LoL Patch 12.5b Brings Forth Big Changes to ADC Meta

Riot Games has finally decided to shake up the very stagnant attack damage carry (ADC) meta. The rift was ruled by hypercarries Jinx and Zeri and they became a staple pick in the esports scene of League of Legends. Every time one tuned in to watch a pro game, there was a very high chance they would spot a Jinx, Zeri, or Aphelios on the bottom side of the map. LoL Patch 12.5b went live late on 9th March, with Riot targeting seven ADCs - some getting buffs and some getting their powers checked. Players will have to play League of Legends in this patch until LoL Patch 12.6 gets released on 30th March.

Apart from these seven ADCs, two other champions and one item - Locket of the Iron Solari - made it onto Riot’s mid-patch fix list.

Jinx, Zeri, and Aphelios get nerfed in LoL Patch 12.5b

The community has discussed a lot about the meta revolving around hyper carriers and late-game monsters since the start of Season 12 of League of Legends. At the time of writing, Zeri, Jinx, and Aphelios had a combined pick rate of 52.91%, according to Lolalytics. Jinx has been fairly untouched recently, but Zeri, on the other hand, has been the recipient of multiple nerfs ever since her release in Patch 12.2.

Jinx

Jinx’s Q - Switcheroo allows her to swap between her mini-gun Pow-pow and her rocket launcher Fishbones and use them whenever she wants to. Now Riot has targeted her rocket launcher which gives her extra range and area-of-effect (AOE) damage.

Earlier, Fishbones mana cost was 16/17/18/19/20 and now it has been nerfed and shall cost 20 mana at all ranks. Similarly, the range on her Fishbones has been reduced. It used to be 100/125/150/175/200 but now the range shall be 80/110/140/170/200.

Aphelios

In the case of Aphelios, Riot has targeted some of his crucial base statistics like armor and health.

Armor 28 ⇒ 26.

Health 530 ⇒ 510.

Zeri

Zeri’s nerfs come in a very long list and it looks like Riot has touched upon every ability in her kit while also bringing in changes to her base stats.

Base stats

• Attack Damage (AD): 58 ⇒ 53

• Health growth 85 (1945 at level 18) ⇒ 90 (2030 at level 18).

• Armor 23 (+3.5 per level), 82.5 at level 18 ⇒ 22 (+3 per level), 73 at level 18.

Basic attack

Charged magic damage ratio based on target’s max health 3-15 percent (levels 1-18) ⇒ 1-10 percent (+0.5 percent levels 1-7, +1 percent levels 8-13).

Q ⁠— Burst Fire

Total physical damage 9/13/17/21/25 (+110 percent AD) ⇒ 10/15/20/25/30 (+110 percent AD).

E ⁠— Spark Surge

• Cooldown 23/22/21/20/19 seconds ⇒ 23 seconds at all ranks.

• Pierce damage 80/85/90/95/100 percent ⇒ 60/70/80/90/100 percent.

R ⁠— Lightning Crash

• Stack per champion hit by initial Lightning Crash 3 ⇒ 4.

• Bonus move speed per stack 2 percent ⇒ 1.5 percent.

Ashe, Draven, and Lucian get buffed

It has really been a long time since Riot took notice of other ADCs like Ashe, Draven, or Lucian. Now, these three champions alongside Varus are getting some significant buffs to help them become viable picks in League of Legends.

Draven’s base stats have been improved. Riot has increased his base attack damage (AD) to 62 from 60.

Ashe

Riot Games has reduced the mana cost of Ashe’s W - Volley and also her R - Enchanted Crystal Arrow cooldown.

W - Volley

Mana Cost 70 at all ranks ⇒ 75/70/65/60/55

R - Enchanted Crystal Arrow

Cooldown 100/80/60 seconds ⇒ 80/70/60 seconds

Lucian

With these buffs, Lucian’s attack damage growth numbers have been improved and his on-hit damage from his passive has also increased.

AD Growth 2.3 (101.1 at level 18) ⇒ 2.9 (111.3 at level 18)

Passive - Lightslinger

Vigilance Bonus Magic Damage On-hit 14 (+10% AD) ⇒ 14 (+20% AD)

Varus

W — Blighted Quiver

Passive Bonus Magic Damage on-hit 7/9/11/13/15 (+30% AP) ⇒ 7/10.5/14/17.5/21 (+30% AP)

R - Chain of Corruption

Base Magic Damage 150/200/250 ⇒ 150/250/350

Apart from these champions, Master Yi and Ryze are also getting some buffs to help their gameplay. Master Yi was hotfixed earlier this week by Riot to curb his on-hit damage ratios. However, this did not serve the champion too well since his win rates were abysmal.

Master Yi

E - Wuju Style

True damage: 30/37/44/51/58 (+30% bonus AD) ⇒ 30/38/46/54/62 (+30% bonus AD) (base damage reverted only)

R - Highlander

Cooldown: 100/90/80 seconds ⇒ 85 seconds at all ranks (reverted)

Ryze

Passive - Arcane Mastery

Maximum mana increase: 5% per 100 AP ⇒ 10% per 100 AP

Q - Overload

Damage: 75/100/125/150/175 (+40% AP) (+3% bonus mana) ⇒ 70/90/110/130/150 (+45% AP) (+3% bonus mana)

Locket of the Iron Solari gets nerfed in LoL Patch 12.5b

The Locket of the Iron Solari is a mythic item in League of Legends and it grants ability haste, magic resistance, health, and armor to the champions. It has a unique active and passive, and is usually prioritized on tanky supports like Alistar and Leona.

Consecrate bonus armor, magic resist 5 ⇒ 3.

Devotion shield amount 230-385 (target’s levels 1-18) ⇒ 200-365 (target’s levels 1-18).

Further down the line LoL Patch 12.6, scheduled for the end of March, is likely to introduce players to changes slated for Pridestalker Rengar and Noxian Swain.

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