Typically, when a new champion is released in League of Legends, its win rate tends to be quite low as players need time to adapt to the character. Therefore, if a newly released or recently reworked champion has an excessively high win rate, it is clear that the character is incredibly unbalanced. Zeri is a prime example of this, having just debuted in patch 12.2 with an immediate win rate of over 52%. Even after continuous nerfs, she maintains her win rate and ranks among the strongest ADCs in League of Legends.
Riot Games obviously cannot just stand by and watch Zeri wreak havoc like this, so in the upcoming patch 12.4, this character will continue to face heavy nerfs. Specifically, the base damage of her Q – Static Shock will be reduced, and her slow effect from right-clicking will also be nerfed. Instead, Zeri’s interaction rate with attack speed will increase, requiring her to have more items to be effective. Additionally, all three of Zeri’s remaining abilities will also be weakened.
Looking at Riot’s system changes, we see that the benefits of using a Support in the Top Lane will be significantly reduced in the upcoming patch. With a team having multiple players building Support items, the halved gold from the Bounty system will make this playstyle not as dominant anymore. As the benefits of helping teammates secure objectives diminish, the Top Lane Support playstyle will lose much of its value.
Additionally, Riot buffing many ADCs in patch 12.4 will also contribute to diversifying playstyles in this role, which has been dominated by Caitlyn, Jinx, and Aphelios for too long. Changes to Kalista and Lucian will help them lane or deal damage better in team fights with increased base armor or reduced energy costs for skills. Meanwhile, Xayah is being buffed to encourage critical hit builds, perhaps Riot does not want her to build lethality as she currently does.
In summary, with the upcoming patch 12.4, the Bottom Lane meta of League of Legends will be refreshed a bit, and the dominance of Caitlyn, Aphelios, Jinx, or somewhat Zeri will no longer exist. The Top Lane Support playstyle will also weaken significantly, even risking disappearing from League of Legends in the next patch. Hopefully, this will help League of Legends feel fresher, especially as top tournaments like LCK and LPL are gearing up to return.