Winners and Losers - Patch 12.8

Now that the changes from the latest patch have settled, let's take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers.

Bot lane

Several ADCs received large changes in 12.8. Jinx had been unstoppable in the bot lane for months, but a drastic reduction to her health has finally knocked her off the top spot. She is much more vulnerable in the early game now, and is currently sitting at a 48.6% win rate in Platinum ranks and above.

Whilst Jinx was arguably best ADC for a while, lethality Xayah wasn't far behind her; she was shredding through enemies and poking them down with her Q and Aery combo. Her Q damage and CD were nerfed, causing her win rate to drop from 50.8% to 47.8% in Platinum ranks and above.

In their place, Jhin has risen as an exceptional pick after some buffs to his root duration and wave clear. He currently has a 51.4% win rate with a 20% pick rate, and is excelling with supports who can help set up his CC and peel for him. Similarly, Tristana's AD growth was increased to make her more of a late game threat, bumping her win rate up to 51.2% in Platinum ranks and above.

Jungle

Fiddlesticks has been a solid pick in the meta for a while, but received a small buff to his W healing against champions in 12.8. This has enhanced his sustainability in the late game once enemies have Grievous Wounds, leading to an impressive 52.2% win rate in Platinum ranks and above. Fiddlesticks still has a plethora of CC tools and one of the strongest team fighting ults in the game, and is a great pick in the meta.

Meanwhile, the Poppy buffs seemed to have benefitted her power in the Jungle. The buffs to her ultimate CC and CD reduction on her W has made her ganks even more threatening, as she can traverse the map quicker, prevent the enemy from dashing more often, and lock down an enemy for longer.

Mid

After some nerfs to Kassadin's durability and W damage a few patches ago, his Q shield and E damage were increased in 12.8. These buffs have increased his skirmishing and trading power, particularly against other mages as their damage will be absorbed by the Q shield. Kassadin currently has a 50.8% win rate in Platinum ranks and above.

Vladimir also received a small buff to his base armour, helping him in early game trades against AD champions. Combined with his innate sustainability, this has improved his laning phase and increased his win rates in the top and mid lane to above 51%.

Summary

Big changes are coming to the rift over the next couple of patches, as Riot are drastically reducing how much damage there is in the game. This will have huge ramifications on the meta, and many champions will rise and fall over the next couple of weeks.