Update 10.6 is a fairly large patch as Riot hopes to create significant shifts in the top lane, jungle, and bot lane. With the first champion rework of 2020 kicking off with Wukong, alongside numerous role-specific balance changes, the meta is set to shift in a new direction.
Here are the top 5 most notable changes in version 10.6:
1. Wukong Reworked
After many days of anticipation, the “new” Wukong has finally made his official debut on all servers in version 10.6. For detailed information about Wukong’s rework changes, readers can explore earlier articles.
Among these changes, the most notable is that the illusion created by his W ability can now mimic all of his skills but deals less damage than the original. He can also use it as a tool to engage, except it cannot pass through walls. Now, Wukong’s ultimate can be re-triggered within 8 seconds, with both uses dealing more damage compared to the old version.
Currently, we cannot yet assess whether Wukong’s rework is a success or failure for Riot; will he become a “flop” or the second Akali that cannot be balanced? All these questions will only be answered with time.
2. Major Changes in Top Lane: Teleport & Death’s Dance Adjustments
The biggest and most exciting change in version 10.6 is the updated adjustments for the Teleport summoner spell. Its cooldown now changes from 360 seconds to 420-240 seconds depending on the level. Additionally, Teleport now grants a 30-45% movement speed bonus based on the level for 3 seconds upon landing.
Thus, if you can avoid using Teleport until reaching level 7, congratulations, you will permanently possess a summoner spell with an extremely low cooldown. However, if you have to use Teleport in the first 5 minutes of the match, whether to return to lane after shopping or to land in the bot lane for a skirmish, you will have to wait nearly 7 minutes to use it again.
This will not encourage top laners to use Teleport to the bot lane too frequently as they will face a long cooldown if forced to participate. It also does not encourage them to recall early to buy items and Teleport back with an item advantage as before. Instead, it encourages junglers to intervene more in the top lane to apply pressure, forcing the opposing top laner to recall and Teleport back to avoid missing CS. Ultimately, the top lane will no longer be a completely isolated island from the rest of Summoner’s Rift.
Additionally, the Death’s Dance item now has a new crafting recipe with the Legion Shield + Bloodthirster + Caulfield’s Warhammer + 500 Gold. This added armor and magic resistance makes it a strong item for fighters in the top lane. It also opens up a new build path instead of solely focusing on stacking health and damage, allowing top laners more diverse options in itemization.
3. Senna’s Power Decrease
A new patch means a new power decrease for Senna, which is not surprising for League of Legends players. Since her debut, she has undergone various roles, from ADC to Support, then ADC-Support, and most recently, a non-farming ADC playstyle. With the new changes to her Passive, Absolution, Senna’s role in the bot lane will certainly continue to evolve.
After these changes, Senna will receive fewer souls from enemy champions, and they will provide less AD. Clearly, this will make her weaker, however, her power has been significantly ahead of the average, so this nerf will have relatively minor impacts. Her fans can continue to hope for her strong presence in the bot lane to last a while longer.
4. Aphelios’ Power Decrease
Aphelios remains a confusing champion for both players and opponents and continues to dominate the bot lane in terms of pick and ban rates (12.1% and 43.0%). By reducing his damage, Riot’s balance team is likely trying to lessen his enormous impact on the current bot lane meta.
Accordingly, in version 10.6, Aphelios will have his lifesteal from Severum reduced, as well as the damage from Infernum and Crescendum. Due to the inherent nature of Aphelios’ kit, this marksman may still maintain his high presence in the near future, but at least his damage output and survivability will be lower than in previous versions.
5. Continued Expansion of the Jungle Champion Pool
In this new patch update, Riot continues to expand the jungle champion pool with a series of names like Brand, Morgana, Shen, Teemo, Yorick, and Zyra. It seems that after the failures of the previous “champion relocation” into the jungle, Riot has yet to learn their lesson and continues to ignore their mistakes from the beginning of season 10.
It is important to reiterate that the current jungle champion pool is heavily restricted to certain jungle champions, significantly affected by changes to gold and jungle monster experience during the 2020 preseason. The level disparity between junglers and laners forces them to gank sooner and more often, leading players to prioritize strong jungle champions right from level 3 instead of waiting until level 6 as before. Therefore, to diversify jungle options, instead of merely providing damage output for a few non-jungle champions, Riot should plan to adjust jungle monster experience so that strong champions post-level 6 have a chance to return to the meta.