Vortex Gaming

· The 26.6 patch preview has been revealed.
· This content is from the PBE server and may change when it goes live.
· Please use this video to understand the general direction of the patch.

· Azir is receiving a buff. It seems he was nerfed to align with the international tournament season, and now that the tournaments are over, he's being buffed again for solo queue play.
· Riot is focusing on reducing the frequency of new champion releases and stabilizing the solo queue system, so a major Azir rework is likely to be a lower priority.
· This buff aims to increase Azir's late-game potential and is considered a significant improvement.

Category	Details
Q - Conquering Sands	Base Damage: 60/80/100/120/140 → 70/90/110/130/150

· Lissandra's Q skill cooldown buff has a history of being nerfed in 2019 to counter the Aftershock Lissandra meta.
· At that time, the Q skill cooldown was significantly increased, making lane clearing difficult, and she hasn't been able to perform well since, only receiving minor buffs.
· Riot believes enough time has passed and intends to observe Lissandra's recovery potential with a Q cooldown buff that is close to her past values.
· She is a champion that fits well with the current meta, but it's not the same Q skill cooldown as her prime, so we'll have to wait and see.

Category	Details
Q - Ice Shard	Cooldown: 10/8.5/7/5.5/4 seconds → 8/7/6/5/4 seconds

· Ahri, who has dominated as the undisputed top-tier mid-laner, is receiving a nerf.
· A nerf to her Q skill's base damage is planned, but currently, Ahri performs well regardless of her build.
· It is expected that she will likely maintain her tier 1 status with proper build optimization.
· The strategy of pairing Ahri with strong AD junglers is still effective, and with mid-to-late game carry junglers slated for nerfs in the next patch, Ahri's position may not be significantly shaken.

Category	Details
Q - Orb of Deception	Base Damage: 40/65/90/115/140 → 35/60/85/110/135

· Ivern is scheduled for a sharp nerf. This quick nerf seems to be due to his high performance, mainly in the Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers.
· The nerf to his Q skill's jungle clear ability will make the early jungle phase much more uncomfortable.
· While it might be critical for highly skilled players, in the Bronze/Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers, his ability to cover skirmishes will likely play a larger role, allowing him to maintain his position as a tank jungler.
· It's unfortunate that the nerf was decided based on low-tier metrics from the North American server, as he was well-balanced on the Korean server.

Category	Details
Q - Rootcaller	Damage to Monsters: 100% → 70%

· Zyra jungle is also slated for a nerf. While she's performing well in both top and jungle, Riot believes Zyra jungle's performance is superior and has planned nerfs to specifically target jungle Zyra.
· The nerf to her W skill's damage and E skill's jungle clear ability will be particularly impactful.
· Recently, champions like Ivern and Zyra had carved out unique niches in the solo queue jungle ecosystem, but with both receiving nerfs, champions like Lee Sin or Jarvan are expected to perform better.

Category	Details
W - Rampant Growth	Plant Damage: 20~88 → 16~84
E - Grasping Roots	Damage to Monsters: 100% → 70%

· Riot has commented that they are satisfied with the current solo queue balance and lane equilibrium.
· Therefore, the 26.6 patch can be understood as a 'pruning' patch, adjusting overly strong champions rather than introducing major changes.

· Olaf has consistently maintained Tier 2 performance in Korea, but his pick rate has been low.
· With this patch, a base attack speed buff and a Q skill slow amount buff (mid-to-late game) will be applied, potentially encouraging players to try Olaf again.
· Although there are also nerfs to his Q skill's level 1 slow and E skill, overall, these are buffs aimed at empowering jungle Olaf.

Category	Details
Base Stats	Base Attack Speed: 0.694 → 0.700
Q - Undertow	Slow Amount: 25/30/35/40/45% → 20/30/40/50/60%
E - Reckless Swing	Damage: 70/115/160/205/250 → 60/105/150/195/240

· Skarner has been a forgotten champion recently, with a pick rate not even exceeding 0.5%.
· After his major rework, he showed monstrous performance in top and jungle, leading to excessive nerfs, particularly in patch 14.13, where his Q skill's mana cost increase and reduced max health damage significantly lowered his base power.
· This patch aims to almost revert the Q skill changes, buffing him to observe his power.
· It's uncertain how many players will try Top Skarner again, but it is undoubtedly a meaningful buff.

Category	Details
Q - Stone Skewer	Mana Cost: 20/25/30/35/40 → 10/15/20/25/30 Max Health Damage: 10% → 12%

· Following the Garen buff, Tryndamere is also receiving a buff.
· With a pick rate of 1.2% and a win rate of 47.1% on the Korean server, his state was not good, so this buff is welcome news for players.

Category	Details
Base Stats	Attack Speed Ratio: 0.67 → 0.70

· Pyke's base armor is set to decrease by a whopping 6.
· His previous armor of 43 was the highest among all champions, tied with Leona, so a reduction of 6 is a numerically very significant nerf.
· Since Pyke converts bonus health into attack damage, increasing his max health through means other than leveling up, it was difficult for him to manage aggro despite his high armor.
· Recently, with the rise of utility supports like Karma, Pyke had been benefiting, but he's now receiving a swift counter-measure.

Category	Details
Base Stats	Base Armor: 43 → 37

· There are also changes to a few items.
· Chemtech Putrifier is currently rarely used, so this gold reduction patch is not expected to have a significant impact.
· Thornmail's recipe is changing, which will make its build path more convenient.
· Support item penalties are being eased. The strict conditions, which were put in place to prevent unusual strategies in competitive play, are gradually being relaxed as such plays haven't emerged. We'll have to see if this paves the way for new strategies.

Category	Details
Chemtech Putrifier	Total Cost: 2800 Gold → 2700 Gold
Thornmail	Recipe: Bramble Vest + Ruby Crystal + 1000 Gold → Bramble Vest + Ruby Crystal + 600 Gold Total Cost: 2700 Gold (Same)
Support Items	Penalty Reduction: Reduced gold gain penalty under specific conditions