Patch 12.18 Overview - Worlds Is Here!

The Worlds patch has finally arrived, nerfing some of the strongest champions from the last few weeks and bringing back some old favourites just in time for the tournament; let's go over the biggest talking points.

Hecarim and Miss Fortune

Both of these champions received huge buffs in 12.17, pushing them to perma pick/ban status. Before pros could get the chance to play them on the Worlds stage, both have received large nerfs.

Hecarim's damage has been reduced, and he's now a little more squishy:

• Base health reduced to 625, down from 650
• Q (Rampage) - bonus AD ratio reduced to 90%, down from 95%
• Bonus damage per stack reduced to 4% (+5% per 100 bonus AD), down from (+6% per 100 bonus AD)
• W (Spirit of Dread) - % of post-mitigation damage healed reduced to 25% (+2% per 100 bonus AD), down from 30% (+2.5% per 100 bonus AD)

These nerfs are unlikely to push his completely out of the meta, but hopefully he'll actually be balanced now. Meanwhile, Miss Fortune's W buffs were already reverted in a 12.17 mid-patch hotfix, and now her health and AD growth have been reduced:

• AD growth reduced to 2.4, down from 2.7
• Health growth reduced to 103, down from 107

Just like Hecarim, it's unlikely these nerfs will push her completely out of the meta considering a lot of other ADCs have been nerfed over the last few patches.

Lulu

With the rise of ADCs over the last few months, Lulu has been the premier enchanter to pair them with. She offers consistent shielding, a damage buff, and tons of peel/protection for her ADCs. Her W has always been extremely strong as it can either lockdown an enemy or buff an ADCs attack/movement speed, so it has been nerfed:

• W (Whimsy) - movement speed reduced to 25%, down from 30%
• Polymorph duration reduced to 1.2/1.4/1.6/1.8/2.0 seconds, down from 1.25/1.5/1.75/2.0/2.25 seconds
• Cooldown increased to 17/16.5/16/15.5/15 seconds, up from 17/16/15/14/13 seconds

These are pretty big nerfs and will make Lulu much weaker in the mid/late game. She may still see some play at Worlds as she still offers a lot of utility from her ult/E, but she may be surpassed by other enchanters like Karma or Soraka.

Thresh and Lee Sin

These two are amongst the most popular for pros and fans; they both have incredibly have skill ceilings, their kits have survived the test of time, and they can make sensational outplays in the hypest of moments. However, they've recently fallen out of pro play after being eclipsed by other champions.

To help nudge them back into the meta, Thresh and Lee Sin have received some minor buffs to their durability and damage:

• Lee Sin - health growth increased to 105, up from 99
• W (Safeguard/Iron Will) - lifesteal and spellvamp increased to 5/10.5/16/21.5/27%, up from 5/9.5/14/18.5/23%
• Thresh - health growth increased to 120, up from 115
• E (Flay) - magic damage increased to 75/110/145/180/215 (+40% AP), up from 65/95/125/155/185 (+40% AP)

Worlds kicks off next week, so keep your eyes peeled to see what magic the best players in the world produce with these latest round of changes!