League of Legends Tier List Update: Patch 25.21 Guide

Key Takeaways

• Doran's Shield melee heal drops from 45 to 40 and Second Wind loses its flat 3 HP base — together these nerfs hit melee-tank laners the hardest and open the door for ranged bullies.
• Catalyst of Aeons loses 50 HP (350 to 300), directly weakening Kassadin and other users who rely on it for early sustain.
• Gwen is reverted to her pre-25.06 state, positioning her as a strong A-to-S-tier flex pick in top lane and jungle.
• Diana drops from OP to S tier in the jungle after her passive monster damage is reduced from 300% to 280%.
• Volibear and Jax enter the OP jungle tier; Trinity Force is now the preferred build for Volibear over Cosmic Drive.
• Kassadin drops to A tier after three indirect nerfs reduce his early-game survivability.
• LeBlanc and Morgana hold OP tier in mid lane; LeBlanc benefits indirectly from the Doran's Ring regen changes that favor aggressive mana users.

Here is the full breakdown of what changes in Patch 25.21 and how they ripple through every role.

Patch 25.21 Changes and Impacts

In patch 25.21, several layered changes across starting items and champion mechanics arrive together, creating ripple effects across every role. This guide covers what to expect — which champions rise, which fall, and why the item nerfs matter as much as the champion adjustments.

Item Changes

1. Doran's Blade:
   • Life steal removed and replaced with 2.5% omnivamp — healing on all damage types, not just auto attacks.
   • Aatrox, with his minimal early-game auto-attack dependence, sees marginally better health trades from ability damage contributing to sustain.
2. Doran's Ring:
   • Mana regeneration changes from 1.25 per second to 1 per second base, rising to 2 per second for five seconds after damaging an enemy champion. Aggressive laners who trade frequently will benefit most.
3. Doran's Shield:
   • Melee heal reduced from 45 to 40 (ranged value unchanged).
   • Second Wind's flat 3 HP base value removed — the rune now heals only 4% of missing health, meaning it provides less early-game sustain than before.
4. Catalyst of Aeons:
   • Health reduced from 350 to 300, affecting high-reliance users like Kassadin and Kassiopeia negatively in the early game.

Together, these changes make the early laning phase more punishing for champions who depend on item-based sustain rather than base stats or passive healing from champion kits.

Champion Adjustments

• Quinn:
• Her Q bonus AD ratio decreases, and her R damage shifts from a percentage ratio to a flat value plus a 35% bonus AD ratio.
• Pre-6 gameplay remains unchanged, but Quinn's post-item damage drops slightly, balancing her out despite Second Wind and Doran's Shield nerfs.
• She moves from OP tier to S tier in the top lane.

• Dr. Mundo:
• Receives an increase in armor growth, offset by a reduction to his E ability damage. These changes maintain his tier position — the armor buff partially compensates for losing early sustain from Doran's Shield.

• Gwen:
• Reverted to her pre-25.06 state with adjusted stats, significantly improving her current win rate. She ranks in A tier initially but may move higher as players adapt to the revert.

• Cassiopeia:
• With Doran's Shield nerfed, Cassiopeia's ranged harass becomes relatively stronger. She moves back up to OP tier in the top lane.

With those champion adjustments covered, the broader top lane meta picture comes into focus.

Effects on Top Lane Meta

The Doran's Shield and Second Wind changes shift which champions perform best at the start of a game. Ranged champions — Teemo, Kennen, Varus, Vladimir, Jayce, and Gnar — see increased effectiveness because they were never reliant on those sustain items the way melee tanks were.

Expected top lane tier shifts from patch 25.21:

These top lane shifts set the stage for the jungle and mid changes that compound throughout the patch.

Impact of Nerfs on Melee and Jungle Picks

Shen, Mundo, Tahm Kench, Yone, Nasus, Akali, and Ornn all face potential power losses from the Doran's Shield and Second Wind nerfs. Whether those losses translate to tier changes depends on how heavily each champion relied on those items as an early stabilizer — early data will clarify over the first days of the patch.

Diana and Graves: Jungle Adjustments

Diana, previously the most dominant jungler, will see her passive monster damage reduced from 300% to 280%. This adjustment is expected to cost roughly 0.5% win rate, moving her from OP to S tier. Diana remains a strong pick despite the nerf — the reduction is calibrated, not devastating.

Graves receives a notable rework to his magic resist mechanics: base MR drops from 32 to 30, but his E now grants 50% of his armor as bonus magic resistance per stack, encouraging armor-based durability itemization. The recommended direction is Umbral Glaive into Black Cleaver — a bruiser path that leverages both the new MR stacking and his Q's strong base damage. His tier list placement holds at A tier for now.

Jungle Tier List Updates

Volibear and Jax both enter the OP tier this patch, filling the gap left by Diana's tier drop. Volibear's Trinity Force build has demonstrably outperformed the older Cosmic Drive path in usage data, and players who have adapted earlier are already seeing the results.

Jax benefits from both his individual itemization strength and the meta's shift toward bruiser-dominant junglers after the tank sustain nerfs. Trinity Force into situationally tanky items is the preferred path for both OP-tier junglers this patch.

Mid Lane Modifications

Morgana, Diana, and LeBlanc hold their positions in the OP tier for mid lane. The patch indirectly benefits LeBlanc — more mana from the Doran's Ring combat trigger and reduced healing from Doran's Shield and Second Wind favor her aggressive, short-trade playstyle. Artillery mages gain increased effectiveness from the poke advantage created by the sustain nerfs.

Kassadin, hit by three indirect nerfs, drops to A tier. His reliance on Doran's Shield for early survivability, Second Wind for lane sustain, and Catalyst of Aeons for the health that lets him survive to the mid game all take hits simultaneously. Akali shares similar early-game vulnerabilities but maintains her existing tier position. If you want to navigate Kassadin's early-game window through this meta shift, a dedicated LoL coaching session can help build consistent laning habits against the aggressive picks that now dominate the mid lane.

ADC Developments

Ezreal and Kalista receive minor AD growth buffs. These improvements may lift their win rates marginally but are unlikely to propel either champion up from B and C tier respectively into the top tier this patch.

Yone's Updated Numbers

Yone's base AD buff from 60 to 62 counterbalances the Doran's Shield and Second Wind nerfs. The buff is calculated to keep him stable at B tier rather than drop him alongside other melee reliant on those sustain sources.

Here is a comparison of Doran's Blade's influence on Yone's W damage across patches:

These numbers reflect an early-game and late-game damage increase with a mid-game dip until Infinity Edge comes online. Players should expect slightly weaker dueling power in the two-item window.

ADC and Support Changes Analysis

Yone's bonus AD ratio change means at level 6 with a Hearthbound Axe, his damage increases slightly from 174 to 176; at a completed Kraken Slayer, damage decreases from 200 to 191; at two items with Hurricane the drop is minor (283 to 280); at the full three-item core the gap widens from 344 to 323. The adjustments lean early — an initial buff that reverses into a nerf as itemization accumulates post-Kraken Slayer.

Yunara's E sees mixed adjustments this patch: the cooldown extends from 7.5 to 9 seconds, but the movement speed effect no longer decays. While marketed as a neutral adjustment, the practical value of the persistent movement speed is limited enough to keep Yunara in C tier for now.

Kog'Maw faces a direct nerf with a 5% reduction in Q passive attack speed across all ranks — this affects his attack speed burst window and is not offset by other buffs this patch. Despite this, his sustained DPS remains strong enough to hold S tier for ADC. Jinx and Ashe continue to dominate the bot lane due to their relative lack of nerfs, making them priority picks in the current meta. Jhin may leverage the Doran's Blade omnivamp change to sustain slightly more from ability damage, though the power difference is minimal.

Bard and Morgana Support Updates

Bard receives targeted buffs to enhance his AP build viability. The W minimum heal AP ratio rises from +30% to +40% AP, and the maximum heal from +60% to +70% AP. Dead Man's Plate continues to outperform AP items as his first purchase. These modifications make AP support items competitive as a second purchase but don't displace the Dead Man's Plate opener that keeps him at A tier.

Morgana's nerf primarily affects her mid-lane performance through armor growth (5 to 4.2). Her position in the support S tier stays unaffected — armor growth matters less in the support role where experience and gold gain differ from mid lane.

Support Tier Stability

The top tier of the support role sees minimal change. Nami and Milio retain their OP tier positions with high play rates and win rates. The support meta remains largely consistent with 25.20, awaiting more targeted adjustments in future patches. Players focused on climbing via support can earn ranked wins with the patch's strongest solo carries while the top tier holds stable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main item changes in LoL Patch 25.21?

Doran's Shield melee heal drops from 45 to 40, Second Wind loses its flat 3 HP base value (now heals only 4% missing health), Doran's Blade replaces life steal with 2.5% omnivamp, Doran's Ring gains a combat regen bonus, and Catalyst of Aeons loses 50 HP (350 to 300). These changes collectively weaken champions reliant on early sustain items.

Who benefits most from the Doran's Shield nerf in top lane?

Ranged bullies benefit most — Teemo, Kennen, Varus, Vladimir, Jayce, and Gnar all see improved effectiveness when their melee opponents can no longer sustain through their poke. Cassiopeia climbs to OP tier specifically because she can exploit the weakened early-game stability of most top-lane fighters.

Is Kassadin good in Patch 25.21?

Kassadin drops to A tier after three indirect nerfs: Doran's Shield (less early HP recovery), Second Wind (flat base value removed), and Catalyst of Aeons (-50 HP). His scaling remains strong, but blind-picking him into aggressive mid-lane opponents in this patch is riskier than before.

What happened to Diana in the jungle this patch?

Diana's passive monster damage decreases from 300% to 280%, costing approximately 0.5% win rate and dropping her from OP to S tier. She remains a strong jungle pick — the nerf is calibrated — but Volibear and Jax now share the OP tier alongside her previous dominance.

Is Gwen good in Patch 25.21?

Yes. Gwen's revert to pre-25.06 state significantly improves her win rate, placing her in A tier initially in top lane. Her jungle performance is similarly strong. Builds centering on Nashor's Tooth into Lich Bane take advantage of the revert's AP scaling improvements.

What is the best jungle pick in Patch 25.21?

Volibear and Jax enter the OP tier this patch. Volibear performs best with Trinity Force over Cosmic Drive, while Jax excels through dueling power and favorable matchups against popular jungle champions. Diana remains strong in S tier despite her nerf.

How does the Doran's Blade omnivamp change affect champions?

The switch from life steal to 2.5% omnivamp means champions who deal damage through abilities now also benefit from the healing effect. Aatrox, for example, sees marginally better early trades because his Q and E damage now contributes to the healing passive. However, the overall value is similar to the old life steal for pure auto-attack champions.