8.24b is the last official patch of 2018, and the only change the LoL community will see from Riot until early next year. Though it lacks cosmetic content, 8.24b has plenty of balance changes aimed at shaking up the meta during the offseason, including plenty of nerfs to overperforming picks and buffs to some B-tier champs. While not every change will be listed here, the most significant ones will be talked about in-depth.

Akali

The Rogue Assassin has been a thorn in the sides of solo queue players everywhere, despite having dropped to under 50% winrate. Though arguably underpowered, her near-immunity to towers and the difficulty in hurting her while in her Shroud means that Akali has continued to have a high ban rate and no shortage of detractors.

However, the nerfs in 8.24b might finally be what she needs to be less oppressive. Staying visible - though still untargetable - for a brief moment before stealthing or re-stealthing means that Akali is vulnerable for longer, allowing champions with area-of-effect damage to punish her more effectively. On top of that, she takes significantly longer to re-stealth upon entering her shroud, which extends her moments of vulnerability for even longer.

Though the Twilight Shroud duration nerf from 8.24 was reverted, these changes ultimately make Akali significantly easier to deal with, especially for mages with untargeted abilities like Syndra's Dark Sphere or Orianna's Command: Attack.

Pyke

Support Pyke hasn't been all too strong over the last few patches, but mid lane Pyke has proven to be quite hard to deal with. Excellent sustain, coupled with better-than-expected waveclear, has allowed the Bloodharbor Ripper to function in a role he was never really supposed to be in.

8.24b should be end of Pyke's mid lane career, however. Nerfs to his magic resistance per level and damage to minions means that Pyke is significantly weaker to magic damage poke and can't waveclear as effectively. On top of that, the execute threshold on Death From Below also took a hit at later levels, weakening solo lane Pyke further. Though the Bloodharbor Ripper will still likely remain a terror in the botlane, his reign over mid is probably over.

Varus

It might be classified as a "simple buff," but make no mistake - Varus got a huge power-up this patch. Dealing up to 21% of his target's missing HP with a W-empowered Piercing Arrow means that Varus will be able to chunk tanks and annihilate squishies with a single ability. If he builds lethality as well, Varus's squishy-bursting potential climbs even higher.

While most on-hit carries have fallen out of favor with the nerf to Guinsoo's Rageblade, this buff alone could keep Varus in the meta for quite some time. Though he's still just as vulnerable to divers and assassin as other immobile marksmen, Varus's sheer damage output means that opposing teams can't let him set up on objectives and poke them down.

Forbidden Idol

Enchanters have been out of the meta for quite some time now, but 8.24b may be what brings them back into the spotlight. Buffs to Forbidden Idol's cooldown reduction, as well as the "heal and shield power" stat that its upgrades provide, are both pretty substantial changes for underloved champs like Janna and Lulu. Ultimately, the changes mean enchanters will be dishing out heals and shields faster in fights and will be healing/shielding their targets for more.

Though this doesn't help them deal with tank supports in lane, it does give enchanters an edge in mid- to lategame teamfights and slows down the amount of damage enemy assassins and divers can deal. It's unclear whether or not this will bring them back into the meta, but if you're an enchanter player, you'll certainly get more mileage on your preferred picks.

Tiamat

125 gold doesn't seem like much, but this is actually a pretty big nerf to Tiamat and to toplane bruisers. An increase in Tiamat's price means that champions who use it have a significantly longer delay on completing their first item, potentially weakening them as the midgame begins. Most melee toplaners will probably still build an early Tiamat to keep the wave pushed out, but there are certainly more trade-offs now than there were before.

Turret Buffs

Before 8.24b, turrets fell the second they lost their plating. Without any of the increased resistances that plates granted, outer turrets were exceptionally squishy and couldn't stand up very long to a determined push.

However, 8.24b has guaranteed that they'll last at least a little bit longer. Since turrets no longer lose any of the bonus resistances that they start the game with, it'll take significantly longer to kill them - though they'll still fall faster than they do with their plates still intact. This means that champions who like extended laning phases will have a bit more time to keep farming safely, guaranteeing them an accelerated power spike into the midgame.

These are far from the only changes in 8.24b, but definitely the ones with the most impact on the metagame. With toplane bruisers taking a slight nerf and enchanters getting better itemization, tanks may have a chance to finally come back into the game - especially since towers will last slightly longer, giving them a little more time to farm up safely. On top of that, nerfs to a few top-tier picks will open up more room for experimentation in solo lanes. The Live environment on 8.24b is unlikely to change much, but as the professional scene starts back up it wouldn't be surprising to see teams playing front-to-back teamfighting compositions once again.

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