Major support changes coming to League Patch 13.3

Former shoutcaster and current game designer Riot Phreak announced a string of support champion changes for League Patch 13.3. Let’s see the reasons behind these changes and how the meta might shift once again.

League Patch 13.3 will feature support champion changes and updates to Radiant Virtue

Riot Phreak announced these changes on Jan. 29, posting a tweet and a lLeague of Legends Source code and anti-cheat stolen explaining the main reasons behind these changes.

Following the changes to fighter items and ADC adjustments in the most recent patch 13.1b, this will likely be the next major meta-shift that we might witness this season.

Riot Phreak explained the rationale behind these tentative changes with the current stale bot lane meta in professional play. Despite the preseason changes, the meta is still heavily dominated by enchanters and ranged supports, to the point where ADCs are picked as supports, which Keria did in the LCK. In an attempt to change this trend, the balance team is looking to tweak most of the engager/tank support champions.

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Full details of the incoming support changes

Alistar

• Passive self-heal: 23-142 >>> 5% max health (about a 40% buff)
• Passive ally heal: 46-284 >>> 6% of Alistar’s max health (about a 15% nerf)
• Q – Pulverize mana cost: 55-75 >>> 50-70
• Q – Pulverize AP ratio: 0.5 >>> 0.7
• W – Headbutt mana cost: 65-85 >>> 50-70
• W – Headbutt AP ratio: 0.7 >>> 0.9
• E – Trample mana cost: 50-90 >>> 50-70
• E – Trample AP ratio: 0.4 >>> 0.7

Braum

• Base health regen: 8.5 >>> 10
• Base health: 610 >>> 640
• Passive – Concussive Blows target immunity: 8 / 6 / 4 seconds at level 1 / 7 / 13 >>> level 1 / 6 / 11
• Q – Winter’s Bite cooldown: 10-6 >>> 8-6

Nautilus

• Passive – Staggering Blow bonus damage: 8-110 >>> 14-116
• W – Titan’s Wrath mana cost: 80 >>> 60
• W – Titan’s Wrath shield: 40-80 + 8-12% max hp >>> 50-90 + 8-12% max hp
• E – Riptide damage: 55-175 + 0.3 >>> 55-195 + 0.5

Pantheon

• Base attack speed and level-1 attack speed: .644 >>> .658
• Q – Comet Spear mana cost: 30 >>> 25
• Q – Comet Spear cooldown: 13-8 >>> 11-7

Pyke

• Q – Bone Skewer damage: 100-300 + 0.6 >>> 100-300 + 1.0
• E – Phantom Undertow damage: 105-225 + 1.0 >>> 105-265 + 1.0

Rakan

• Q – Gleaming Quill damage: 70-250 + 0.7 >>> 70-290 + 0.9
• Q – Gleaming Quill heal: 30-115 >>> 40-210
• W – Battle Dance AP ratio: 0.7 >>> 0.8

Thresh

• P – Damnation AP and armor per stack: 1.0 >>> 1.25
• Q – Death Sentence damage: 100-260 >>> 100-280
• Q – Death Sentence AP ratio: 0.5 >>> 0.75
• W – Dark Passage cooldown: 22-16 >>> 21-17
• E – Flay cooldown: 13-10 >>> 12-10
• E – Flay AP ratio: 0.4 >>> 0.6

Radiant Virtue

• Cooldown: 60 seconds >>> 90 seconds
• Maximum health: 10% >>> 15%
• Total healing: 8% max health over nine seconds >>> 15% max health over eight seconds
• Ability haste aura and healing amplification have been removed

Looking at the changes, these should be good buffs and changes to make this class of support champions stronger. In particular, they will have a chance to play more aggressively thanks to lower mana costs and cooldowns, as well as better scaling with increasing ratios.

Paired with the Radiant Virtue changes, they might be able to make a major comeback to the meta. With ADCs now having faster spikes thanks to the item changes, engagers should be able to find their own dimension again.

That said, balancing melee-engage champions has always been tough for Riot. Before enchanters were popular in season 12, melee supports were far too present in pro play. We’ll have to see whether the support champion changes will bring them back immediately to popularity in League Patch 13.3. Among these changes, the most interesting ones are Alistar and Thresh: keep an eye on them.

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