Yesterday, the latest PBE update went live, and several terrifying 5-cost champions such as Gangplank, Miss Fortune, Aurelion Sol, and Ekko have been nerfed in damage. However, it seems Riot Games didn’t think that was enough; in their latest announcement, a slew of “victims” has been added to the nerf list. Specifically:
Regarding traits – origins, Bladesworn, Time Warp, Marksman, and Sorcerer received buffs, which is quite obvious given that the standing of these team compositions in the current meta is rather unstable. The main damage of a team in the new meta comes from a few specific units, still Gangplank and Miss Fortune, instead of the whole team. This seems to go against Riot’s development direction, so it’s not surprising that damage-dealing traits – origins are buffed to rebalance.
The two origins that were nerfed are Brawler and Mystic. The reason for the Mystic nerf is quite understandable as it provides too much defense to already tanky team compositions like Guardian or Vanguard, making them virtually unbeatable. As for Brawler, we are not so sure about Riot’s decision; while Brawler – Gunner is strong, it’s not without counters. Perhaps they want to reduce the safety of this composition?
Moving on to specific units, we see two types of champions receiving buffs: carry units and support units. The three units Caitlyn, Vel’Koz, and Xayah are potential carries, but the current meta does not allow them to deal damage effectively. The remaining names are primarily support units or provide effects, with Kassadin being an example who has a quite useful ability to silence, but he is too weak to realize his potential.
This morning, on the “nerf board,” 5 out of 8 names nerfed are 5-cost champions, indicating their tremendous power in this season 3 meta. Gangplank and Miss Fortune show superior damage with their terrifying skills; just upgrade these Mercenaries once and equip them with suitable items, and you can be confident about your victory.
As the title suggests, Lulu being nerfed is rather surprising; this unit primarily provides support and effects, not being a carry. Perhaps Riot considers that nerfing Mystic is not enough and that they need to nerf the strongest unit of this origin as well? Two other super strong units in the mid-game, Shaco and Ezreal, were also affected; their significant damage and versatility are why these two units are getting “hit.”
