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LoL Patch 12.5 is now live on the League of Legends servers and Riot Games has made it clear that this patch shall be here to stay for a whole month, as Patch 12.6 is scheduled to go live on 30th March. For a patch that shall last for the entirety of March, LoL Patch 12.5 is relatively short and straightforward. The nerfs and buffs are direct and only target the systems that have been quite dominant on the Summoner’s Rift. Riot has been hard at work early on in this season as new metas have been cropping up ever so frequently.
The headliner changes for this patch include the much-needed nerfs for the ground-breaking Hullbreaker item for the solo lane and some adjustments directed towards the 1v5 champion that the League of Legends community collectively resents - Master Yi. On a more positive note, Kennen and Samira have been buffed, and Seraphine and Miss Fortune have been subjected to some system adjustments.
It’s patch 12.5, beelieve it! This time around, we’ll bee doing a relatively light patch! There will bee some nerfs to stronger champs like Ahri and Gwen, while some champs like Samira and Seraphine support will bee getting some buffs. We’re also taking some of the sting out of Hullbreaker’s power for ranged champions and, most importantbee, we also have some additions to the Bee skinline this patch! As a heads up, patch 12.5 will bee live for one month, with 12.6 going out on March 30. Don’t worry though, we’ll still beekeeping an eye out for any urgent issues that may pop up.”Riot Games
Patch 12.5 will also include brand new ‘Bee’ cosmetic skins for League of Legends champions. You can check out the full list of changes and adjustments made in LoL Patch 12.5 here.
Hullbreaker Nerfed in LoL Patch 12.5
In the past few weeks, there has been an increase in the number of top laners rushing Hullbreaker as a first or second item. This item’s prioritization has also skyrocketed in the esports scene. What makes the item so oppressive is that it can be bought for 2,800 gold and it offers 50 Attack Damage (AD), 400 health, and 150% base health regeneration.
Until this patch, there was no penalty for ranged champions buying this item. It was prioritized on ranged AD champions like Vayne, Jayce, and Akshan. Riot has effectively addressed this in LoL Patch 12.5 by reducing the benefits of the item for ranged champions.
Ranged Hullbreaker users have been taking over top lane, so we’re decreasing its benefits for them. Hullbreaker should still feel like an option for ranged champs, but without overshadowing melee users.”Riot Games
Master Yi, Gwen nerfed in LoL Patch 12.5
Master Yi has been under the lens of Riot Games for quite some time now. Riot has had its eyes on Yi’s lethality build where players buy the mythic item Duskblade, which is then followed by the Collector. Riot is nerfing this lethality build and is hoping for players to go for a more critical-strike build path.
“Master Yi’s Duskblade builds have been a bit strong recently, but more importantly are both frustrating to play against and unhealthy for gameplay. We’re decreasing his Q's synergy with lethality and Ability Haste and instead, adding on-hit scaling so the Wuju Bladesman is forced to show himself while fighting,” explained Riot.
Master Yi’s main spell, his Q - Alpha Strike, will be the center of these changes. Now the ability will scale less with bonus AD and will potentially lure away players from lethality items. Alpha Strike will now apply on-hit effects, encouraging players to go for items like the Guinsoo’s Rageblade and Wit’s End.
In the case of Gwen, Riot wrote in the patch notes, “Gwen has been shredding up top and jungle in Pro play for some time now. So we’re snipping off some of her power so her weaknesses are more apparent and her strength as a flex pick is reduced.”
Riot has reduced Gwen’s passive damage against monsters and also significantly decreased her E - Skip ‘N Slash bonus attack range.
Apart from fan-favorites Yi and Gwen, the recently reworked Ahri is also getting her kit nerfed alongside Xin Zhao. Riot feels that she has been too overpowered on the rift and is therefore taming her kit down.
Seraphine, Miss Fortune get adjustments
The buffs that Riot directed towards Seraphine are clearly intended to push players towards choosing her as a support in the bot lane. The mid-lane Seraphine pick quickly rose to fame and she was also flex picked into the bot-lane as the carry.
Riot has made changes to her W - Surround Sound and her E - Beat Drop.
For Miss Fortune, the developers have increased the passive movement speed of her W - Strut on respawn.
Spider queen Elise has received a new look in this patch and her skins have also received visual effect updates. LoL Patch 12.5 also introduced an array of quality of life changes and bug fixes for League of Legends. Apart from this, the developers reminded the players about the overhaul for the Mythic Content in the game which is slated to happen in the next patch.
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