Patch 25.20 Tier List: World's Edition for League of Legends

Patch 25.20: Champion Adjustments and Tier List

Patch 25.20 is the pivotal update for this year's League of Legends World Championship, featuring numerous changes primarily focused on professional play. With adjustments made to 14 champions, this patch reshapes the competitive landscape. We'll delve into the tier list updates by role, starting with the top lane.

Top Lane Changes

Malphite Buffs
- Base armor increased from 37 to 40.
- E damage buffed, scaling from 70–230 to 80–240.
These enhancements make Malphite a formidable choice in solo queue, pushing him into the OP tier. The armor buff is particularly significant for Malphite due to his damage scaling with his armor.
Camille Adjustments
- Armor growth reduced from 5 to 4.5, leading to a loss of 8 armor at level 18.
- W cooldown reduced by 2 seconds, with a 10 damage increase at all ranks.
Camille retains her place in the A tier, as these changes slightly enhance her offensive capabilities while decreasing her defensive prowess. Moving to the top lane tier list, Malphite now occupies the OP tier, while Warwick slots into S. Despite direct nerfs to Warwick covered in the jungle section, key melee fighters like Jax, Garen, Darius, and Atrox remain popular picks.

Jungle Changes

Pantheon Buffs

Q Monster Damage: Increased from 75% to 80%.
W Minion and Monster Damage: Increased from 120% to 150%.

Despite these positive adjustments after past nerfs, Pantheon maintains a C tier position with only a slight improvement in his win rate, making him still less competitive overall.

Brier Nerfs

Passive Stack Reduction: From 7 to 5 stacks.

This modification only slightly reduces Brier's damage output, and she stays in the S tier. The decrease results in a manageable drop of 27 damage during extended fights.

Here's a concise table summarizing the key changes for top jungle champions:

Champion	Tier Movement	Key Changes
Malphite	Up to OP	Armor and E damage buffs
Pantheon	Remains C	Partial reversal of Q and W nerfs
Brier	Remains S	Passive stack reduction
Volibear	Down to S	AP ratio nerfs influencing damage output

Overall, this patch maintains stability for many champions while the adjustments fine-tune characters for pro play. As the World Championship approaches, these changes aim to balance and optimize gameplay across all levels.

Jungle Changes in Patch 25.20

Graves' Buffs: Graves is seeing improvements across the board, prompting his rise from the B to A tier. These buffs enhance his jungle presence and make him a more viable option for players looking to diversify their strategies.
Wukong Adjustments: Wukong is experiencing several tweaks. The Q bonus AD ratio drops from 55% to 50%, while the W cooldown increases by two seconds across all ranks and its damage decreases by 5%. On the upside, his E damage is enhanced, scaling from 80-200 to 80-240, mitigating early-game impacts but potentially affecting mid-game team fights. Consequently, Wukong is adjusted from S to A tier.
Diana's Dominance: Diana reigns as the standout jungle pick. Her previous patch buffs have solidified her OP tier status, making her the top ban candidate in this patch.
Other Jungle Picks: Despite nerfs to Volibear, Brier, and Warwick, these champions remain robust S tier picks. The jungle meta, currently marked by diversity, offers several top-tier choices:
- Assassins: Kayn, Ekko, and Diana lead the pack.
- Fighters: Volibear, Brier, Jax, and Bel'Veth.
- Tanks: Amumu and Nunu hold strong after recent buffs.

Mid Lane Adjustments in Patch 25.20

Anivia Buffs: Anivia receives a minor buffs with her Q cooldown reduced and E base damage increased by five at all ranks, reinforcing her high S tier standing.
Katarina's Armor Increase: With a base armor increase from 28 to 32, Katarina gains resilience against certain opponents like Zed and Talon, maintaining her position as a solid S tier pick.
Veigar Buffs: Veigar's W receives a 10% AP ratio increase. Although this enhances his power, it doesn't catapult him into S tier, so he will remain in A tier.
Oriana's Nerfs: Oriana faces a decrease in W base damage, reducing its potency when maxed first. However, a slight boost in AP ratio encourages more offensive build paths. These changes result in Oriana being ranked B tier due to her weakened solo queue performance.
Azir's Challenges: Azir sees W AP ratio changes and adjusted damage on multiple target hits, which overall results in a net nerf for early game impact. Consequently, Azir is maintained in C tier.
Fizz Buffs: Fizz's W damage increases, counteracting the reduced R max damage at level six. This denotes a promising outlook, elevating him to S tier due to net positive changes.

Mid Lane Tier List

OP Tier: Morgana, Diana, and Leblanc stand firm in the OP tier.
S Tier: With updates to Anivia and Fizz, they remain strong contenders alongside Katarina.
A and B Tiers: Veigar and Oriana find their places in A and B tiers respectively, reflecting their stability or challenges amid patch changes.

This patch highlights specific refinements across multiple champions, ensuring a balanced environment as players approach competitive phases.

The patch for worlds brings a significant focus on certain champions, with Leblanc and Morgana standing out due to their current power. Riot plans to nerf these champions in the upcoming 25.21 patch. Until then, they remain strong picks and can be effectively harnessed for climbing solo queue rankings.

Counter Strategies

Against Leblanc: Malzahar and Vex serve as excellent counters, offering resilience against her burst capability.
Against Morgana: Although her wave-clearing W ability presents a challenge, choosing Zed or Akshan can exploit her predictable pattern with their AD damage and mobility.

ADC and Support Observations

While ADC roles remain unchanged with this patch, Jinx and Ashe emerge as the preferred choices, consistently outperforming others. Conversely, Kalista and Yara present lower win rates around 46%, signaling the risks associated with picking them.

For supports, the meta has been largely uneventful, with Riot not altering the field for this patch. The trend favors enchanters and mages, with champions like Milio and Nami dominating the OP tier. Recent buffs have restored the strength of mages such as Seraphine, Vel'Koz, Brand, and Zyra, making them viable alternatives to the reliance on ADCs for damage output.

Support Tier Discussion

OP Tier Enchanters: Milio and Nami
Viable Mages: Seraphine, Vel'Koz, Brand, Zyra
Lagging Engage Supports: Alistar, Rakan, Nautilus, with Leona as an exception who benefited from past buffs

In conclusion, this patch maintains certain paradigms while setting the stage for future shifts. As players move forward, keeping an eye on the meta evolution and patch notes will prove beneficial in adapting strategies effectively.