Riot prepares for Worlds 2019 with patch 9.19 buffs and nerfs

Syed Mujtaba Naqvi Published 26/09/2019

League of Legends patch 9.19 is live and has brought balance changes to a number of champions, along with new skins, chromas, and some bug fixes.

The most important patch of the season and the patch League of Legends 2019 World Championship will be played on is now live across all servers. With Riot Games not wanting to negatively impact Worlds participants with impulsive changes, this patch includes a long list of slightly buffed champions and a few nerfs.

Buffs for Akali, Aatrox, other champions in patch 9.19

The most notable buff of the patch is Heimerdinger’s, as he’s considered one of the weaker champions in the game with his unique kit. H-28G Evolution Turret (Q)’s and H28Q Apex Turret’s (R) ratios have been increased to 35% AP, and CH-2 Electron Storm Grenade’s (E) stun duration has been increased to 1.5.

Due to a slight overnerf in the patch 9.18, Aatrox’s Darkin Blade (Q) minion damage reduction has been lowered to 45% to give him back some wave clear. Akali and Annie were also readjusted, so Akali’s Perfect Execution (R2) maximum damage has been reverted to 255/450/645, while Annie’s Molten Shield (E) cooldown now decreases with levels and movement speed increases.

Ashe’s passive now slows more, and her Ranger’s Focus (Q) resets auto attacks. These changes to Ashe make her a more favorable pick with stronger laning utility. Players should have more initiative to pick Blitzcrank too, as his Rocket Grab (Q) now has a higher range, and Static Field (R) charges up to three stacks.

To have Fiora be as strong later in the game as she is in early, Riot has decided to grant turret hits to Lunge (Q) and add bonus damage to turrets from Bladework’s (E) second attack. This will enhance the top lane champion’s tower pushing power.

Rek’Sai’s unborrowed Queen’s Wrath (Q) also now works on turrets, and her base armor has been slightly increased. Graves received a minor buff to damage, health, mana, and mana regen stats.

Mordekiser received a slight shield buff, Pantheon got a damage buff to Shield Vault (W), and Orianna’s crowd-controlling ultimate now deals 200/275/350 damage with higher AP scaling.

With the belief that Sion’s this buff will help bring him to a higher-level play, Riot decided to buff Soul Furnance’s (W) shield, especially at earlier levels, to 50/75/100/125/150.

Vayne got more damage to Final Hour (R), and Veigar’s Event Horizon (E) now has a lower cooldown on higher levels. In the jungle Xin Zhao’s early game power has been buffed with a higher passive healing, and higher damage on Three Talon Strike (Q), while Zac’s Let’s Bounce bloblets now restore an additional 1/2/3% maximum health to balance his late-game scaling.

Patch 9.19 brings needed nerfs to Karma, Sylas, more

Karma is considered one of the strongest blind picks as she can be played in multiple roles. To balance that, Riot is nerfing her non-support damage by lowering Inner Flame’s (Q) damage ratio to 40% AP. Another versatile champion, Sylas, has also been made less effective.

With Gragas being one of the top-tier meta champions, his clear speed has now been nerfed. Drunken Rage (W) now has a higher cooldown and deals less of the target’s maximum health as damage.

Also in the jungle, Sejuani has taken a hit to her damage output, with the damage she passively deals based on the target’s maximum health now been capped at its lowest level of 10%.

Tahm Kench received another nerf and is more vulnerable to poke with Thick Skin’s (E) heal now scaling with levels.

Yuumi has been showing a bit too strong in the competitive scene, so the patch has nerfed her Prowling Projectile (Q) by capping its slow and lowering its duration, but removing the decay over time.

New skins and chromas in patch 9.19

With patch 9.19 comes the announcement of new skins available beginning September 26. The skins joining the vault include Hextech Amumu, Championship Ryze, Valiant Sword Riven and its Prestige edition, Majestic Empress Morgana, and Splendid Staff Nami. Chromas will be available for the new Morgana, Nami, and Ryze’s skins.

The patch also implemented a number of bug fixes and performance adjustments. Full patch notes are available here.

Read Also

Esports Betting

Top Esports beats Team WE in the LPL, qualifies for MSI 2026 Wasif Ahmed Against all odds, Top Esports faced Team WE in the LPL upper bracket final. Both teams fought over a spot for the Mid-Season Invitational that everyone expected Anyone’s Legend, Bilibili Gaming, or JD Gaming to claim. In the end, TES paused WE’s Cinderella story as they beat them 3-0. Before this series, World Elite had defeated two LPL powerhouses in BLG and AL. Against TES, though, they suddenly lost all ...

League of Legends

G2 Esports complete comeback against Karmine Corp to win LEC Spring 2026 Hannan Mundia After a fairly smooth split, G2 Esports emerged victorious in the 2026 LEC Spring split grand final by making a comeback against Karmine Corp. The 2026 LEC Spring split has finally concluded. With spots at MSI and the Esports World Cup on the line, every professional European team gave it their all to get as far as they could. While most teams fell quickly, Karmine Corp and G2 Esports managed ...

Esports Betting

G2 Esports vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring: Best odds, picks Hannan Mundia The 2026 LEC Spring split is about to conclude, with G2 Esports and Karmine Corp facing off one last time to see which team qualifies for the Esports World Cup. While both teams have done well to make it to this LEC split’s grand final, only one team can be crowned the victor. With a direct ticket to the EWC on the line, there’s a strong chance that G2’s dominating ...

Esports Betting

MKOI vs Karmine Corp 2026 LEC Spring betting preview: Best odds and picks Hannan Mundia Two LEC spots are open for this year’s Mid-Season Invitational, and MKOI will battle against Karmine Corp to determine which team grabs it. The ongoing LEC Spring split is almost done, and only three teams remain. While G2 Esports has already established itself as the strongest so far with a guaranteed spot in the grand final, Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp will battle it out on the big stage for ...

League of Legends

LCK 2026 Road to MSI: Teams, format, and schedule Hannan Mundia With the LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 complete, the qualified teams will battle it out in Road to MSI. With two spots for the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational and one spot for the 2026 Esports World Cup on the line, here’s everything to know about the LCK 2026 Road to MSI. Six teams have qualified for Road to MSI, but only two MSI spots are available for this region. While powerhouse teams ...

Esports Betting

KT Rolster vs T1 2026 LCK Season Rounds 1-2: Best odds and picks Hannan Mundia KT Rolster and T1 will face off in the last week of 2026 LCK Rounds 1-2 to potentially improve their starting position at Road to MSI. KT Rolster and T1 have both had their moment to shine in the ongoing 2026 LCK split. With one week remaining, the two teams will battle against each other for a chance at acquiring second place and starting with a significant advantage in the ...

Esports Betting

EWC officially heads to Paris for 2026 as early reports confirmed Michael Hassall The Esports World Cup 2026 will take place in Paris, France from July later this year as per an new announcement by the EWC organizers, the Esports Foundation. Revealed in a post on their official social media, and an accompanying release and blog post, the announcement confirmed earlier speculation that the event would move location due to the “regional situation” around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Here’s the info: The Esports World ...