League of Legends Patch 26.11 Boosts Tank Supports and Buffs Heimerdinger
This patch represents a deliberate attempt to rebalance the bot lane by making tank supports more viable, potentially disrupting the current enchanter-heavy meta that has dominated recent competitive play.
Reporting from 2 sources: Game Spark, Inside.
Riot Games has previewed League of Legends patch 26.11, scheduled for release after the current season 2 updates. Lead designer Matthew Leung-Harrison posted the preview on May 20. The patch focuses on shifting the support meta toward tankier champions by buffing runes like Guardian and Aftershock and items such as Heartsteel, Knight's Vow, Locket of the Iron Solari, and Zeke's Convergence. Enchanter and mage support options, including Summon Aery, Dream Maker, Helia's Echo, and Moonstone Renewer, will be nerfed. Five champions receive buffs: Ekko, Kassadin, Quinn, Diana, and Heimerdinger. Heimerdinger's turret range and E ability reliability are increased after minion aggro changes in the previous patch left his turrets vulnerable to ranged minions. The new Deathfire Touch rune will now deal magic damage, and Smolder, Brand, and AP Xin Zhao will be nerfed. In the top lane, Experimental Hexplate effectiveness for ranged champions is reduced, while Statikk Shiv gets an AD increase. The preview notes that all changes are subject to revision before the final patch goes live.
The preview was posted on X (formerly Twitter) on May 20 by lead game designer Matthew Leung-Harrison, who regularly previews each patch's adjustments. The new Deathfire Touch rune, which many champions have been using, will now deal magic damage instead of its previous effect. Smolder and Brand, who have been particularly effective with this rune in the bot lane, will be nerfed. Xin Zhao's AP build will also have its healing slightly reduced.
Among the five buffed champions, Quinn received jungle-oriented adjustments in the previous patch and will now have increased clear speed. Diana will see increased passive damage against monsters, further strengthening her in the jungle. Heimerdinger's changes are drawing attention from players. The previous patch's minion aggro adjustments left his placed turrets vulnerable to one-sided attacks from ranged minions outside their range, so their range will be increased. His E ability is also planned for improved reliability. Given his already overwhelming lane pressure against melee champions, top laners are voicing caution.
The patch is described as an effort to "adjust the balance between melee and ranged supports." In the top lane, where many ranged champions have been appearing, Experimental Hexplate will have significantly reduced effectiveness for ranged champions. Statikk Shiv will receive an AD stat increase. All previewed changes are subject to revision before the final patch goes live.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.