Patch 11.22 brings Graves nerfs, Akali buffs, Into The Arcane

Nicholas James Published 03/11/2021

Patch 11.22 is bringing some extensive changes to League of Legends.

There is one last patch before the preseason hits and Riot Games is taking the opportunity to belatedly address some picks that have made their way to the Worlds stage, and bring up some others that are struggling elsewhere. In addition, Victorious Blitzcrank will become available for everybody who managed to grind all the way to gold during this year’s ranked season. Most notably, the Into The Arcane event will be launching alongside Riot’s animated series, Arcane.

A suite of overperforming champions are getting adjustments to make them less oppressive to others in the same role. Kha’zix and Graves are both getting nerfs for Jungle. Graves is seeing nerfs to the critical strike conversion on his passive, and Kha’zix losing damage on his Q. Both have cemented themselves as exceptional duelists in recent patches and Riot is deeming it worthwhile to take them down a few pegs.

When it comes to support, Maokai and Yuumi are getting pulled back after their performances at Worlds showed the champions may become too prevalent in solo queue. The last champion getting nerfed is Qiyana in the mid lane and it’s really more of a rebalancing. Qiyana is losing early damage but gaining more of her power in her levels, making her use cases more easily accessed by non-elite players.

Patch 11.22 brings Arcane skins and Akali buffs

Seven champions get buffs this patch: Akali, Kalista, Kayn, Renekton, Riven, Varus, and Vi.

Some of these buffs, like Akali and Renekton, are walking back some of the ramifications after previous nerfs. Others, like Vi, are looking to be brought back up after a long time out of the spotlight. The full details of all these buffs can be spotted in the patch notes, but anybody who plays these champions has a lot to be excited about.

In addition to the champions, Goredrinker is seeing a power readjustment after Riot overdid some nerfs last patch, and that’s all on the balance side. Perhaps the most exciting part of this patch is the new cosmetics hitting the live servers. Between Arcane Jinx and Jayce, and the ranked reward for 2021 of Victorious Blitzcrank, there’s plenty of free visual bling for players to acquire.

Nicholas James

About Nicholas James

Nicholas James is a gaming writer with a passion for all things geekdom, as well as live theater. Nicholas is best known for covering League of Legends and other top MOBA titles, but his expertise covers numerous games across multiple genres. When not watching the LCS or playing the latest new release, Nicholas can be found doing some tabletop gaming and painting his favorite miniatures. Nicholas has also published with Hotspawn, TheGamer, Dexerto, Esports.gg and other industry outlets.

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