LoL Season 14 map changes leave once-dominant top laner struggling to fight

One League of Legends champion has struggled to make an impact in Season 14 due to drastic changes in the map making lanes much wider than before.

Season 14 has finally arrived in League of Legends. Arguably one of the biggest changes we’ve seen since launch, the new season saw plenty of changes to the jungle, map, and items, essentially making the MOBA a brand-new game.

Not only were items completely flipped on their head, with the Mythic system being completely removed. Plenty of new items were introduced, allowing players to begin theory and build crafting about potential strategies that can net them a win or two in ranked games.

Outside of the new items, the Summoner’s Rift saw quite a shake-up. With new branching paths around the jungle, it’s made ganking lanes a bit tougher, and a new transforming Baron pit will shape the way teams take fights around the area. However, lane changes were among the biggest changes, with wider lanes making it much harder for certain champions to thrive.

This is particularly true for top lane juggernaut Illaoi, who relies on spawning tentacles on nearby walls to assist in her damage.

Illaoi’s passive allows her to spawn tentacles on nearby terrain, these tentacles work in tandem with the rest of her kit, providing a spiritual beatdown that Nagakaborous would be proud of.

However, these tentacles have a limited range, meaning Illaoi excels in cramped and closed spaces. Unfortunately, that’s the exact opposite of what happened with the Season 14 changes, leaving her in the dust.

Riot has already mentioned that they will be looking to make larger changes to Illaoi if possible, with number buffs if they aren’t able to find a solution to the top laner’s range issue.