Patch 5.14 hits the pro scene

Riot·Aug 4, 2015·0 votes·19,103 views

You've been leading the charge on the Rift throughout Bilgewater: Burning Tides, and now the changes that accompanied the event in Patch 5.14 are coming to the pro scene. As we sail into Playoffs, let's see how this patch's treasure trove of changes to champions and items could alter the competitive landscape.

Strut it on stage

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While we don't expect the AD priority picks to shift away from Corki and Sivir anytime soon, Miss Fortune's makeover could allow her to throw her hat in the ring alongside second-tier carries like Kalista, Tristana, Vayne, and Jinx.

MF's newly acquired ability to use Impure Shots (W) to activate her passive, Strut, will give her much more freedom in lane. She'll be able to escape ganks with greater ease as well as chase down trades going in her favor, especially now that Make It Rain (E) grants a 40% slow at level one.

Look out for a Janna/MF bot lane combination, as Miss Fortune will still need some help in the peel department, and Janna's passive, Tailwind, synergizes well with Miss Fortune's movement speed bonus.

In addition to Miss Fortune's update, Gangplank's back with fresh abilities and opportunities too. His robust new kit allows him versatility to be built as a tank or a devastating split-pushing damage dealer. Depending on the situation, teams can chain together his Powder Kegs (E) to set up explosive trades or use his Cannon Barrage (R) to finish the job, even from across the map.

Anyone here like damage?

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Zeke's Harbinger is the newest item addition in 5.14 and has carries the world over scribbling it on their support's shopping list. As Aidan "Zirene" Moon mentioned in the Patch 5.14 Rundown, the power spike of a Zeke's plus Infinity Edge could lead to some serious teamfight potential, particularly for Jinx's area of effect autos from Fishbones (Q). Don't forget that supports with Zeke's can also change up who they want to link to throughout a game, allowing for even more strategies depending on who could benefit the most in any given situation.

Odds are pro supports will be hesitant to stray from their core build, but should they get an early advantage in lane, we may get a chance see Zeke's Harbinger enter competitive play and allow for teams to make big comebacks or further push their leads.

No, you belong in a museum!

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See you later Runeglaive Ezreal. Runeglaive's on-hit area of effect now only applies to neutral monsters, meaning that AP Ezreal is as enticing as he was pre-5.12. Those teams that rode the Runeglaive Ez hype train over and over may be at a bit of a disadvantage, as those hours of practice and game time experience have paid their last dividend.

Another champion that received a slight blow in 5.14 was Ryze. It wasn't the one hit knock-out punch that AP Ezreal received, but with his overall damage and passive stack duration toned down, we may see him drop down a notch in the priority pick/ban list.

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When two champions suddenly disappear from the metagame, it leaves a void that needs filling. The fact that both these champions brought massive AP damage to their team, combined with the recent AP item overhaul, means we may see some fresh faces in top and mid.

AP mages like Brand, Karma, and Zyra all make good use of the newly adjusted items like Liandry's Torment and might be called into action. The most likely scenario is that popular picks that haven't been affected will become even more important. Expect AP Kog'Maw, Vladimir, and Rumble to be treated like royalty in the draft -- given the highest priority or removed altogether.

Into the woods

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Too long has she sat on her throne as undisputed Queen of the jungle. I am speaking, of course, of Rek'Sai. When she first entered the fray, Rek'Sai would hear only stories, mere myths, of the once mighty Elise. With Rek'Sai's attention focused on shutting down the likes of Gragas, Lee Sin, Evelynn, and Nidalee, she paid little heed to tall tales of a transfiguring human spider.

Back from her vacation in the Shadow Isles, Elise is ready to reign once more with faster clears and increased dueling potential. Plus, the new 1.6 second stun at level one for her Cocoon (E) could give the Spider Queen what she needs to get back on top. And now that she's able to max Cocoon last, it means more damage out of Volatile Spiderling and Skittering Frenzy (W).

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In an era where the jungle has shifted largely to tanks building Cinderhulk to increase late game effectiveness, the early game has been a bit of a no-man's land for certain junglers. Yet Rek'Sai was in the advantageous position of having both a good early game and an effective late game when building tanky. She has, however, received a steady stream of nerfs -- both to her damage and the ease with which she's able to knock up her foes. Now that she's well rested and packs a punch, Elise will be the early game jungler that Rek'Sai wishes she was, though the Spider's late game potential still leaves something to be desired.

Nevertheless, the League is ready for the return of its original jungle Queen, and we may see Elise make an impact immediately in the competitive scene. Should she be given priority, we might also see Lee Sin return to prominence. He hasn't received any buffs, but if teams begin to lean more towards early game pressure, then he could very well be the monk they turn to.

Shurima Reshuffled

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Don't worry, Azir's still going to be pulling off crazy combos and poking from afar, but with his 5.14 changes, his opponents will at least have a chance to fight back. The Emperor of the Sands' most impactful change was to his Shifting Sands (E), which no longer knocks up enemy champions. He's still a terrific pick competitively, but this means that his all-in, Shurima shuffling, E behind his enemies, and ultimate them towards your friends now has some counterplay.

Here we go!

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Perhaps the biggest change in 5.14 was the newly updated HUD. It won't have any effect on the meta, but it's worth noting that pros will be using it in competitive play. Like a new dashboard in a racecar, the driver will have to get used to finding the information they need quickly and efficiently in the new layout.

Which changes have you found are the most impactful after 5.14 and how do you think the pros will respond? Are there any champion picks you think will rise to popularity for the conclusion of the 2015 Season? Check out all of the Patch 5.14 changes here, then let us know in the comments below!

44 Comments

TurquoiseYoshiAug 4, 20158 votes

Excuse me Riot? Is Kalista now a 2nd tier ADC? I thought she was the #1 ADC overall because of her vision, epic monster control, mobility, a save/knock-up, and item synergy, but apparently she's on the same level as Tristana and Vayne.

RabidLawnGnomeAug 4, 20154 votes

well since her attack damage was nerfed to only 90 percent of ad, that would mean her damage has gotten a significant nerf, lower base dmg means lower crits, which you need to take down tanks in this meta, yes shes certainly worse then corki and sivir and imo even tristana now

FinalRetaliationAug 4, 20156 votes

Crits? The most popular build for Kalista is BoRK, Runaan, BT, Last Whisper and Mercurial. She didn't have any crit most of the time anyway.

DawnzAug 5, 20152 votes

If you're in a less intelligent region such as Na or eu lol

HerrsupersmartAug 5, 20151 votes

In LCK they build with Infiniti Edge, statikk shiv/phantom dancer, QSS and last whisper. And in Corea Kalista is much more terror than in EULCS and NALCS, she's still almost pick/banned in 100% of the games and then most often banned.

MagearnaAug 5, 20151 votes

And in Corea Kalista is much more terror than in EULCS and NALCS, she's still almost pick/banned in 100% of the games and then most often banned.

That's the same in NA, if Kalista isn't banned, she's almost always first picked

TurquoiseYoshiAug 4, 20155 votes

1: Her base AD and AD per level were buffed. Her AA damage was nerfed through her passive. Which means her Q and E do MORE damage.

2: Kalista doesn't build crit. Rend is her main DPS tool. She builds AD and AS, which synergizes with Bloodthirster and Runaan's Hurricane.

3: That's been in place since 5.13 and it's had little effect on her usage. She still has a lot of bells and whistles to play around with, and a lot of damage in the form of Rend. Sivir is really the only one on par with Kalista.

GrubHooliganAug 5, 20153 votes

Sivir remains the #1 ADC just do to the overwhelming utility of her ult, which can turn any team into a hard engage team or a disengage team. Corki took over the #2 position mostly due to the surge in poke comp teams with AD mids and AP tops, where Corki's mixed damage, strong poke, and single item power spike made him so desirable. This was particularly true in the EU LCS. In NA, Kalista was still pretty much perma-banned.

TurquoiseYoshiAug 5, 20152 votes

Corki was also a large pick due to AD poke mid laners being more common in EU. Corki has magic damage, so Corki + Varus/Jayce + AP Top laner (preferably Rumble) = 1.5 AD threats and 1.5 AP threats.

MagearnaAug 4, 20152 votes

Glad I'm not the only one that saw that. The only reason Corki is so heavily favoured is because Kalista is always banned

TurquoiseYoshiAug 4, 20151 votes

Corki can be situationally a better pick, but Kalista is better overall.

MagearnaAug 5, 20151 votes

People like you is what I live for in this esports community. I love talking to people about the state of the LCS ^^ #Randomthought

SpnorkAug 5, 20151 votes

I think they go off of pick percentage, and dont consider ban rates. Kalista is still banned in most games

NsquiAug 5, 20155 votes

Kalista is fine, but the utility provided by Sivir and the sheer poke/all in burst from Corki just outclass Kalista. She's still an amazing pick in the LCS due to her insane kiting abilities and neutral monster control, but in a Solo Queue environment there a few stronger picks.

TurquoiseYoshiAug 5, 201511 votes

But this is about the LCS, not Solo Queue.

NsquiAug 5, 20154 votes

{quoted}

But this is about the LCS, not Solo Queue.

Regardless, Corki and Sivir do bring more to the table for a coordinated team - given that every LCS team and player is now used to Kalista and her tricks, they understand her power and know how to play around it. Sivir, on the other hand, gives her team a beautiful 100% engage with her ultimate, and can repurpose that as a disengage. Corki has huge poke and AoE, whereas Kalista simply has high single target damage (sure, she gets a Runaan's Hurricane in there, but she still focuses on killing a single target by filling them with her Rend stacks before moving on to the next one.) Sivir has waveclear and engage/disengage, Corki has Aoe poke damage, armor shred, and a huge repositioning tool, whereas Kalista has high single target damage and kiting skills, things every pro ADC can already do on the other champions.

TurquoiseYoshiAug 5, 20151 votes

The thing is, Kalista has utility. Kalista can put down vision. Kalista can CS easily and refund mana. Kalista has a save for her support/a knock-up. Kalista has easier secures of epic monsters.

SleypnyrAug 5, 20155 votes

People are also forgetting how easily she's countered in LCS play. Oh hey a Kalista, just lock in Nautilus point, click, and kill. Can try and kite all she wants, can't do much about a one click knock up. That or Vi, or pretty much any champion with a hard single target engage. Corki and Sivir, have counter play for those things, Kalista just has to take it to the face.

CIockw0rkAug 6, 20151 votes

Kalista Rend has been Nerfed HARD. It's not a scary pick. Perhaps still a priority, but not God Like pick. Sivir and Corki are more important atm.

stinky snizz Aug 10, 2015

She might as well be, seeing as she gets banned 50-60 percent of the time anyways

GeneralistAug 5, 20155 votes

patch 5.14 a new hud that no one asked for and no one likes very much

358Aug 5, 20155 votes

Does anybody else absolutely hate this current afk farm meta? ... i mean if pro's just start farming kayle/shyvanna/yi/xin, we're in for some boring games...

LandreinAug 5, 20152 votes

I like it actually. I'm a fan of great team fights more than some quick snowball off an early game gank.

Me EvilMasterAug 5, 20151 votes

AFK and farming give great team fights.... i totally fathom it. TOTALLY

Taig4Aug 4, 20154 votes

hahah well written riot! especially the part between Reksai and Elise. That rivalry! only makes me wanna play some more now xD

MealReadytoEatAug 5, 20154 votes

"Another champion that received a slight blow in 5.14 was Ryze." Apparently, a 10% drop in win rate is a slight nerf, cause its only the SECOND largest drop in win rate from a single patch (Diana wins this one with 12%, but it was largely reverted the next patch.) To put this in perspective, the legendary Olaf nerf hit his win rate 6-7%.

Troll PoolAug 5, 20152 votes

What exactly is your point? That perma-snare ryze had was the most broken thing i've seen in league for the past 2 seasons. The only thing i can remember that was that bad was feral flare warwick.

MealReadytoEatAug 5, 20153 votes

[{quoted}](name=Troll Pool,realm=EUW,application-id=9hBQwnEU,discussion-id=e5mwKOPx,comment-id=00050000,timestamp=2015-08-05T15:37:15.407+0000)

What exactly is your point? That perma-snare ryze had was the most broken thing i've seen in league for the past 2 seasons. The only thing i can remember that was that bad was feral flare warwick.

My point was Ryze is now worthless, even though his snare is still a toxic mechanism. They kept the one thing people complain about the most, and gutted everything else. I go in depth about Ryze's issue in my post here.

VayleneAug 5, 20154 votes

Here's my problem with these updates and constant changes. You guys don't allow for the pros to figure their own way through the meta. Yeah, Runeglaive Ez was strong but he wasn't an instant win. Players adapt around him and figure out ways to counter him. Instead of letting the meta evolve through normal means, you take matters into your own hands and beat the old meta to death with a nerf bat and yell out "HEY WE WANT YOU GUYS TO PLAY THESE CHAMPIONS NOW". You can buff champions without completely taking champions like Runeglaive Ezreal out of the game. I think Season 3 worlds was the closest to a natural meta as there was. Now it's in such a constant state of flux that it's hard to establish any sort of identity as a team.

LandreinAug 5, 20153 votes

Well, I think the problem with Runeglaive EZ in riots eyes wasn't that he was too strong. In most regions, team learned how to shut him down pretty easily. The two problems were:

A) He was too strong in his role for the future. Riot wanted to buff poke comps, but AP Ezreal was so much more powerful than other Poke mid laners that they couldn't nerf engage champs like Sivir without making Ezreal unbeatable.

B) And probably more likely. Runeglaive was never intended to be a lane item in the first place. This has two problems. First it messes up the balance for the two lanes cause now the same item has to be balance around how it acts in the jungle and how it acts in lane. So look at it this way. Runeglaive EZ was removed because he never should of been and his exhistance was just an artifact of Riots failure of balance. Removing lane Runeglaive merely corrects that balance mistake and returns the game to where it should of been.

Nite Owl IIAug 5, 20151 votes

Thank you.

51638219DEL1Aug 4, 20153 votes

My queen will show Rek Sai what a true queen she was in her prime.

wints22Aug 4, 20152 votes

All hail Queen Elise

I love tap waterAug 5, 20153 votes

Still waiting to hear about Yorick rework that is probably never going to come........ Yorick item 3070

OHminusAug 5, 20153 votes

Sorry Riot. The new HUD was never broken. You don't have to fix what's not broken. Please work instead on fixing that sated devourer that is both cancer when it is on my team (jg thinks he can afk farm until sated) and the enemy team (the shyvana was just wrecking 1v5, tyvm).

IdbangKatakuriAug 5, 20153 votes

How does this ashe have 100,152 gold at 13 minutes. Reported.

Master AbsoluteAug 4, 20152 votes

FCK YOU RIOT WITH YOUR NEW HUD IT WILL FOREVER FCK ME UP. Jk but I really don't like it, that's just my opinion.

NGC KysukeAug 5, 20152 votes

Everyone talkin' about some mainstream stuff and i am just sitting here, asking myself how the Ashe can have 100k g at level 7 but well.. That's none of my buissnes. Ashe summoner 31 Found a cute poro...

bleeditroughAug 5, 20152 votes

Wait whoa that Ashe in the HUD picture has 100152 gold at level 7 with 2 cs what the heck happened there

SymonSayzAug 5, 20152 votes

Hey Riot Wints, how often do you do articles on lolesports.com

liclic3Aug 5, 20151 votes

Pour moi, il y a un gros manque, c'est Akali. Il faudrait réfléchir pour la up sans que cela ne la rende op car actuellement elle ne sert à rien./ You should think to up Akali without moving her into godlike mode because now, she is useless.