LoL Patch 14.6: ADC buffs, Support nerfs & Smolder Balance Fixes

League of Legends Lead Gameplay Designer Matt “Riot Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison has recently revealed exciting details about the upcoming League of Legends patch 14.6. This update addresses key balance concerns, including significant changes to ADC champions, support roles, top lane champions, Smolder adjustments, and improvements to early-game items and Voidgrubs.

Table of Contents

State of ADC in League of Legends Patch 14.6

The ADC role in League of Legends is undergoing significant improvements with the release of patch 14.6. Riot Games is specifically enhancing critical strike items to address the current imbalance in the ADC meta. According to Riot Phroxzon, the goal is to provide ADC players with competitive and diverse itemization choices, preventing a monotonous meta.

Crit Item Buffs in Patch 14.6

Infinity Edge
Navori Quickblades
Lord Dominik’s Regards
Mortal Reminder

These buffs aim to diversify ADC builds and improve the overall balance of bot lane matchups, helping ADC players stay competitive against on-hit and lethality builds.

Support Champion Nerfs in LoL Patch 14.6

Riot Games has also addressed concerns regarding the dominance of support champions. Support gold income is being nerfed to prevent excessive economic advantage, ensuring fairer matchups and balanced gameplay.

Reduced gold generation from support items
Nerfs to the Solstice Sleigh item
Doran’s starting items are now unique when paired with support items

These nerfs are designed to create a balanced gameplay environment, preventing supports from overshadowing other roles due to excessive gold generation and ensuring balanced gameplay dynamics.

Smolder Balance Adjustments in LoL Patch 14.6

Smolder, a champion recently causing frustration among players, is undergoing specific adjustments in this patch. Riot Phroxzon acknowledged that Smolder’s issues stem from overall power rather than particular mechanics.

Adjustments will include:

Fine-tuned ability scaling
Balanced attribute distribution
Gameplay mechanic refinements

These changes aim to restore balance, making Smolder enjoyable to play without dominating the meta.

Early Lane Snowballing Addressed in LoL Patch 14.6

Early-game snowballing has been a concern due to highly efficient early-game items. To counteract this, Riot has increased the gold efficiency of early game epic items, reducing the early dominance that leads to one-sided games.

Key improvements include:

Adjusting item values to approximately 100% gold efficiency
Encouraging more strategic component builds
Reducing snowball effects to promote balanced lane matchups

These updates create opportunities for comebacks, enhancing game fairness and competitive gameplay.

Top Lane Champion Adjustments in Patch 14.6

Several tank champions in the top lane are receiving buffs due to their underperformance, despite recent item adjustments. Champions benefiting include:

Cho’Gath
Diana (jungle)
Ornn
Shen
Sion
Tryndamere

Champions facing nerfs:

Galio (adjustment)
Epic item stat efficiency (system nerf)
Solstice Sleigh (system nerf)

This balancing ensures a healthier meta, giving top lane champions better viability in various team compositions.

Voidgrubs Adjustments in LoL Patch 14.6

Voidgrubs have been adjusted to reduce their disruptive impact on gameplay. These changes simplify taking down Voidgrubs for players who secure early advantages, improving the top lane and jungle interactions.

Voidgrub’s shield on death changed to heal on death
Easier takedowns for players with early advantages
Enhanced balance for both top laners and junglers

These improvements aim to create more rewarding and strategic engagements around neutral objectives.

Summary of LoL Patch 14.6 Changes

Champion Buffs:

Cho’Gath
Diana (jungle)
Ornn
Shen
Sion
Tryndamere

Champion Nerfs:

Briar
Gragas (top)
Karma (mid)
Senna (ADC)
Smolder
Volibear

Champion Adjustments:

Galio

Item Buffs:

Infinity Edge
Navori Quickblades
Lord Dominik’s Regards
Mortal Reminder

System Nerfs:

Epic item stat efficiency
Solstice Sleigh
Support item gold income

System Adjustments:

Voidgrub shield on death changed to heal on death
Doran’s items, World Atlas, and jungle egg items are unique and cannot be purchased together