League of Legends Tier List Update: Patch 25.21 Guide

Patch 25.21 Changes and Impacts

In the highly anticipated patch 25.21 for League of Legends, several changes are coming that will impact gameplay, starting with adjustments to starting items and champion mechanics. Here's what to expect:

Item Changes

1. Doran’s Blade:
   • The change sees life steal removed and replaced with healing 2.5% of the damage dealt. This adjustment benefits champions who rely on abilities over auto-attacks.
   • For example, Aatrox, with his minimal early-game auto-attack dependence, will see slightly better health trades.
2. Doran’s Ring:
   • Mana regeneration adjustments mean it goes from 1.25 mana per second to one, but increases to two for five seconds after damaging an enemy champion. Aggressive laners will favor this change.
3. Doran’s Shield:
   • A flat nerf is applied by reducing the heal from 45 to 40 for melee champions.
   • This is accompanied by a nerf to the Second Wind rune, which sees its base healing removed.
4. Catalyst of Aeons:
   • Health is reduced from 350 to 300, affecting users like Ryze and Cassiopeia negatively.

Champion Adjustments

• Quinn:
• Her Q's bonus AD ratio decreases, with her R damage altered from a percentage ratio to a flat value plus a 35% bonus AD ratio.
• While pre-6 gameplay remains unchanged, post-item Quinn faces lower damage, balancing her overall power in the top lane despite Second Wind and Doran’s Shield nerfs.
• She moves from the OP tier to the S tier.

• Dr. Mundo:
• Receives an increase in armor growth, complemented by a cut to E ability damage. These changes maintain his tier position as unchanged.

• Gwen:
• The patch sees a full reversion to her 25.5 patch state, potentially improving her current win rate significantly. She ranks in the A tier but may change as feedback rolls in.

• Cassiopeia:
• With Doran’s Shield nerfed, her laning strength improves, moving her back up to the OP tier.

Effects on Top Lane Meta

The alterations to Doran's Shield and Second Wind will influence which champions rise in the top lane hierarchy. As a result:

• Range Champions like Teemo, Kennen, Varus, Vlad, Jayce, and Gnar should see increased effectiveness.

The table below highlights the expected top lane tier shifts:

These updates in patch 25.21 pave the way for strategic shifts in play, urging players to reconsider their item and champion choices in response to the revised dynamics of the game.

Impact of Nerfs and Jungle Adjustments

Casante, Shen, Mundo, Tahm Kench, Yone, Nasus, Akali, and Ornn are facing potential power losses due to the nerfs to Doran's Shield and Second Wind. However, it's still uncertain if these changes will significantly affect their tier list positions. We'll need to observe how the nerfs fare once implemented.

Diana and Graves: Jungle Adjustments

Diana, previously the most dominant jungler, will experience a reduction in her passive monster damage from 300% to 280%. This adjustment is expected to cause a slight 0.5% drop in her win rate, moving her down one tier from OP to S. Despite this nerf, Diana should remain a strong pick.

Graves receives an intriguing modification, with base magic resist reduced but compensation provided through E's new scaling magic resist per stack. These changes aim to shift Graves from a lethality build to a bruiser-focused build. With previous adjustments buffing his Q's base damage and the new magic resist stacking, a Sunder Sky Rush could be an effective direction for Graves players. Currently, no changes will be made to Graves' tier list placement, and he will remain in A tier.

Jungle Tier List Updates

Two key shifts in the jungle tier list involve Volibear and Jax entering the OP tier, while Diana exits. Volibear's adaptability to the recent nerfs, with the new Trinity Force build as a preference over Cosmic Drive, keeps him competitive. The usage statistics support Trinity Force as the superior choice, leading players to combine it with Flicker Blades and other situationally tanky items.

Mid Lane Modifications

Morgana, Diana, and LeBlanc hold their positions in the OP tier for mid lane. The patch indirectly benefits LeBlanc, as more mana from Doran's Ring and decreased healing from Doran's Shield and Second Wind benefit her aggressive play style. Artillery mages should also gain increased effectiveness from strengthened poke capabilities.

Cassadin, suffering from three indirect nerfs, will drop to the A tier due to reliance on Doran's Shield, Second Wind, and Catalyst mechanics. Akali shares similar vulnerabilities but maintains her existing position.

ADC Developments

Ezreal and Kalista receive minor buffs to their AD growth, resembling past improvements seen in other champions like Ashe. These changes may increase their win rates slightly but are unlikely to propel Ezreal or Kalista from their respective B and C tiers.

Summary of Yone's Changes

Yone's revisited buff increasing base AD from 60 to 62 aims to counterbalance the negative impacts from Doran Shield and Second Wind nerfs. This tweak appears sufficient to keep him stable in the B tier.

Comparative Analysis of Yone's W Damage

To demonstrate the nuanced changes, here's a comparison of Doran's Blade's influence on Yone's W damage across patches:

These changes indicate early and late-game damage increments but a mid-game dip until Infinity Edge is acquired. The complex nature of these adjustments will likely lead to strategic variances in build orders.

ADC and Support Changes Analysis

The recent patch introduces a critical alteration in the ADC dynamics, particularly with Yone and Kog'Maw experiencing adjustments. Yone's damage output has seen specific changes due to an alteration in his bonus AD ratio. For example:

1. At level 6 with a Hearthbound Axe, his damage slightly increases from 174 to 176.
2. With a completed Kraken Slayer, the damage decreases from 200 to 191.
3. The addition of a Hurricane sees a minor drop from 283 to 280.
4. The full three-item core experiences a more notable decrease from 344 to 323.

   These changes suggest an initial buff in the early game, but subsequent itemization reveals a nerf, particularly post-Kraken Slayer. Despite these adjustments, Yone's W damage sees minor fluctuations, implying a subtle net positive without significant impact on his overall power. Yinara's E abilities offer mixed results. The cooldown is extended from 7.5 to 9 seconds, but the movement speed no longer decays. While advertised as a buff, the practical boost to her capabilities remains minimal, maintaining her position in the C tier. Kog'Maw encounters a straightforward nerf with a 5% reduction in Q passive attack speed across all ranks. However, this does not impact his standing as an S-tier ADC. Despite various changes, the ADC meta seems stable. Jinx and Ashe continue to dominate due to their lack of significant nerfs, emphasizing their priority in the current meta environment. Some champions like Jhin might leverage the Doran's Blade changes to heal more effectively from abilities, though no substantial impact on champion power is anticipated. In the bot lane, Yasuo might experience slight drawbacks due to the Second Wind nerf, but with Doran's Blade maintaining better performance metrics, his power remains relatively stable in the S tier.

Updates on Bard and Morgana

For support champions, Bard receives buffs intended to enhance his AP build viability. The W heal AP ratio increases by 10%, and W movement speed to AP ratio rises slightly. These modifications suggest Leandre remains a strong second item, though Dead Man's Plate might still reign as the best first purchase, keeping Bard in the A tier.

As for Morgana, the nerf primarily affects her mid-lane performance due to the scaling changes. Her position in the support S tier stays unaffected, given the nuances of experience gain in the support role.

Unchanging Support Dynamics

Regrettably, the top tier of the support role witnesses little shake-up. Champions like Nami and Mio retain their positions in the OP tier, continuing their legacy of high play and win rates. The support meta, therefore, remains largely consistent, awaiting more impactful changes in future patches.