League of Legends update 9.16 patch notes – Pantheon rework, Corki nerfs, more

League of Legends Patch 9.16 has arrived, bringing with it a champion rework, new Honor 5 rewards, and a host of balance changes.

The big news of the patch is of course the arrival of the Pantheon Visual and Gameplay Update (VGU), which sees an overhaul to the champion’s character model and abilities.

Riot Games stated in Patch 9.16 that they don’t intend to make any major fundamental changes to the game until the end of the season, but they’re still keeping of champion balance with adjustments where necessary.

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Many will be pleased to see Ezreal on the nerf list this time, with the champion proving powerful enough to be a viable pick in almost every scenario recently. Meanwhile, the prevalence of Corki in the mid lane in the professional meta of late means he’s also been targeted with some nerfs.

Galio fans go another patch without a buff, despite his play-rate remaining low after he was gutted in 9.14, although the likes of Ekko, Fiora, and LeBlanc are all seeing buffs to varying degrees.

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For high-skilled players, a change to the ranked system will mean that demotion from Grandmaster or Challenger now sends you strait to Diamond 1, to counter an issue that saw players in these ranks able to hold onto them more easily than they should. The same change has been made in Teamfight Tactics.

The full list of changes can be found in the patch notes below.

League of Legends Patch 9.16 notes

Champions

Pantheon – The Unbreakable Spear

Pantheon crashes through the enemy frontline and causes havoc in their ranks starting in 9.16.

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Azir

Q cooldown increased late.

We’re opening up late game windows of opportunity for Azir’s enemies so he and his soldiers can’t just chase them relentlessly.

Q – Conquering Sands

COOLDOWN :: 15/12.5/10/7.5/5 seconds >>> 15/13/11/9/7 seconds

Corki

Base attack damage and attack damage growth decreased.

Corki’s been too present in pro play due to his all-too-reliable damage, so we’re nerfing him.

Base Stats

ATTACK DAMAGE :: 60 >>> 55

ATTACK DAMAGE GROWTH :: 3 >>> 2.5

Dr. Mundo

W Tenacity flattened. E cooldown now scales.

With four patches worth of smaller changes already under his belt, the mad lad’s been asking for something more substantial.

W – Burning Agony

TENACITY :: 10/15/20/25/30% >>> 30% at all ranks

E – Masochism

COOLDOWN :: 6 seconds >>> 6/5.5/5/4.5/4 seconds

Ekko

E bonus damage increased. R cooldown decreased late.

Ekko has room for more power in all areas of play.

E – Phase Dive

BONUS DAMAGE :: 40/65/90/115/140 >>> 50/75/100/125/150

R – Chronobreak

COOLDOWN :: 110/90/70 seconds >>> 110/80/50 seconds

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Ezreal

Q AP ratio decreased. E cooldown increased.

AP Ezreal’s burst has made him a bit of a terror, so we’re taking some power out of the build and hitting his early game safety.

Q – Mystic Shot

RATIO :: 0.3 ability power >>> 0.15 ability power

E – Arcane Shift

COOLDOWN :: 19/17.5/16/14.5/13 seconds >>> 25/22/19/16/13 seconds

Fiora

E cooldown decreased early; bonus attack speed now scales.

Giving Fiora more strength to capitalize on momentum she gets from a lead in lane.

E – Bladework

COOLDOWN :: 13/11/9/7/5 seconds >>> 11/9.5/8/6.5/5 seconds

BONUS ATTACK SPEED :: 50% at all ranks >>> 50/60/70/80/90%

Jax

Q cooldown decreased.

As a melee champion, Jax will benefit from having more opportunities to jump on the ranged enemies who otherwise steadily chip him down in lane.

Q – Leap Strike

COOLDOWN :: 10/9/8/7/6 seconds >>> 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 seconds

Kassadin

W basic attack damage modifier increased.

Strengthening the aspects of Kassadin that can keep some of the shorter ranged mid laners in check, especially if they’re champions he should naturally be good against anyways (AP assassins).

W – Nether Blade

EMPOWERED BASIC ATTACK DAMAGE :: 40/65/90/115/140 (+0.8 ability power) >>> 70/95/120/145/170 (+0.8 ability power)

LeBlanc

Q AP ratio increased.

We’re reverting the nerf LeBlanc received earlier this year since she can use more power in a way that average players can utilize.

Q – Sigil of Malice

RATIO :: 0.3 ability power >>> 0.4 ability power

Lux

W shield increased late.

When we hit Lux’s shield with nerfs in 9.14, we were mainly quelling the builds that took advantage of its safety. However, as a result we ended up hitting support Lux a lot harder than anticipated. We’re giving back some of that damage mitigation so she can still keep her partner meaningfully safe in the bot lane.

W – Prismatic Barrier

SHIELD :: 50/65/80/95/110 >>> 50/75/100/125/150

MAX SHIELD :: 100/130/160/190/220 >>> 100/150/200/250/300

Nocturne

Base armor increased. W bonus attack speed increased.

Nocturne has been overshadowed by other junglers as a competitively viable option, so we’re buffing him.

Base Stats

Rounded out some stats!

ARMOR :: 36 >>> 38

HEALTH :: 582.8 >>> 585

MANA :: 273.8 >>> 275

MANA REGEN :: 6.756 >>> 7

W – Shroud of Darkness

BONUS ATTACK SPEED :: 20/25/30/35/40% >>> 30/35/40/45/50%

Riven

Q cooldown flattened.

We’re reverting the scaling cooldown change to Riven’s Q from 9.10. The cooldown increase on her E from that patch didn’t offset the strength of the Q buff in higher levels of solo queue games, and our intent wasn’t to buff her in that patch.

Q – Broken Wings

COOLDOWN :: 13/12.5/12/11.5/11 seconds >>> 12 seconds at all ranks

Sejuani

Frost Armor base armor and magic resistance increased, ratio decreased. Q cooldown increased.

Sejuani has been a dominant force in pro play for awhile, despite receiving some recent nerfs. Taking a more substantial swing at her power.

Passive – Fury of the North

FROST ARMOR :: 20 (+0.25 bonus armor) bonus armor and 20 (+0.25 bonus magic resistance) bonus magic resistance >>> 10 (+0.35 bonus armor) bonus armor and 10 (+0.35 bonus magic resistance) bonus magic resistance

Q – Arctic Assault

COOLDOWN :: 17/15.5/14/12.5/11 seconds >>> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds

Shen

Q empowered damage ratio increased. E base damage increased.

Shen could use a little more power when split-pushing in the mid-to-late game.

Q – Twilight Assault

EMPOWERED CHAMPION DAMAGE RATIO :: 4/4.5/5/5.5/6% of target’s maximum health >>> 5/5.5/6/6.5/7% of target’s maximum health

E – Shadow Dash

BASE PHYSICAL DAMAGE :: 50/75/100/125/150 >>> 60/85/110/135/160

Singed

Base mana increased. R bonus stats increased late.

Giving Singed a little extra oomph so his Insanity can lead him to some more wins if he makes it to the late game.

Base Stats

Rounded out some stats!

MANA :: 290.6 >>> 330

ATTACK DAMAGE :: 62.32 >>> 63

MANA REGEN :: 7.524 >>> 7.5

ATTACK SPEED GROWTH :: 1.81% >>> 1.9%

R – Insanity Potion

BONUS STATS :: 30/55/80 >>> 30/60/90

Sion

Base mana increased. Q base min and max damage increased; removed damage reduction on monsters.

Smoothing out some of Sion’s rougher edges, like rounding out his base stats and removing a mechanic that no longer seems needed. Overall, he’ll have more chances to brawl with his opponents in the top lane, especially with other fighters.

Base Stats

Rounded out some stats!

MANA :: 325.6 >>> 330

HEALTH :: 542.64 >>> 545

MANA REGEN :: 8.0008 >>> 8

Q – Decimating Smash

BASE MINIMUM DAMAGE :: 20/40/60/80/100 >>> 30/50/70/90/110

BASE MAXIMUM DAMAGE :: 60/120/180/240/300 >>> 70/135/200/265/330

[REM] REDUCED DAMAGE ON MONSTERS :: Decimating Smash no longer deals 80% damage against monsters

Sivir

W AD ratio decreased early.

Sivir is strong. When coupled with Yuumi, she’s ESPECIALLY strong. The cat is getting nerfed (spoiler alert if you haven’t gotten to her section yet), but we think Sivir could use nerfs too to quell her early game wave clear and give opponents a chance to put her on the back foot.

W – Ricochet

RATIO :: 50/55/60/65/70% attack damage >>> 30/40/50/60/70% attack damage

Sylas

Q2 damage reduction now applies to minions and monsters.

Sylas has been thriving in the jungle after his latest set of changes. Following up on those by toning down his clear speed a bit.

Q – Chain Lash

DETONATION DAMAGE :: 45% reduced damage against minions >>> against minions and monsters

R – Hijack

BUGFIX :: Sylas now properly heals himself when casting a Hijacked R – Mantra empowered W – Renewal from Karma

Syndra

Q bonus damage against champions increased. E base damage increased.

Syndra’s weak in all levels of play at the moment so we’re giving her some general power.

Q – Dark Sphere

TRANSCENDENT :: 15% bonus damage against champions >>> 25% bonus damage against champions

E – Scatter the Weak

BASE DAMAGE :: 70/115/160/205/250 >>> 85/130/175/220/265

Tahm Kench

Base movement speed decreased. E shield duration decreased.

We’re making Tahm Kench more vulnerable to ganks as a countermeasure to the safety he brings his already-safe bot lane buddies (like Ezreal).

Base Stats

MOVEMENT SPEED :: 345 >>> 335

E – Thick Skin

SHIELD DURATION :: 3 seconds >>> 2 seconds

Yuumi

Q empowered damage decreased late; slow decreased; slow duration flattened; cooldown increased early.

Yuumi’s damage is too high for how reliable it is, especially when coupled with other high-damage bot lane partners.

Q – Prowling Projectile

EMPOWERED DAMAGE :: 50/95/140/185/230/275 >>> 50/85/120/155/190/225

SLOW :: 40/48/56/64/72/80% >>> 20/32/44/56/68/80%

SLOW DURATION :: 1.25/1.35/1.45/1.55/1.65/1.75 seconds >>> 1.5 seconds

COOLDOWN :: 11/10/9/8/7/6 seconds >>> 13.5/12/10.5/9/7.5/6 seconds

Ziggs

W AP ratio increased; cooldown decreased early. R cooldown decreased late.

Ziggs isn’t doing so hot right now, so we’re buffing up one of his less potent abilities and letting him access his ultimate more frequently.

W – Satchel Charge

RATIO :: 0.35 ability power >>> 0.5 ability power

COOLDOWN :: 24/21/18/15/12 seconds >>> 20/18/16/14/12 seconds

R – Mega Inferno Bomb

COOLDOWN :: 120/105/90 seconds >>> 120/95/70 seconds

Runes

Biscuit Delivery

Biscuits delivered decreased; delivery intervals adjusted. Health and mana per biscuit decreased. Healing duration decreased. Permanent mana per biscuit increased.

These biscuits are too fresh, giving too much sustain to its holders during laning phase. Many of these changes are to the rune itself, but the ones that affect the Biscuits directly will also apply to the Biscuits occasionally acquired through Kleptomancy.

BISCUITS DELIVERED :: 4 >>> 3

DELIVERY INTERVAL :: 3:00, 6:00, 9:00, 12:00 >>> 2:00, 4:00, 6:00

HEALTH PER BISCUIT :: 15% of missing health >>> 10% of missing health

HEALTH PER BISCUIT (MANALESS CHAMPIONS) :: 20% of missing health >>> 12% of missing health

MANA PER BISCUIT :: 15% of missing mana >>> 10% of missing mana

HEALING DURATION :: 15 seconds >>> 5 seconds

PERMANENT MAXIMUM MANA INCREASE :: 40 mana per biscuit consumption >>> 50 mana per biscuit consumption

Ranked

We’re unifying Challenger and Grandmaster’s 0 LP demotion rules with Master’s existing rules. This is mainly an edge-case change since losing LP over a few days or weeks naturally demotes players into Master before they reach 0 LP, though in smaller servers it’ll also address situations where it was near-impossible to demote out of Challenger.

LADDER DOWN :: Losing a game at 0 LP in Grandmaster or Challenger demotes you to Master, 0 LP >>> Diamond 1 with 75, 50, or 0 LP based on whether your MMR is higher than the Master cutoff, between the Master and Diamond 1 cutoffs, or lower than the Diamond 1 cutoff

ARAM Balance Changes

9.16 Nerfs

Swain :: -5% damage dealt >>> -6% damage dealt & +6% damage taken

9.16 Buffs

Morgana :: -6% damage dealt & +6% damage taken >>> -6% damage dealt

Volibear :: +5% damage taken >>> Unchanged

Yorick :: -5% damage dealt & +5% damage taken >>> -5% damage dealt

Honor 5 Rewards

New Honor 5 chroma rewards debut in 9.16!

YOU DID IT :: Your Honor 5 capsule will contain a random emote or ward skin, as well as an Honor 5 token you can redeem for Medieval Twitch, Grey Warwick, or one of the two new chromas shown above if you already own the base skin. You don’t need to own both skins before being able to pick a chroma for a skin you own.

BUT ACTUALLY :: This season only, your Honor 5 capsule will contain two Honor 5 tokens because we promised you two chromas this season, not one.

BELATED ELATED :: If you hit Honor 5 before 9.16 and already owned both Medieval Twitch and Grey Warwick prior to getting your capsule, we’ll add your two Honor 5 tokens directly to your account during patch 9.16. (It’ll take a little bit to get to everyone. Stop being so honorable. Actually, don’t.)

Bugfixes

• Gnar can no longer change the direction of E – Hop after transforming through R – GNAR! before bouncing on a minion
• Allies with Orianna’s E – Command: Protect on them will now see an indicator centered on her
• Malzahar’s R – Nether Grasp now adds a Revealed marker to the target (including stealthed targets)
• Xayah’s Passive – Clean Cuts basic attacks now properly spawn feathers behind her target and not around her
• Master Yi’s basic attack immediately following his Q – Alpha Strike now properly grants an additional stack of Conqueror or Electrocute
• Darius’ Passive – Hemorrhage no longer incorrectly displays a ranged indicator
• If Katarina drops a dagger near a wall and then casts E – Shunpo so that she can blink to the other side of the wall, she now properly gets a reset on the ability
• Nautilus’ W – Titan’s Wrath will now properly proc Electrocute instead of granting only one stack while active
• Lee Sin’s hitbox will no longer warp across the map when casting Q – Resonating Strike
• Twitch is no longer able to cast Q – Ambush without consuming any mana 3 seconds after its cooldown resets when an enemy champion dies from his Passive – Deadly Venom
• Selling any stacking consumable item will no longer sell two of them at a time if there are more than one
• Karma’s W – Focused Resolve now properly lowers R – Mantra‘s cooldown while damaging enemy champions
• Phase Rush and Electrocute activates properly when Poppy casts E – Heroic Charge in specific combos