TFT patch 12.5 notes: Jhin & Ahri buffs, Rek’Sai rework

TFT patch 12.5 has landed and it’s a big one: Riot shipped the first major Neon Nights balance changes following the Set 6.5 launch, targeting Rek’Sai, Jhin, Ahri, and more. We’ve got a complete look at the March update here, including the full patch notes.

Neon Nights has built on what Gizmos & Gadgets introduced in Set 6, and TFT patch 12.5 is here to finetune the wild west of balance in the aftermath.

It’s not the first update since Set 6.5 went live: Silco, Renata Glasc, Sivir, and the Hextech trait have all been nerfed as part of TFT patch 12.4b on February 22. However, this patch includes some bigger changes Riot couldn’t push out within a week.

The big names being targeted? Rek’Sai, Jhin, Ahri, Zeri, Tryndamere, Twitch, Corki ⁠— more than 20 champions have been highlighted, as well as five traits and a slew of Augments. Here’s what we know about TFT patch 12.5.

What’s changed in TFT patch 12.5?

Riot gives love to Jhin, Arcanists as they fall off in Neon Nights

It’s like Andy in Toy Story ⁠— as soon as the new Neon Nights champions and traits came along, TFT players looked at units like Jhin and the Arcanist trait and said “I don’t want to play with you anymore.”

Jhin hasn’t been bad by any means, although he was outshone by Sivir and Irelia as premier four-cost carries before TFT patch 12.4b. After the 12.5 patch, he got a “slight” buff, along with common frontline pairing Braum, to help him out.

• Read More: TFT Gizmos & Gadgets Pass II details

Arcanists also got some love as the AP comp fell off without Lux. Ahri received an “adjustment to make her easier and more satisfying to play,” which should help both Syndicate players and Arcanist players. Vex was also recently buffed in the b-patch, helping the cause.

Rek’Sai rework to tone back powerful three-trait two-cost

TFT players have maybe been having a bit too much fun with some of the new units in Neon Nights though. One of the most glaring examples is Rek’Sai. While she was nerfed in the February 22 update, Riot are keen to push ahead with a rework of the two-cost unit.

Her synergy with Sejuani ⁠— also a three-trait two-cost unit ⁠— has made the duo a powerful early game pairing on every board. She can also transition well as a late-game secondary carry alongside Kha’Zix in Mutant comps, without much counter.

Rek’Sai’s resistance shred and damage has already been hit, but Riot wants to “open up more defensive builds that aren’t hard countered by a flexible three-trait two-cost” with big changes in TFT patch 12.5.

They are doing this by removing her resistance shred and adjusting her scalings, putting extra emphasis on her healing rather than damage. She transforms into more of a drain tank through health rather than resistances as a result.

Brand, Corki, Lucian reroll buffs

Some reroll comps have been outperforming others in Neon Nights ⁠— Twitch, Tryndamere, and Malzahar to name them.

Riot are looking at adjusting other reroll carries like Brand, Corki, and Lucian to try and give them a bit more power in the meta. Even Ashe is getting a look in at one and two-star, although those will more than likely help her in a Syndicate comp versus being a reroll carry.

• Read More: The best TFT Set 6.5 comps

On the flip side, the aforementioned trio of overachievers will all be nerfed to bring the strategy, and its carries, closer to parity.

TFT patch 12.5 is live and you can check out all the notes below, courtesy of Riot Games.

TFT patch 12.5 notes

Champions

1-cost

Brand

• Sear Damage: 120/160/210 ⇒ 135/175/235
• Bonus Sear Damage: 150/225/300 ⇒ 165/225/300

Ezreal

• Attack Damage: 50 ⇒ 45

Jarvan IV

• Attack Speed: 0.65 ⇒ 0.6
• Starting Mana nerf: 60/100 ⇒ 50/100

Nocturne

• Unspeakable Horror Stun Duration: 2/2.5/3.5 ⇒ 2/2.5/3
• Unspeakable Horror Damage: 200/300/400 ⇒ 190/300/450
• Unspeakable Horror now correctly scales with Ability Power

Twitch

• Piercing Bolt Attack Damage scaling percent: 125/135/150% ⇒ 125/130/140%
• Piercing Bolt base Damage: 25/50/75 ⇒ 30/50/70

2-cost

Ashe

• Volley number of arrows: 6/7/8 ⇒ 8/8/8
• Volley range: Her Range ⇒ Her Range + 1 Hex

Corki

• Bombardment Damage: 200/260/333 ⇒ 220/275/350

Lulu

• Wild Growth Bonus Health: 325/350/375 ⇒ 350/370/390

Rek’Sai

• Reworked – Spell Base Damage: No longer scales with AP
• Armor & Magic Resist: 40 ⇒ 45
• Resist steal (removed): 10% ⇒ 0%
• Heal: 150/250/400 (no Ability Power scaling) ⇒ 150/200/350 (Ability Power scaling)
• NEw – If Rek’sai has already bit her target, she heals for 250/350/500 (scales with AP) health instead.

3-cost

Ekko

• Starting Mana nerf: 80/120 ⇒ 60/120

Gnar

• Increased the range of Mega Gnar’s boulder by one hex

Lucian

• Relentless Pursuit Damage: 175/275/300 ⇒ 185/295/315
• Health: 650 ⇒ 700
• Armor & Magic Resist: 25 ⇒ 30

Malzahar

• Malefic Visions Damage: 625/875/1050 ⇒ 600/825/950

Morgana

• Soul Shackles Shield: 500/600/750 ⇒ 475/575/675

Senna

• Piercing Darkness Attack Damage scaling: 160% ⇒ 150%
• Piercing Darkness Damage: 80/125/200 ⇒ 80/120/180

Tryndamere

• Spinning Slash base spin Damage: 60/90/150 ⇒ 50/75/100

4-cost

Ahri

• Starting Mana buff: 0/50 ⇒ 30/50
• Angle Between Each Orb: 20 ⇒ 10

Alistar

• Pulverize Damage: 200/350/1200 ⇒ 150/250/1000

Braum

• Vault Breaker Stun Duration: 1.75/2.25/8 ⇒ 2/2.75/8

Draven

• Range: 3 ⇒ 4
• New – Now has innate 25% Armor Penetration
• VIP Bonus Armor Penetration: 50% ⇒ 25%\
• Spinning Axes Attack Damage scaling: 150/160/400% ⇒ 170/180/400%
• Spinning Axes Base Damage: 150/200/500 ⇒ 120/150/400

Irelia

• Attack Damage: 90 ⇒ 85

Jhin

• Curtain Call Attack Damage scaling: 150/200/300% ⇒ 175/200/300%

Kha’Zix

• Arid Assault has been renamed to Void Assault

Renata

• Toxic Wave Damage: 45/70/240 ⇒ 40/65/220

Sivir

• Attack Speed: 0.7 ⇒ 0.8

Vi

• Piltover Pulverizer Damage: 150/225/450 ⇒ 125/200/450
• Piltover Pulverizer Third Cast Damage: 300/400/900 ⇒ 250/350/900

5-cost

Galio

• Colossal Entrance max Health Scaling: 5% ⇒ 6%

Jinx

• Armor & Magic Resist: 40 ⇒ 45

Kai’sa

• Attack Speed: 1.1 ⇒ 1.2

Tahm Kench

• Devour Damage on Crowd Control Immune Targets: 35% ⇒ 50%

Zeri

• Attack Damage: 80 ⇒ 85

Traits

Bodyguard

• Starting shield: 150/350/700/1200 ⇒ 200/400/800/2000

Chemtech

• Damage reduction: 20% ⇒ 15%

Enchanter

• Magic resistance: 20/35/50/75 ⇒ 25/45/70/100
• Heal and shield power: 25/40/60/100% ⇒ 25/45/70/100%

Enforcer

• Stun duration: 4 seconds ⇒ 3 seconds

Innovator

• Innovator 7 Crit Chance: 75% ⇒ You will always Crit if you are able (not against Bramble)
• Innovator 7 Spell Crit damage increase: 10% ⇒ 25%
• Innovator 7 Lightning Damage: 500 ⇒ 600

Twinshot

• Bonus AD: 10/25/40/60 ⇒ 10/25/45/80

Augments

Battle Mage I / II / III

• Bonus Ability Power: 30/45/60 ⇒ 25/35/50
• Can’t be offered if you are playing 2+ Snipers

Chemtech Unity

• Tier: Tier 1 (Silver) ⇒ Tier 2 (Gold)

Concussive Blows

• Tier: Tier 1 (Silver) ⇒ Tier 2 (Gold)
• Cooldown: 7 seconds ⇒ 6 seconds

Cybernetic Implants III

• Health: 450 ⇒ 350

Disintegrator I / II / III

• Bonus damage: 2/3/4% ⇒ 1.5/2.5/4%

Dominance

• Can only appear if you are on a 2+ Win Streak

Double Trouble I / II / III

• Bonus stats: 35/45/60 ⇒ 30/40/50

Electrocharge I / II / III

• Damage: 90/135/180 ⇒ 60/100/160

Four Score

• Number of 4-cost Champions: 3 ⇒ 4

Golden Gifts

• Can only appear as the 2nd augment

Knife’s Edge I / II / III

• Can’t be offered if you are playing
  • 2+ Arcanists
  • 2+ Scholars
  • 2+ Snipers
  • 2+ Enchanters

Luden’s Echo I / II / III

• Spell damage: 135/200/275 ⇒ 100/150/200

High Five

New Tier 3 (Prismatic) Augment

• Gain five random 5-cost champions
• Can only appear as the 3rd augment

Second Wind III

• Removed

Swift Justice

• Renamed to True Justice

Treasure Trove I / II

• Treasure Trove I / II can only appear at Stage 1-4
  • Treasure Trove III unchanged from 1-4 and 3-3

Tri Force I / II / III

• Can now only be offered if you have two or more 3-cost units in play
• Bonus Health: 233/333/433 ⇒ 133/233/333

Woodland Trinket

• Trinket Clone Health: 250 ⇒ 300

Items

Bramble Vest

• Critical Strike bonus Damage reduction: 100% ⇒ 75%
• Reflect Damage: 60/80/120 ⇒ 75/100/150

Brink of Dawn (Radiant Edge of Night)

• Health threshold: 25% ⇒ 30%

Covalent Spark (Radiant Ionic Spark)

• Max mana as damage: 300% ⇒ 275%

Edge of Night

• Health threshold for stealth: 50% ⇒ 60%

Mistral (Radiant Zephyr)

• Banish duration: 10 seconds ⇒ 8 seconds

Statikk Shiv

• Lightning Damage: 70 ⇒ 60

Sunfire Cape (Radiant Sunfire Aegis)

• Burn over 30 seconds: 120% max health ⇒ 90% max health

The Collector

• Gold drop chance: 50% ⇒ 60%

Zhonya’s Paradox

• AP: 45 ⇒ 50
• Armor and magic resist: 35 ⇒ 50
• Invulnerability duration: 2.5 seconds ⇒ 3 seconds

Systems

Tome of Traits

Breakpoints slightly nerfed.

• No tailored Emblems: 0 – 4 active traits ⇒ 0 – 5
• One tailored Emblem: 5 – 6 active traits ⇒ 6 – 7
• Two tailored Emblems: 7 – 8 active traits ⇒ 8 – 9
• Three tailored Emblems: 9 – 10 active traits ⇒ 10 – 11
• Four tailored Emblems: 11+ active traits ⇒ 12+

Other

Double Up

• Team chat is here! Chat now defaults to partner only; use /all to send messages to the whole lobby.

Hyper Roll

• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes get fewer than the intended minimum number of components from PvE rounds.

Bug fixes

• We’ve fixed an issue with nontypical mobile login methods that have been causing account lockouts
• We’ve fixed an issue with crashes related to brand spanking new phones that we weren’t prepared to support—until now!
• Stacking the Tri Force II and Tri Force III Augments will now grant the proper amount of Mana
• Recombobulator now spawns Magnetic Removers in the top left corner like other loot Augments
• One and done: Archangel’s Embrace II has been renamed to Archangel’s Embrace since there is only one tier
• Radiant Banshee’s Claw’s tooltip now specifies that it blocks up to 600 Ability damage, similar to normal Banshee’s Claw
• Fixed a bug where Tahm Kench would still “consume” and deal damage over time to units affected by Silco’s Unstable Concoction without actually consuming and disabling them
• Dawn of Nights: Enforcer no longer detains units with Radiant Quicksilver or units affected by Radiant Zephyr
• Thematically bugged: Warwick with Mutant Emblem no longer deals more damage than intended
• Fixed an issue where Yordle Mana costs would not always update immediately as players switched between Yordle 3 and Yordle 6
• Tahm Kench no longer stuns and deals damage to enemies who escaped his stomach with Edge of Night
• Fixed an issue where Cho’Gath’s Colossus Health bonus would not activate the first time Cho’Gath is placed onto the board
• Silco will no longer cast Unstable Concoction on a target that’s inside Tahm Kench’s belly
• Luden’s Echo will no longer deal 0 damage the first time a unit is put onto the board
• Hextech, Debonair, or Striker trait augments can no longer be offered after picking Built Different
• The Soul is a construct: Fixed an issue causing Innovator Soul to never show up as an augment offering