Everything you need to know about the new patch for bronzes/silvers/gold/plats
This is by FARRR the most exciting patch(next to OP spirit stone patch) A lot of people complain and I WAS definitely 1 of them, but after understanding the changes you will end up liking it too. 1 of the worst things about last patch was dealing with a tank jg, bruiser/tank top, and tanky support(or a healer). This patch changes this high armor/high health tank meta and it's a GOOD thing everybody. AD assassin/ADcaster/ADC written all over this. Assassins are the X factor in MOBA's this cannot be disputed. Learning more about this patch will show you a different side to these changes, down below(Especially in the jungle section) it'll be discussing all these changes in-depth and how your playstyle will impact the game. Jungling/AD assassins(To kill their ADC or APC) will be a big thing this patch.
All the changes this patch have done is nerf pure AP mages, faker kind of champs. High health/high armor champs(Doesn't mean they aren't viable, they just don't last as long in team fights anymore, esp mundo's) However at this cost EVERYTHING else has been buffed, AD casters, ADC's, AP tanks/bruisers, AD junglers , Mage junglers. I will be discussing more in depth the changes made, to jungling,mid,top, and bot lane. This can be a frustrating time for people as we adjust to the new game, however discussion gives clarity.
This is a long post, however you can just read what is relevant to you, don't have to read the whole thing. If the last book you read was a Dr.Seuss book well comprehending this will be complicating for sure =P.
_ PURE AP mages_ Zhonya + Rabadons costs a total of 800 extra gold for 5 less armor(And no longer 5% bonus AP from masteries that went well w/ rabadons) many of the AP items that squishy mages bought has been nerfed, masteries that benefit squishy mages has been nerfed. Although APC Is still viable, you need to be farmed and fed to support this aggressive build/style or your items will be delayed significantly. Despite popular belief that masteries suck for AP mages Stormraiders surge in cunning is extremely powerful especially on champs like ahri vs Zed, the 35% MS bonus for 3 seconds( that doesn't degrade over time) is important for dodging his Q's. if he full combo's you but you run to fast to land spells on.. his ulti does 100 damage. This is to give you an idea of where APC's stand right now. They're viable but not the power houses they were last season, AP bruisers have an opportunity to even more now ( L0-0King @ >.> You Rylai + Liandry + Death fire builds) Do NOTbuild Rabadons as a 2nd or third item, now its a 4th,5th or 6th item
AP Bruiser mages(Swain,Vlad, Chogath,Galio,Grag, some may consider Kassadin,Maokai,Rumble, etc) These champs are likely to shine this season, more so than the last season.there are so many masteries possible for AP tanks. Let me give you an example, some match ups vs high mobility say : Vlad vs Olaf top lane, the vlad could go Deathfire Touch(DFT) to smack him up and do a little extra damage, OR if he knows Olaf will go ghost/teleport he could infact go Stormraiders surge/Dangerous game/Merciless build, to avoid Olaf Q's and keep up with him while he's running away from you after you chunked him.
ROA has been buffed, rylais was recently buffed(Not this patch) and Liandrys has always been powerful. Although there are many new changes to ADC's, ADC has always had a core problem - squishiness. a dead ADC deals 0 DPS. AP tanks/ AD assassin junglers/solo lanes this is YOUR season. That mundo at top no longer counters you as hard.
New Mastery System Many people are bashing it from an APC perspective, and yes for APC's these masteries are not that great for you, however for every other role besides pure AP squish mage, there are many different options. This mastery system is by far the best, it is undisputed(Unless you're a squish mage) as a general rule for all players you should almost NEVER have the same mastery page every game ESPECIALLY if you're laning. Sometimes extra dmg to last hit is what you'll need or the % damage because you have a first time heimerdinger enemy and you're going to snowball from this guy, sometimes the sustain is better because the talon + eve just countered your TF. This mastery system essentially promotes thought, it's not a mastery system you set it and forget it. You need to think about your playstyle in game, how you're going to fair up in this match up and decide from there how you want to build your mastery page.
Jungle Many jungler's are complaining this season, and I was guilty of that too. However remember spirit stone(OP)? this is very similar but in fact significantly stronger than that(later on). We're going to discuss the jungle changes, but first we need to talk about the nerfs/buffs to jungle. -10 XP from big monsters(Machete gives +15exp,upgraded jungle item gives +30) -10 armor(if you run a little armor pen you can do close to true dmg to them, life steal works off damage done btw) +10 MR
- health nerfs to jungle All these changes are essentially shouting to players, pre-lvl 4 or 5 will be tough, but after it'll be easier for you.
Early game the jungle will be tough, but very quickly(after 1 or 2 backs, it will be significantly easy even on tank junglers if you're running proper runes). Understanding machete and the new jungle item is how you take advantage of its benefits. Runes are more important than ever on all junglers. You're going to want LS(Lifesteal), Crit, Attack speed on blues/quints/reds(Yellows should always be a standard 9 armor) It's your choice though how you want your runepage to be, if you're running full armor/health pages even on tanks, you WILL struggle! If you're running 15 AD on junglers with no attack speed steroid(Lee sin passive, Udyr Q,Rengar Q) you WILL struggle. Be smart about your runes. Atkspd reds/quints on Xin/Yi/nautilus Flat AP/AP@18 or CDR blues(Unless you absolutely need the MR) to OPTIMIZE your jungle clear! Remember the jungle item gives you lifesteal %, and 20 magic damage PER hit.
Due to the increase in XP gain and the ease of clearing jungle after lvl 4 or 5, you will spend more time ganking, even if ganks are unsuccessful, the bonus XP lets you keep up with laners. This jungle is extremely powerful(if you start noticing now in games Junglers are keeping up in CS with laners, it's no longer 50-80 CS on junglers when everyone has 150-200+, they're killing it a lot faster!)
ADC ADC is a lot stronger now but they're NOT OP, they still have the same problems that they've always had(Renekton Empower W'ing in your face Q'ing and nearly 1 shotting you) because AD's(Including AD casters, pantheon,talon, rengar etc) have been buffed all across the board, in jungle especially. Mid-late game is even more deadly for an ADC. Having this tank jungler,tank top, tank support can still win you games, but it's a lot less powerful now with all the changes to AD, you're going to want diversity in your team comps, these 2-3 tanks in late game will get shredded with the new items and new masteries. If you build full tank nautilus and you sit on the ADC who has Warlords bloodlust or the new death item, YOU WILL NOT KILL HIM! But for building full tank nautilus and the new AD items, you will be handled very easily, far easier than last patch.
Cull - This item is very important for many different reasons, if you're an ADC main and the enemy goes cull, and you have dorans blade, I hope you understand the advantages you have against an enemy with cull, because if your lane is already stronger than their lane and the enemy is cull(essentially telling everyone, i just want to farm and sustain) and you have a dorans, you have power in this lane, you have zone potential, if you do not understand your advantages, that's your fault.
Split Pushing This is an important topic because more so than before split pushing is a strategy as a losing team(Or winning, but more so for losing teams) to have a solid chance at winning. A winning team that wants to force fights as 5v5, and the losing team knows they will lose the team fight? Stall. and split push. This patch allows for significantly faster split pushing, having a yi jungle is no longer an "aww **** we lose the game cuz all he's going to do is split push, and suck in fights cuz we don't have a tank top or support) Last patch and the patches before this, you could still win by having assassin team comps, but the tank meta made it hard, you wanted atleast 1 tank in your game. Now split push assassins, 1v1ing at top and bot is even more powerful than before. Turrets are rice sacks,you can crush them easily, forcing the winning enemy team to pay attention to you. Allowing a losing team to get back into the game.
Conclusion - This patch allows for many possibilities this patch is truly a gem beneath the dirt. Right now many games are extremely 1 sided more so than before, a lot of people don't realize how this patch is and people are adjusting but use the knowledge, your observation of the game and critical thinking to understand why these changes were made and how YOU can benefit from them. AD assassin junglers though will shift the game, everyone is complaining about the tryndamere , yasuo, squishy turrets, but for AD assassin junglers this is your moment to shine. Everything is in YOUR favor. The opportunities are there. There are many things I'm missing, if others want to fill in the gaps feel free, I haven't touched on every aspect of the game, it's too complex but this will sum up what I know so far. Use it to your advantage.
