Top lane in League of Legends is changing thanks to teleport updates

Preseason changes in League of Legends aren’t done yet.

Teleport is getting a rework if changes on the Public Beta Environment go through to live servers. Teleport will be less versatile pre-14 minutes, with it getting a reduced cooldown and more options later on. These potential changes have been met with mixed reception by fans and experts alike.

How is teleport getting changed?

The changes to teleport on PBE function somewhat like a recent Smite rework, gating some of the spell’s power in the early game and unlocking it later on. The new Teleport spell starts off slightly different than players know it now. With a 360-second cooldown, the new Teleport spell only allows players to teleport only to structures until Turret Plates fall at 14 minutes.

After 14 minutes, it becomes Unleashed Teleport. Unleashed Teleport has a shorter cooldown at 270 seconds, allowing the player to teleport to allied structures, minions, or wards. This will drastically change how Teleport functions in solo queue and professional play, especially for top laners.

How does Teleport being nerfed affect top lane in League of Legends?

Teleport’s change will see the biggest ramifications in top lane which already has a reputation as being an isolated island on Summoner’s Rift.

Gone are the days of being able to teleport back to the wave after losing first blood to punish the enemy laner off of a quick death timer. Top laners will also no longer be able to teleport to a minion in order to hold the wave out of turret range for a few seconds longer in order to set up an unfavourable wavestate.

It will also prevent collapses in other lanes or the jungle using Teleport by top laners in the early game, preventing cross-map agency. In theory this can free up top laners to focus more exclusively on their side of the map. Some experts look at this change as making the summoner spell less interesting.

While the change might result in more combat-oriented choices, it could make top lane even more punishing for champions stuck in counter matchups. If these changes follow the usual calendar, they would be making their way to live servers on patch 11.25.