League of Legends Patch 11.5 Preview: Item Changes

As is often the case with League of Legends updates, Patch 11.5 is introducing changes to certain items. Although Mark "Riot Scruffy" Yetter, the Gameplay Design Director for the game, stated on Twitter that the changes are not "100% final," the patch preview he posted offers a glimpse of what we can expect to see in the upcoming update.

Patch 11.5, according to the 2021 Patch Schedule, is expected to be released on Wednesday, March 3. The updates tend to be introduced on a biweekly basis, but as is stated on the schedule's page, "dates can change at any time for any number of reasons."

League of Legends Patch 11.5 Preview: Item Changes

As of now, Patch 11.5 is expected to introduce a total of five-item changes. The following list provides an overview of the buffs and adjustments that are currently set to arrive next week.

Item Buffs

• Black Cleaver: Butcher removed, cost decrease (3300 to 3100), health increase (300 to 400), dealing physical damage to a champion grants five-movement speed per stack of Carve on them for two seconds
• Maw of Malmortius: cost decrease (3100 to 2800)
• Serpent's Fang: Shield Reaver (dealing damage reduces incoming shields by 50/25% for three seconds, and when damaging an enemy who is unaffected by Shield Reaver, reduce shields on them by 50/25%.

Item Adjustments

• Stridebreaker: dash distance increase (200 to 300), slow amount decrease (60 to 40%), damage change (100 to 75% tAD)
• Muramana: Shock adjustment ("attacks and abilities deal 2.5% max mana damage" changes to "attacks deal 1.5% max mana damage and abilities deal (3.5% for melee and 2.7% for ranged) max mana plus 6% tAD damage)

With these item changes in mind, players must surely be curious with regards to what impact they will have on the meta. Although item nerfs, buffs, and adjustments have the potential to shift champion tier lists and playstyles, the impact they bring about is not always enough to push the gameplay towards a new direction. We will have to wait and see what developments arise, if any when Patch 11.5 is introduced next Wednesday.