While League of Legends’ Patch 11.4 was released to the public last week, it won’t come into pro play for another while. Today’s article will assess how these changes will impact each of the five roles and will wrap up with a meta prediction. While this article will be based on numbers and statistics, a lot of this is still speculation, so please keep that in mind. Without further ado, here is how Patch 11.4 should affect the LPL.
Top Lane
With the changes in 11.4, it seems unlikely that much will change in the top lane. Renekton is losing some of his power, but these nerfs won’t break his back. He might lose some priority, but he sits at an 85% pick/ban rate. It seems unlikely that these changes will knock him out of the top lane.
Fiora and Camille also got changes. Fiora got a buff, which many LPL top laners will welcome with open arms. The Camille nerfs share quite a bit with the Renekton nerfs. She is the third most banned champion in the LPL, so while she may lose some priority, it is unlikely she will disappear.
Jungle
Probably the role that will change the most, the jungle has direct changes and indirect changes. While Lee Sin is getting buffs, the changes to income and experience make Lee a less valuable pick. The Skarner change is a bit of an unknown quantity since he isn’t a common pick in the LPL.
The indirect changes are where the meta-shift will probably come from. With less income and levels, carry junglers will have less value in the game. Graves, Nidalee, Lilia, and Pantheon will all lose value when Patch 11.4 hits pro play. Olaf, who did receive direct and indirect nerfs in previous patches, also loses value, some players opt for a more tanky route. With enchanter supports possibly making a comeback, Olaf should be fine.
Mid Lane
There are no direct changes to any mid laners in patch 11.4. Expect Zoe to continue to be the most contested and banned mid laner, and expect Orianna and Syndra to be the generic blind pick mages.
With tanky and utility-based champions possibly making a comeback, AP mages that can deal with said tanks should continue to be high-priority picks. Azir in particular seems to be a pick that a lot of mid laners are gravitating towards.
Bot Lane Carry
With Samira and Kai’Sa both losing early game power, the two most contested bot lane carry picks are taken down a peg. Aphelios and Xayah, who were already seeing quite a bit of playtime, should rise even further in priority. Tristana has also shown up quite a bit and is likely to continue doing so.
However, with the return of tanks and possibly enchanter supports, there is one more hyper-carry left to talk about. In Patch 11.2, Runnan’s Hurricane got buffed. In Patch 11.3, Jinx got some buffs but lost some hp to balance those changes out. Now in Patch 11.4, she got her HP back, meaning she has received positive changes for three patches in a row. Jinx is a pick that functions off of high-risk plays, which happen to be in abundance in the LPL. It is possible that the loose cannon will make her way back into the league.
Support
Last but not least, the support changes are interesting ones. While only Soraka got a direct change, enchanter supports were never popular in the LPL. Only in extreme moments like during the ardent censor meta were enchanters ever considered. Even then, most LPL supports rathered play Rakan, who could still make use of the item.
While Moonstone and Staff did get hit in the previous two patches, the items are still strong in the right hands. Last patch, Chempunk Purifier got a massive change, making it very appealing for champions that provide shields. If hyper carries do make a comeback, it is possible that some supports will gravitate towards enchanter picks to buff up and further their carry potential.
Meta Prediction
Top Side
Renekton will still be the most contested top laner, but will lose some priority. Expect teams to look to Gnar and Gragas, two already popular picks who haven’t been changed, as their blind picks. Camille will still be a menace and is less likely to be banned, but now can be counter-picked by Fiora, which most LPL top laners see as a very favorable matchup.
Udyr will be by a long shot the most contested jungler. Olaf will still see quite a bit of play but expect tankier builds coming from him. Zac and Sejuani are two picks to keep an eye on. While the LPL does have a lot of young players who never played in a tank-heavy jungle meta, a lot of them are used to being the team’s main engage, so it will be a matter of adapting their playstyle.
The mid lane will remain the same for the most part. Orianna does fine sitting back and scaling with the tanks, as does Azir. Zoe and Syndra will continue to act as the mid lane bullies, and will probably still see quite a few bans.
Bot Side
Bot lane is where things start to change up quite a bit. Samira lost quite a bit of early power, and Kai’Sa lost power during all stages of the game. A lot of carries have already started picking Aphelios, Xayah and Tristana, so it is possible that they will emerge as the new most contested picks. Vayne and Jinx could start showing up as counter-picks, but it could be a while before they officially become contested picks in the meta.
As for supports, it is unlikely we will see any immediate changes. Alistar, Thresh and Rell should continue to be the most play supports. However, while they are few and far between, there are some supports who could start looking at the enchanter picks. Meiko, Baolan and Ming all played during the ardent censor meta, and are no stranger to enchanters. Iwandy is another one to keep an eye on since he came into the LPL as a Janna one-trick.
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