The air is thick with anticipation as we get our first look at the next League of Legends update! This lol patch preview promises to shake up the meta, with buffs aimed at underperforming champions and nerfs targeting those currently dominating Summoner's Rift. Get ready for some potentially huge changes affecting everything from jungle clears to bot lane matchups.
At a Glance: Patch 15.19 Key Takeaways
- Mid-Lane Mages Buffed: Ahri, LeBlanc, and Syndra are getting some love.
- Jungle Diversity: Riot is aiming to make AP junglers like Brand and Diana more viable.
- Bot Lane Shakeup: Sivir is being nerfed, potentially opening the door for other ADCs.
- Item Adjustments: Unsealed Spellbook and Celestial Opposition are seeing changes.
- Small champion adjustments: Several Champions are getting minor tweaks to cycle them into the meta
Patch 15.19: Goals and Context
Riot's design team has laid out their objectives for Patch 15.19, and it's all about injecting variety into the current meta. They're particularly focused on the jungle and bot lane, hoping to create a more diverse champion pool and playstyles. According to RiotPhroxzon, the main intention is to "see how the bot and top lane metas shake out in particular." A welcome change for those wanting to play different champions in each role.
Jungle Focus: AP Junglers on the Rise?
One of the primary goals is to bring more AP (Ability Power) junglers into the meta. Brand and Diana are receiving buffs specifically targeted at their monster-clearing abilities. This should make them more attractive options for players looking to dish out magic damage from the jungle. Lillia is also getting some love with increased damage on her ultimate.
Bot Lane Balancing: Saying Goodbye to Sivir's Reign?
The bot lane meta has been somewhat stale lately, with Sivir being a dominant pick. Riot is aiming to shift things away from this "Yunara/Sivir" trend by nerfing Sivir and buffing several ADCs that favor spellcasting. Champions like Draven and Jinx are also receiving tweaks to bring them closer to their expected win rates.
Champion Buffs: Who's Getting Stronger?
Let's dive into the specific champion buffs and what they mean for the game.
Ahri: The Nine-Tailed Fox Returns?
Ahri is receiving a significant buff to her ultimate, Spirit Rush (R). The base damage is being increased at all ranks:
- R Base Damage: 60/90/120 → 75/125/175
This buff should give Ahri more burst potential and make her ultimate more impactful in team fights. Hopefully, this will give her the boost she needs to compete with other mid-lane mages.
Brand: Burning Through the Jungle
Brand's buffs are focused on improving his jungle clear speed and overall damage output. He is getting adjustments to his passive, along with ap ratio buffs:
- Passive Monster Modifier: 2.6x → 2.65x
- W AP Ratio: 60% → 70%
- R AP Ratio: 25% → 30%
These changes should make Brand a more viable option for players looking to play an AP mage in the jungle. In prior patches, many mid lane mages such as Azir have been hit with nerfs making mage players hesitant.
Caitlyn: More Damage in the Early Game
Caitlyn is receiving a small but noticeable increase to her base attack damage:
- Attack Damage: 60 → 62
While this may seem minor, it can make a difference in the early game, allowing Caitlyn to harass enemies more effectively and secure early kills.
Diana: Back to the Jungle?
Diana is getting changes aimed at making her stronger in the jungle:
- Passive Monster Modifier: 2.6x → 3x
This direct increase to her passive damage against monsters should improve her clear speed and make her a more viable jungle pick.
Draven: Spinning Axes with More Fury
Draven's buff focuses on his Blood Rush (W) ability:
- W Attack Speed: 20-40% → 30-50%
This increased attack speed should give Draven more early-game fighting potential and make him a more dangerous threat in lane. Lane bullies like Draven might find more success after this patch.
Jax: Empowered Grandmaster's Might
Jax is receiving a buff to his ultimate, Grandmaster's Might (R):
- R Armor on First Champion Hit: 25/50/75 → 50/65/80
- MR Gain: 15/30/45 → 30/39/48
These changes will make Jax tankier in team fights, allowing him to survive longer and deal more damage.
Jinx: Super Mega Death Rocket! Range
Jinx is getting a range buff to her Fishbones (Q):
- Q Rocket Bonus Range: 80-200 → 100-200
- E Damage: 70-270 → 90-290
This buff seems designed to improve her overall laning phase and provide more damage in the early game.
LeBlanc: Deceiving with More Power
LeBlanc is receiving an AP ratio buff to her Distortion (W) and Mimic (R):
- W AP Ratio: 70% → 80%
- WR AP Ratio: 75% → 80%
This buff should increase LeBlanc's burst damage and make her a more potent threat to squishy targets.
Lillia: A More Impactful Lullaby
Lillia is getting a damage buff to her ultimate, Lilting Lullaby (R):
- R Damage: 100/150/200 + 40% → 150/200/250 + 45%
- R Cooldown: 150/130/110 → 140/120/100
This buff should make Lillia's ultimate more impactful in team fights and allow her to secure more kills.
Master Yi: Double Strike Stacks
Master Yi's Double Strike mechanic is being streamlined for better clarity and consistency.
Milio: Embracing the Flame
Milio is receiving a buff to his passive, Fired Up!:
- P Damage per Spell: 24-75 + 3% → 24-99 + 9%
- Maximum P Damage: 72-225 + 9% → 72-297 + 27%
These buffs will hopefully improve his effectiveness as a support.
Seraphine: Healing Through the Roof
Seraphine's buffs focus on her survivability and healing:
- HP Growth: 90 → 95
- MP Growth: 25 → 40
- Q Damage Amp Now Applies to Monsters
- W2 Missing HP Heal: 3-5% × Number of Targets → 8-16%
These changes should allow Seraphine to sustain herself more effectively in lane and provide more impactful heals to her team.
Champion Nerfs: Who's Getting Weaker?
Now let's take a look at the champions who are being brought down a notch.
Corki: Less Explosive Delivery
Corki is receiving a nerf to his Phosphorus Bomb (Q):
- Q Damage: 70-250 + 130% → 60-240 + 125%
This nerf should reduce Corki's burst damage and make him less oppressive in lane. This change could come as great news to many Corki players.
Pantheon: Falling From Grace
Pantheon is receiving a nerf to his monster damage:
- Q Monster Modifier: 0.9x → 0.75x
- W Minion and Monster Cap: 200 → 120
This will make his clear quite difficult, and likely remove most people from playing him in the jungle.
Poppy: Hammering Down the Damage
Poppy is receiving nerfs to her damage and ultimate:
- Q Percent HP Minion and Monster Damage Cap: 75-195 → 50-170
- R Cooldown on Interruption: 15 s → 30 s
These nerfs should reduce Poppy's effectiveness at clearing the jungle and make her ultimate less reliable.
Sivir: Ricocheting to a Lower Tier
Sivir is receiving a nerf to her Boomerang Blade (Q):
- Q Bonus AD Ratio: 100% → 85%
This nerf should reduce Sivir's damage output and make her less dominant in the bot lane. This will potentially make some other ADCs like Jinx more viable.
Champion Adjustments: Fine-Tuning the Balance
These champions are receiving adjustments that are intended to be power-neutral, shifting their strengths and weaknesses.
Lee Sin: Shifting Power to the Early Game
Lee Sin is receiving an armor nerf, but his early game is getting buffed:
- Armor Growth: 4.9 → 4.5
- Q Damage: 55-155 + 115% → 60-180 + 95%
The goal here is to increase his early skirmishing power at the cost of his mid-to-late game durability.
Syndra: Tweaking the Dark Sovereign
Syndra is receiving an adjustment to her base stats:
- HP Growth: 104 → 100
- Armor Growth: 4.6 → 4
- Q Damage: 75-215 + 65% → 80-220 + 70%
- E Cooldown: 17 → 15
Item Adjustments: Shifting the Meta
Here are some key item changes to watch out for:
Celestial Opposition: Neeko Nerf
Celestial Opposition will no longer slow if the user is dead, which functions as a nerf to Neeko.
Redemption: Increased Cooldown, Reduced Healing
Redemption is seeing a nerf to its healing power:
- Healing: 200 – 400 ⇒ 150 – 350
Unsealed Spellbook: Longer Cooldowns
Unsealed Spellbook is receiving a cooldown increase:
- Initial Cooldown: 4 min → 4.5 min
- Minimum Cooldown: 1.5 min → 2 min
How These Changes Will Impact the Meta
Patch 15.19 has the potential to significantly impact the League of Legends meta. The buffs to AP junglers like Brand and Diana could lead to a more diverse jungle pool, while the nerfs to Sivir could open the door for other ADCs to shine in the bot lane. The adjustments to Lee Sin and Syndra could also have a ripple effect on their respective roles. The best part is seeing what champions the players come up with and what the pro scene discovers. The nerfs to Sivir and Corki could open the door for lane bullies like Draven and Caitlyn to make a return. Additionally, Jinx's additional rocket range will make her overall laning phase stronger.
Questions and Answers
Will these changes make AP junglers viable?
That's the goal! The buffs to Brand and Diana are specifically targeted at improving their jungle clear speed and overall damage output. Time will tell if these changes are enough to make them competitive with other jungle picks.
Is Sivir going to be useless after the nerf?
No, Sivir will likely still be a viable ADC, but the nerf should bring her more in line with other champions and prevent her from being an auto-pick in every game.
How will the Unsealed Spellbook changes affect summoner spell usage?
The increased cooldowns on Unsealed Spellbook will likely make it a less attractive option for players who rely on frequent summoner spell swaps. It may also shift the focus towards summoner spells that are more impactful in the early game.
Your Next Steps: Adapting to Patch 15.19
So, what should you do to prepare for Patch 15.19?
- Experiment in Normal Games: Don't jump straight into ranked. Get a feel for the changes in normal games first. Try out the buffed champions and see how they perform in different matchups.
- Watch Pro Play: Keep an eye on professional League of Legends games to see how the pros are adapting to the new patch. This can give you valuable insights into which champions and strategies are most effective.
- Stay Informed: Follow your favorite League of Legends content creators and analysts to stay up-to-date on the latest meta trends and strategies.
Patch 15.19 is set to go live on September 24, 2025, so you have some time to prepare. Get ready to adapt, experiment, and climb the ranks! Hopefully, all of these changes will create an even more level playing field, and bring new champions into the meta.