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LoL Patch 26.04 Preview: Graves Buffs, Naafiri Nerfs, and More
League of Legends Patch 26.04 is coming, and it's looking like a big one. The new update will bring a large set changes to numerous champions, particularly in the Jungle. With the official preview already out, let's take a look at some of the most important changes coming with LoL Patch 26.04 when it releases on Thursday, February 19.
Graves and Annie Are Back?
Graves and Annie are among the oldest champions in League of Legends, but neither of them has felt particularly relevant in recent patches. Now, LoL Patch 26.04 will look to change that by delivering substantial buffs to both champions.
For Graves, the new patch will buff the amount of Armor and Magic Resistance he gets from his [E] Quickdraw. This should allow Graves to be more durable in longer fits despite continuing to build primarily for burst.
Annie, meanwhile, will receive buffs to both her [Q] Disintegrate and [E] Molten Shield. These will make her laning phase considerably stronger, potentially seeing the return of Annie to the Mid Lane once more.
Jungle Roller Coaster Continues
The new season so far has delivered lots of new champions into the Jungle role, and Patch 26.04 will be no different. The new LoL update will make it so that, through Jungle monster damage modifiers or other buffs, Brand, Camille, Darius, Fizz, Maokai, Udyr, and Teemo will have much faster, and healthier, Jungler clears moving forward.
Meanwhile, a few recent newcomers to the role have been performing a little too good for comfort. This is particularly true for Ambessa, who has taken over both Solo Queue and pro play as a Jungler as of late. Patch 26.04 will lower the amount of damage her [Q] Cunning Sweep/Sundering Slam deals to monsters, slowing down her clear speed a tad without entirely removing her as a Jungler.
Tune Up in the Bot Lane
Down in the Bot Lane, a few champions have clearly stood above the rest to start the year. This is the case for ADCs like Jinx and Twitch, for instance; both of whom currently have a near-52% win rate across all ranks in Solo Queue.
Now, LoL Patch 26.04 will nerf both champions a bit by lowering their stats without touching their abilities whatsoever.
And speaking of strong champions, Braum currently holds the highest win rate (52.04%) out of all Support champions in Solo Queue across all ranks. Patch 26.04 will aim to fix that by nerfing his [R] Glacial Fissure while letting the rest of his kit be.
Big Changes Are Coming
All in all, League of Legends Patch 26.04 is looking like a big one. Once the patch releases on February 19, it might take some time before the meta begins to settle and clear winners begin to emerge. In the Jungle in particular, it will be exciting to see how players continue to adapt to the latest changes both in Solo Queue as well as pro play.
All information about LoL Patch 26.04 was taken from an X (Twitter) post made by Matt "Phroxzon" Leung-Harrison, Lead Gameplay Designer for League of Legends. If you'd like to have a look at the complete list of changes, make sure to check out the post!
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Featured image credit: Riot Games
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