League of Legends Patch 9.3: 5 Changes We Want
League of Legends Patch 9.3 will bring an assortment of changes, from champion buffs and nerfs to reworked items. Here are five changes we want to see in League of Legends Patch 9.3.
5. Adjustment to Hail of Blades
Hail of Blades is a neat keystone with one problem: its primary effect (increased attack speed on first three attacks against enemy champions) didn't apply to attacks made by certain abilities. A particular abuser of this was Xin Zhao, who could use his Three Talon Strike (Q) to knock enemies up and then unload three auto-attacks while they were airborne and vulnerable, all in a tiny window that left little time for reaction.
Simply adjusting Hail of Blades so that it procs on abilities as well would keep it in its current niche without overly nerfing it, and also keep Xin Zhao at a decent strength.
4. Different Nerfs for Rakan
Rakan was notorious for his blindingly-fast engages that could quickly lock up enemies. The problem with nerfing those engages, as Riot Games have done with their removal of scaling movement speed on his Grand Entrance (W), is that it leaves him with precious little else.
Repeated nerfs to his base stats, especially health and armor, mean that he's exceptionally squishy. Double down on that weakness and solidify an identity for Rakan instead of incrementally weakening everything and leaving the champion under-powered.
3. Changes to Akali
Akali changes were suggested as arriving in Patch 9.3, and they're definitely necessary. Between her mobility through her Shuriken Flip (E) and Perfect Execution (R) and sustain with Five Point Strike (Q) and Twilight Shroud (W), Akali was a monster whose damage meant she could quickly cycle in and out of team fights cutting down multiple opponents. Given her themes, ideally her sustain should be targeted; either the near-invincibility afforded by her Shroud or her ability to regain health off her Q.
2. Reworked Crit Items
Crit item changes were promised, and hopefully they'll be delivered in Patch 9.3. Traditional marksmen are in dire need of some invigoration as the bottom lane becomes increasingly overwhelmed by mages and nominal AD Carries (Ezreal, Lucian, Kai'sa) who all are functionally AP carries.
1. Skip Promos for Position Rankings
The new ranking system is an interesting idea and thus far seems to be functioning well-enough. The one point of contention is how Position Roles currently need to go through promos before they can advance a tier, meaning that while they're gaining LP splash from main roles, each off-role needs to be played through promotion games before advancing. If there was a way to tie Position Roles to be relative to the highest-tiered-role, that would save players a lot of grinding in all five positions.
Images courtesy of Riot Games