The preseason for League of Legends season 10 is nearly here, and the metagame will see some major changes. Some champions and play styles will see major buffs and others will see nerfs as a result of the new item and rune changes. The following are the winners and losers of the metagame changes in season 10.
Tanks are going to be much more impactful in season 10 due to the changes to conqueror and the new mountain drake bonus. Malphite, Sion, Ornn and Maokai suffered in season 9 when fighting against a champion with conqueror. With the removal of the true damage aspect of conqueror, tanks are going to be much more difficult to kill. The percentage increase on armor and magic resist from mountain drake will benefit resistance stacking tanks the most. While bruisers will still be a staple in the metagame, season 10 should allow tanks to spend some time in the spotlight.
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
Attack damage based split-push champions are going to be able to do their job much more efficiently with the addition of Sanguine Blade. The bonus attack speed it grants when near one or fewer champions is going to allow champions like Tryndamere and Fiora to shred through towers. The dueling power this item provides is also going to make it difficult for other champions to contest their push.
Supports are going to benefit immensely from the changes to support items. The addition of automatic upgrades to support items is going to allow supports to focus their gold on core items. This will increase the impact supports have on the game by granting them the ability to be closer in power level to the other roles. The ability power and attack damage versions of Spellthief’s Edge and Relic Shield will also allow supports to build towards their champion strengths.
Image Courtesy of Riot Games
The removal of Spear of Shojin is going to drastically reduce the power level and viability of several champions. Spear of Shojin was a core item on Renekton, Jax and Riven that allows them to temporarily dish out URF-mode levels of damage and crowd control. These champions are going to be significantly weaker, because they are also users of conqueror. These changes will require players of these champions to change their builds and play styles.
Ranged top lane champions like Kayle and Kennen are going to suffer from the removal of the Kleptomancy keystone. Being able to abuse melee champions by receiving extra gold was a bit too strong. This should give melee champions a better chance in these ranged matchups. Kleptomancy users will not be able to hit their item power spikes as fast, but there are plenty of other viable keystones for them to use.
While critical strike items are getting buffed in season 10, Marksmen will have a tougher time. The decreased experience in duo lanes will significantly reduce the impact of the bottom lane in the early levels. This may increase the popularity of roaming support strategies, so marksmen can receive solo experience and scale up faster.
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Featured photo from Riot Games
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