LoL Patch 26.14 Preview: Full Buffs, Nerfs & System Changes List

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The MSI hype hasn’t slowed down one bit, and neither has Riot’s patch schedule. With the tournament in full swing and the pro meta looking healthier than it has in a while, the balance team is turning its attention back to Summoner’s Rift for Patch 26.14. Lead gameplay designer Matt “Phroxzon” Leung-Harrison shared the full preview, and it’s a mix of overdue buffs, targeted nerfs, and a couple of system shakeups that could ripple across the solo queue.

Here’s everything coming in LoL Patch 26.14.

According to Phroxzon, the team is pretty content with where the game sits right now. MSI has produced some strong games, and class representation is looking solid across the board, with assassins showing up in the jungle and even a few LeBlanc picks sneaking into the mix.

Image Credit: Riot Games

One of the more interesting side effects of this split has been the rise of mages in the bot lane. Recent nerfs to the strongest bot lane picks opened the door for mage bots to become more common, and while Riot doesn’t see that as a problem on its own, it’s clearly a topic the team keeps circling back to. The power level of mage bots, especially the ones posting high win rates, is something they’re watching closely. It’s a nuanced conversation that comes down to specific pairings, how familiar players are at facing them, and more.

Full Patch 26.14 Preview:

Category	Champion / Item	Details
Champion Buffs	Azir	Bugfixes
	Brand	Jungle
	Corki
	Mordekaiser
	Nami
	Yunara
Champion Nerfs	Garen
	Jayce
	Locke
	Senna
	Seraphine
Champion Adjustments	Nasus	Jungle Nerf, Top Buff
System Buffs	Blue Buff
System Nerfs	Hextech Rocketbelt
	Immortal Path	Gluttonous Greaves Mid Quest Upgrade
	Jack of All Trades

Patch 26.14 Champion Buffs

Six champions are getting some love this cycle, including a couple of newer faces and a fan favorite bruiser:

• Azir (Bugfixes)
• Brand (Jungle)
• Corki
• Mordekaiser
• Nami
• Yunara

Brand jungle getting attention is a nice touch for players who love throwing fire across the map, and Mordekaiser mains have plenty to be excited about. Azir’s changes are listed as bugfixes, so expect stability improvements rather than a straight power spike.

Patch 26.14 Champion Nerfs

On the flip side, five champions are getting reined in:

• Garen
• Jayce
• Locke
• Senna
• Seraphine

Seraphine’s inclusion ties directly into that mage bot discussion. Riot flagged her as an overperformer in solo queue specifically, so she’s taking a hit even though the broader mage bot debate remains more complicated.

Patch 26.14 Champion Adjustments

• Nasus (Jungle Nerf, Top Buff)

Nasus is getting the classic push-and-pull treatment. His jungle version is being toned down while his home in the top lane gets a boost, which should nudge the Curator of the Sands back toward where players expect to see him.

The Locke Nerf Explained

Locke has had a loud debut, and Riot is happy with how players have connected with his kit. His executes, resets, and stack-into-burst gameplay have clearly resonated with the community.

That being said, the numbers tell a slightly different story. Here’s how Phroxzon broke it down:

• Locke is a bit skill-skewed in the same way champions like Katarina or Akshan are, though not to an extreme degree
• His true power level is a little too high once you account for mastery growth
• His early game snowball potential is currently over the line
• Rather than gutting his damage, Riot wants him to work harder to access it

The result is a waveclear nerf aimed at making his damage output less reliable to reach. Riot acknowledged that a lot of players find his damage confronting, but the team wants to preserve those unique edges that make certain champions stand out instead of flattening them.

Patch 26.14 System Buffs

• Blue Buff

A Blue Buff adjustment can quietly reshape which champions feel comfortable in the early game, so mana-hungry mids and junglers will want to keep an eye on this one.

Patch 26.14 System Nerfs

Three system changes round out the patch, and two of them come with detailed reasoning from Riot.

• Hextech Rocketbelt
• Immortal Path (Gluttonous Greaves Mid Quest Upgrade)
• Jack of All Trades

Rocketbelt has been one of the premier items for immobile mages at the highest level for months now. Riot likes the innovation the item brings, but feels it’s handing out too much versatility and stripping away a core weakness of these champions, namely the fact that they’re supposed to be killable. The nerf is meant to force a stronger tradeoff.

The Gluttonous Greaves mid quest upgrade is the other big one. Riot noted that it adds nice texture to matchups like playing mid against a top lane Riven, but it’s also the strongest performing boot in that lane and lacks clear counterplay. Same story as Rocketbelt: the idea is great, but the execution is currently just a bit too strong.

When Does LoL Patch 26.14 Release?

Riot typically rolls out patches roughly a week after the preview goes public, so Patch 26.14 should hit live servers in the coming days. As always, keep in mind that a preview reflects work in progress. Numbers can shift before the patch officially ships, so treat these as directional until the full patch notes drop.

We’ll update this piece the moment the complete notes are live.

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