Changes in Hacker Playstyle
In patch 13.7, Riot Games made groundbreaking changes to the Hacker system. Simply put, Hackers will now serve as a primary system rather than just a tool to send allied champions to the backline of opponents. As a result, building LeBlanc, Pyke, or even Shen as core carries will happen more frequently.
This change also leads to the emergence of the Hacker 2.0 composition, as players leverage the fact that both LeBlanc and Shen cost 3 gold. Players will use a Shop Refresh strategy at level 7 to find ways to upgrade both the carry and tank champions to 3 stars to secure victories.
Building the Hacker 2.0 Composition
According to expert players, one should acquire Blitzcrank early to facilitate building this composition. He is a champion with good tanking abilities in the early game, and activating the 2 Brawler trait makes it relatively easy to secure a winning streak. Camille is also a strong damage dealer during this phase.
Moving into the mid-game, important 3 gold champions such as Riven, Shen, and LeBlanc should be prioritized for purchase immediately. They will ensure players have a strong enough tank lineup for the carry to deal damage. Moreover, Sona is also a champion to acquire due to her healing and crowd control abilities.
Typically, players will stop at level 7 to refresh the Shop and upgrade LeBlanc, Shen, or partially Blitzcrank to 3 stars. If there is enough gold to reach level 8, powerful Threat champions like Fiddlesticks or Urgot will be effective additions.
Regarding the Augment, players should choose upgrades that save gold for the Shop Refresh process such as Trade Sector, Calculated Loss… Additionally, the Warmth upgrade is well-suited for a composition with many champions waiting in the bench like Hackers. For items, LeBlanc will need the Shojin Spear and Archangels Staff to maximize damage. Furthermore, players can craft Morellonomicon and Rabadon’s Deathcap for Pyke.
Conclusion
With the changes in patch 13.7, the Hacker system possesses an incredibly effective “carry the team” capability. This promises to be an extremely effective ranking strategy as most champions in this composition are not fiercely contested.