of Rell, We will certainly have to see how she performs with new items and how the meta decides to shift.

10.25 and beyond will more than likely see the trend of bruisers, AP assassins, marksmen, and mages being predominant aspects of team compositions with optimal picks for each category and role on the rift. If you're looking for champions to learn fast and climb even quicker, note some of the buffs and nerfs, as well as champion pick rates with the introduction of 10.25.

Notable Item Changes

Ever since the introduction of mythic items, build paths and itemization has been tested relentlessly. 10.25 will see some changes to certain mythic and legendary items for roles to hopefully pace games out at an enjoyable and equal rate across all roles.

ADC Crit Items IE Lord Dominicks Galeforce Essence Reaver PD

Crit items will help ADCs scale nicely throughout the midgame into endgame spikes.

Preseason 11 Support Items Ardent Imperial Bandleglass Locket Putrifier

Support items will see cost reduction, some buffs and nerfs to certain items, and an increase in average items per game.

Preseason 11 Tank Items Bami's Sunfire Iceborn Chemtank

Tanks will see a nerf to some items including increased cost, reduced health, and shortened durations.

Ranked

Players will see very small but impactful changes to ranked in the 2021 season. For starters, Riot is creating a more forgiving rank reset experience. This is designed with the goal to get players closer to their expected rank at a faster rate. For higher elo players, Diamond will now see the same decay system as Master, Grandmaster, and Challenger. It'll be important to maintain a consistent playtime if you don't want to fall out of your higher rank.

Concluding Thoughts

Related articles